Jenny MacBeth, Author at Girl Likes to Eat

Beef Tenderloin Roast with Rosemary and Garlic Rub

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

What a great way to spend your Sunday. Making a roast fills your house with all kinds of yummy goodness. I make roasts just about every Sunday. I try and use different recipes, so the more I post, the more recipes I’ll use.

This time, I used a garlic and rosemary rub. Very simple. Just crush some garlic and rosemary together. Mix it in with a small amount of EVOO (about two tablespoons), and add a little sea salt and ground pepper. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Heat a little EVOO in a dutch oven. Brown your meat until the skin is crispy. Turning it over to get each side. Put into the oven for 40 – 50 minutes depending on how well you like it. I like it medium-rare (about 125 degrees). I use a meat thermometer. It’s essential to cooking perfect meat.

I put the roasts on a baking sheet and let them rest for about 15 minutes. While it rests, I steam my vegetables and cook my rice pilaf.

I slice the roast at an angle. About three slices equals 3 ounces and 175 calories.

Secret ingredient: Pair this tenderloin with a Brown Ale. I love Newcastle Brown.

Please share your ideas because this girl likes to eat.

25 Most Hated Foods

Posted on March 25, 2012March 27, 2012 by Jenny MacBeth

My friend Shelly posted this article on Facebook, America’s 25 Most Hated Foods. Of course I had to check it out. I like 22 out of the 25 hated foods. It’s obvious that this girl likes to eat.

Topping the hated list is Mayo. Why?!? I love Hellmann’s mayonnaise. I’m not a fan of Miracle Whip (it’s too sweet), but Hellmann’s real mayo is awesome. It’s great in all kinds of yummy dishes, and it’s perfect for dipping french fries.

Next is Eggplant. How is that possible? Eggplant Parmesan is so yummy, and grilling it is another scrumptious option.

#3 – Avocado. Come on people. Avocados are hated because they look spoiled? I could see if they smelled spoiled. Homemade guacamole is the best. Not to mention, avocados make yummy spreads for sandwiches.

#4 – Tofu. Well, I could see this on a hated list. I’ve never cooked with it, but I’ve had it in yummy soups and chili’s. So good.

#5 – Anchovies. Not a fan. This is one of those foods I’ve never grown to like. I try it every once in awhile to see if my tastes have changed, but anchovies are not good (period).

#6 – Spinach. Spinach? What the hell. Spinach is awesome. Loaded with vitamins. I use spinach in soups, eggs, pizza, salads, and even sandwiches. Love spinach.

#7 – Turnips. These are great mashed, roasted, in soups. Very good.

#8 – Black Licorice. Not a fan. That’s all I have to say about that.

#9 – Tuna Fish. I can’t eat it out of the can, but I love it when I dress it up in a salad wrapped in a pita.

#10 – Onions. Onions are the spice to life. I think people are closet onion lovers. They just can’t handle the bad breath. – Eat a mint. I can eat a raw onion like an apple.

#11 – Buttermilk. I can’t drink it out of the carton, but mixing it for yummy salad dressings, mashed potatoes, and pancakes makes this a feel good food.

#12 – Raisins. These are great in salads and muffins.

#13 – Oysters. I’ll grant you that they are not the prettiest thing, but add some good-chilled vodka, and you’ll forget oysters are slimy. I also make a mean Oysters Rockefeller.

#14 – Green Peas. I do like my veges, and peas are oh so good.

#15 – Sour Cream. Sour cream makes for yummy dips. Always have it in my refrigerator.

#16 – Cottage Cheese. Love cottage cheese. Add some fruit and it’s a great healthy dessert.

#17 – Broccoli. How can anyone say they don’t like broccoli. Another great source for vitamins. It’s great in eggs, or just steamed with some sea salt. Yum!

#18 – Spam. The poor-man’s meat. It’s not healthy for sure. And, did you ever read the ingredients? However, I love it fried with eggs.

#19 – Brussel Sprouts. Glazed with butter in a skillet, these bad boys are awesome!

#20 – Beets. It’s not my favorite thing in the world, but a few slices in a salad are not so bad.

#21 – Okra. I’ve never had okra, but this article is going to make me find a good recipe to try.

#22 – Eggs. I eat at least one egg a day. I always have hard-boiled eggs in my refrigerator for those grab and go kind of mornings. Eggs are awesome.

#23 – Mushrooms. I can understand the texture thing. Not to mention, it’s fungus; not a pretty name to be associated too. Nonetheless, I love cooking with mushrooms, and all kinds of mushrooms. Stuffed portabella is my favorite.

#24 – Lima Beans. Heart Lima bean soup. I even cut up a raw onion to eat with it.

#25 – Liver. Another food that I can understand the dislike. Liver is a difficult thing to cook. It’s rare that I like it, but my sister makes an awesome liver and onions. That’s about the only time I’ll eat it.

