Tuna Steaks with Lemon Cream Sauce

I was at Giant Eagle on Sunday and looking in the seafood department when I came across some fresh tuna steaks for only 4.99/lb (compared to the regular 10.99/lb) because their use by date was only a few days away. I planned on making them for dinner that night anyway, so who cares! They turned out so good! My only regret is that I didn't take a picture to share with you how pretty it came out. But here's the recipe anyway:

2 tuna steaks
1 Tbl black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Combine the spices and coat the steaks top and bottom with mixture.

Lemon sauce:

1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice and zest of one large lemon
2 Tbl heavy cream
a little parsley
salt, and a pinch of sugar to take away the sourness of the lemon

Saute garlic in butter and olive oil taking care not to burn the butter. Add the lemon juice and zest along with everything else and simmer on low for a few minutes until the sauce thickens up.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over med-high heat with a little olive oil. Put the steaks in once it has become hot and cook for 4-7 minutes on each side, depending on thickness and desired done-ness. It is recommended to eat tuna med-rare, but we cooked ours until about med-well, just slightly pink. Remove from pan and place over a bed of mixed greens if desired, and cover with sauce.

I think this may have been the best fish I've made to date!

Butternut Squash Soup

I had extra squash leftover and need to get rid of zucchini so I threw that in there too. It turned out pretty good, but I think next time I'll add something to give it more flavor. Celery and carrots or roasted red peppers.

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
1 small zucchini cut into cubes
1 small onion, diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
olive oil
1 cup milk (or 1/2 of cream)
1/4 cup flour whisked with 1/4 cup water
1/4 teas. nutmeg
salt and pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add stock and squash. Boil until squash is tender. Transfer to a blender or food processor with the liquid and blend until smooth. Put back into pot and add milk, flour mix, and spices. Bring back up to boil, whisking constantly until it thickens.

Roasted Fall Vegetables

It's been a while, huh? I've been pretty busy with the cake thing, Evan, and Evan's birthday coming up and finally I found some time to try something new. I found this recipe in a Food & Wine magazine but altered it with ingredients I could easily find and weren't too expensive. The original had a pine nut pesto over the veggies but I decided to just go with some Parmesan cheese. Also added some rosemary and potatoes. I have been wanting to try new produce I find, things I've never cooked with before, and decided to go with the parsnips the recipe called for. I honestly did not like them. They taste like a very very bitter carrot. Next time, I'll do without them. The brussels sprouts however turned out delicious! Much better than steaming them. I will definitely use this technique just for the brussels sprouts themselves. Butternut squash, but the way, is one of my new favorite things to try out. It was really good in this and makes wonderful baby food. These veggies have a very earthy taste to them, very nice for a fall dinner. Anyway here it goes:

Makes about 4 big servings. 6 smaller side dishes.

2 carrots, peeled, diced into 1 in chunks
2 parsnips, peeled, diced into 1 in chunks (next time I will do without these!)
1 large white potatoes, peeled, diced into 1 in chunks
7 or 8 brussels sprouts, halved. (the ones I had were huge so I had to quarter them)
About 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and diced into yep, you got it! 1 in chunks
1/2 cups white onion, cut up into 1/2 in. pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
a couple Tbl. olive oil
1 or 2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 teas. dried thyme
salt, pepper

Cut all the vegetables up, drizzle with olive oil and spices. Mix until covered. Transfer to a baking sheet. Cover with foil. Bake for about a 30 min on 375 or until veggies are tender. If you want them to get a little browned, take the foil off ten minutes before they are done.