As you can see, I like 95% of the hated foods. I will try the okra someday soon – just to see if I agree. You can click on the food links for cool recipes.

What foods do or don’t you like?

Sieb’s Pub

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Friday night, I headed out with my friend Carey to see a high school musical of My Fair Lady. It was amazing. Shout outs going to my other friend Monica’s son, Drew. Outstanding job as Colonel Hugh Pickering.

Before we headed to the musical, we had to eat of course. Carey introduced me to a family-run neighborhood pub called Sieb’s located at 3382 Babcock Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15237. The funny part is that it’s very close to me, and I never knew it. It reminded me of Ireland with all the Irish decor and live music. It’s more modern than an old Irish pub in Ireland, but had that same fun atmosphere.

The place is pretty big with plenty of parking. Considering it was prime-time dinner hour on a Friday during Lenten season, the wait wasn’t long, however, we opted to sit at the bar.

The staff was friendly and outgoing. Our Bar Wench immediately greeted us, and was patient to help me decide on the perfect beer. Irish pub equals an Irish beer on tap. Smithwick’s was my choice for the evening.

The menu has something for everyone with traditional flavors. It can take me a long time to make a food decision because I want it all. I didn’t even look at the full menu until I put my order in. I had the beer battered fish sandwich – deep fried and served on a kaiser roll with coleslaw. The fish portion is not overwhelming as some pubs. It is the perfect size without needing a To Go container.

Carey had mini crab cakes – a creamy blend of seafood, rolled in breadcrumbs, deep fried and served with a chipotle ranch dipping sauce. Oh my lord! They were so good and I loved the sauce. I rarely find a good crab cake when eating out. I highly recommend you try this.

I’m definitely going back with the Boy. I want to try their aged white cheddar lobster mac & cheese. The menu description says, “Clumps of Succulent Lobster.” Doesn’t that just sound yummy? That’s moan-worthy without even tasting it.

And, for dessert, I need to try Sieb’s funnel cake fries served with different sweet dipping sauces. I hear their heavenly.

Sieb’s talented chefs and staff are worth a visit to experience yourself.

NY Strip Steak in Chipotle Ale

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

The other day, a friend posted a yummy picture on Facebook of steaks. I was inspired to make a couple of steaks. Thanks Hector!

To me it’s not natural to put anything on a steak other than it’s own juices. However, I like beer. Need I say more? Steak is simple, but you need to spend a little more money on the better cut of beef. I’ve tried saving money, going with a cheaper strip steak, but in the end, it’s just not the same.

Take a Ziploc bag and toss in a couple of steaks, pour in half a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale. What do you suppose you do with the other half? Guinness is another option. Hell! Any beer is another option. Let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two. The Chipotle Ale has a little bite, but I still add some fresh ground pepper and sea salt to the steaks when I’m ready to cook.

There’s nothing better than a steak on an open fire, but the next best thing is a cast-iron skillet. Toss the steaks and juice into the skillet and broil to your liking. I like my medium rare; cooking it about 3-4 minutes on each side. When ready, pull the steaks out, and let the steaks rest for five minutes in the skillet. This is very important. The steaks start to seal in their yummy juices.

It’s moan worthy! Especially, if you serve it with another bottle of ale.

Please share your ideas because this girl likes to eat.

No tomato sauce on these Stuffed Peppers.

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

I’m picky about my tomato sauce. Imagine that? The best sauce is home-grown tomatoes, and spending many hours sweating over a hot stove canning those tomatoes. – Now that is a perfect foundation for a great sauce. Unfortunately, I don’t can, nor do I have a garden. So, no tomato sauce on these Stuffed Peppers, but I bet you’re going to love em!

First, open a bottle of India Pale Ale (to drink), and plug in your favorite tunes. This is the most important part to cooking. Why do you think I enjoy it so much?

You’ll need: Green peppers, rice, eggs, lots of EVOO and garlic, a bunch of fresh chopped parsley, a little bit of Italian bread crumbs, ground beef (95% less fat because you’ll make up for it in the EVOO), and fresh grated Romano cheese. Because I always make anywhere from 4 to 8 peppers, I never measure out my ingredients. Come on, it’s all about eyeballing it, right? I can say I use less than a cup of rice and breadcrumbs. I go overboard with the garlic, parsley and Romano cheese. I use anywhere from 2 to 4 eggs depending on how much I need to hold together.

Chop up the parsley and garlic. Squish together with the rice, eggs, bread crumbs, ground beef and a little of the Romano cheese. Stuff your peppers with the mixture. Put into a baking dish, sprinkle with lots of Romano cheese and some more parsley. Lastly, drizzle the top of the peppers with lots of EVOO, and let it coat the bottom on the baking dish. Add fresh ground pepper and salt. Bake covered at 350 for 2.5 hours.

Serve with another India Pale Ale and enjoy. Dogfish is a good brand of IPA, and I always have it chilling.

Thanks for reading. Please share your ideas because this girl likes to eat.

SPOON

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

For my Birthday, the Boy took me to Spoon located at 134 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted immediately by an energetic host.

The menu has something for everyone with unique layers to each dish. I had to make a hard choice, but I’ll try something different next time.

For starters we ordered the yellowtail crudo – thinly sliced raw yellowtail, marinated artichokes, red pepper coulis, and preserved lemons. A very subtle tasting dish.

I had the duo of lamb – a olive crusted loin, braised shoulder, goat cheese and mushroom bread pudding, braised kale, and parsnip puree.

The Boy had the Spoon burger – an 8 oz. Kobe beef, aged white cheddar cheese, Parmesan plus herb fries, on a challah bun.

For dessert we shared the Spoon Bar – Bailey’s coco bar, milk chocolate nougat frozen mousse, and semi-sweet chocolate pudding. We wanted to order a second one, regrettably, we past. Of course, I ordered coffee with my dessert. They serve it in a French Press with thick cream. Just the way I like it. It was heavenly.

The atmosphere also is pleasing, a contemporary design with warm tones. A very intimate dining experience. Exemplary service. – I especially enjoyed the way servers described each plate as it was served.

Spoon’s talented chefs and staff is worth a reservation to experience yourself.

Silicone Muffin Pan

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

One of my favorite tools in the kitchen is this silicone muffin pan. It’s easy to clean, and it’s hard to burn your muffins.

The pan is very versatile. It can be rolled up for storage. The pan can be used in the freezer, the microwave or the oven, and is dishwasher-safe. It takes only a minute or two to cool down after use. Another cool thing I like is that silicone bake ware is non-porous so it doesn’t retain odors or flavors.

Helpful Hint: The pan is flexible and should be handled with care. I place it on a tray or cookie sheet before filling it and taking it to the oven. Taking a filled muffin pan to the oven without doing so is very challenging to say the least.

serve the stuffed banana pepper as a meal or appetizer

Corona ‘Hot Stuff’ed Banana Peppers

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

It was a co-worker’s Birthday, and he just loves my stuffed banana peppers. I thought I would make him a batch. A prepared dish can make the best gifts. Sure a sparkling bobble is nice, but homemade is by far my favorite gift of all. It warms me to know that someone took the time to create me something from their heart.

This is my sister, Deena’s recipe only I add in lemon juice, beer, and use sweet and hot sausage. The lemon brightens the flavor, and instead of using all hot sausage, I mix half and half with Italian sweet sausage. I also use my own homemade tomato sauce (see Alternative to Canning Tomato Sauce recipe).

You’re going to need three Coronas to help put out the heat.

You’ll Need

1-1/2 pounds of ground hot Italian sausage (If you like it hot, only use hot sausage and increase to 3 pounds)
1-1/2 pounds of sweet Italian sausage
2 cups of Italian bread crumbs
3 eggs
6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed
1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 cup of sweet onion, diced
10 banana peppers
3 cups of tomato sauce
1 cup of Corona
2 (6.67 oz.) packages of Provolone cheese (about 16-20 slices)

Let’s get started…

Mixing

With your hands mix together both the sausages, bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, lemon juice, and onion.

Cutting

Before we start cutting, grab your beer. I have a funny side story to tell you about the above picture.

Glen wasn’t home to help take photos. I needed both hands to cut the banana pepper, and I wanted to demonstrate it for you. How could I possibly do that? After a few head scratches, I took my iPhone and placed it on a shelf overlooking my counters with the camera side down. Since the screen only recognizes human fingers, I had to figure out a way to take a picture without using my hands. I then took a rubber spatula and put the handle side in my mouth. With the rubber side, I pushed on the camera button on the screen. It wouldn’t work at first but soon discovered if you rub the camera icon from one side to the other, it will snap one off. I wish I had a picture of me. I’m a little crazy. Ha!

Okay, back to the recipe.

Slice the stem off of each banana pepper and discard. Using a small paring knife, cut around the vein and pull out the seeds as shown in picture above. Rinse peppers in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. To help alleviate the fumes in your eyes, nose, and throat, cut it under cold water.

Stuffing

Hold the banana pepper in your fist at the top to help it from splitting. Carefully poke mixture in each pepper using one finger to help push it down. Don’t force it. It’s okay if it doesn’t make it to the bottom.

Once stuffed, add a ball at the top with mixture around the edges. The reason I do this is because I can not get the mixture all the way to the bottom of the pepper. It helps make it meatier.

Cooking

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Place your stuffed peppers in the dish. Stop drinking and mix your Corona and tomato sauce together. Pour over your hot stuffed peppers. Cover with foil and bake for one hour.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees, layer the Provolone on top, and bake uncovered for additional 15 minutes.

Done! Serve at a tailgate party or gift to a friend.

Tip: After handling banana peppers, wash your hands in lemon juice, soap and water. This will keep your hands from burning.