Jenn Dolari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Beef and Cucumber Stir-Fry

The original recipe didn't season the meat, which left it as tasting kind of bland until I salted it myself, so I added a step for salting the meal. Otherwise, I really like this. I'm a sucker for cooked-but-crisp veggies. The prep takes a while, but the cooking part is fairly quick.

# Beef and Cucumber Stir-Fry
Help! My Apartment has a Kitchen

0.75 pounds sirloin steak
2.0 tbsp honey
2.0 tbsp soy sauce
0.25 tsp chili powder
1.0 whole cucumber
1.0 whole red bell pepper
4.0 whole scallions
3.0 cloves garlic
2.0 tbsp vegetable oil
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

1 - Slice the beef into strips 1/4 inch wide and 3 inches long, trimming away all the fat.
2 - Put in a bowl and mix with honey, soy sauce and chili powder. Set aside while preparing the vegetables.
3 - Peel the cucumber and slice lengthwise.
4 - Scrape out and discard the seeds.
5 - Cut into strips 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long.
6 - Wash the red bell pepper and cut it in half.
7 - Remove and discard the stem and seeds.
8 - Slice the pepper into strips 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long.
9 - Was the scallions.
10 - Cut off the root tips and top 2 inches of the green ends and discard them.
11 - Cut the remaining white and green parts into 1/4 inch pieces.
12 - Peel and finely chop the garlic. Set the vegetables aside.
13 - Heat half the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat.
14 - Remove the steak strips from the bowl, keeping any remaining liquid (marinade) in the bowl, and add the steak to the wok.
15 - Stir fry for 1 minute; that is, stir continually with a large spoon or spatula so that the contents of the wok cook quickly on all sides.
16 - When the meat is no longer pink, return it to the bowl containing the marinade.
17 - Wipe out the wok so that any remaining honey doesn’t burn.
18 - Heat the remaining oil in the wok over high heat and stir-fry the cucumber, red bell pepper, scallions and garlic for about 2 minutes, or until the vegetables just begin to soften. They should stay fairly crisp.
19 - Quickly return the steak and any remaining marinade to the wok
20 - Season with salt and pepper to taste.
21 - Heat for 1 minute, or just until the steak gets hot and the liquid boils.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

It's funny how different things are.

When I was younger, and just transitioning, I was terrified of going out. I made quick trips, left early, stayed in. Often because I knew there would be trouble if I stayed in one place too long. People would stare, laugh, call me out. Occasionally threats.

Thirty years later, I am in my element. Walking through town in my outfits, not worried about how I looked, how I was walking, how I way moving. Just BEING. Not worrying about wether my voice would make people laugh, if my moving too quickly or stiffly would get someone's unwanted attention.

Sure, this is a more tolerant environment than Texas, or even Pennsylvania. But I'm not worried that I wasn't emulating being a woman correctly anymore. I simply am one. I always was. I just needed the space to realize that and an environment that didn't constantly make me question it.

That's a wonderful feeling.

LB: This was another thing that really happened to me. My mother kept my hairr short, because my hair became frizzy curly and looked too feminine.

Once I moved out and transitioned, let my hair grow long, and it began to make sausage curls, she threatened to cut it all off again if she saw me with long hair.

As soon as she saw the sausage curls, she immediately regretted ever keeping my hair long, and now I trust her to take care of my hair.

Went into the potluck with 21 cinnamon rolls, and came home with five. I'm going to call that a success. :)

Today's Bread: Cinammon Rolls.
OMG THEY'RE AMAZING. I was worried cause of the power outage making me have to hand knead the dough and lack of counterspace making the rolls a bit thicker than they should be, but taste wise? OMFG they're GOOD.

This recipe has pecans, however, I tend to not use pecans. Feel free to add 'em if you like. The addition of marshmallow is surprising, but it works....

# Cinnamon Rolls
Luby's Recipes & Memories
24.0 rolls

1.3333333333333333 cups warm water
2.0 tablespoons active dry yeast
0.5 cup granulated sugar [rolls]
3.0 whole eggs
0.25 cup butter (melted) [rolls]
0.5 teaspoons butter (melted) [rolls]
0.3333333333333333 cup nonfat dry milk
0.5 teaspoon salt
5.0 cups all-purpose flour
vegetable oil (as needed)
0.25 cup butter (melted) [filling]
0.3333333333333333 cup granulated sugar [filling]
1.0 tablespoon ground cinnamon
0.5 cup chopped pecans
0.5 cup miniature marshmallows
1.0 pound powdered sugar
0.5 cup evaporated milk
2.0 tbsp butter (melted) [icing]
1.5 tsp butter (melted) [icing]
0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Rolls:
1 - In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine water, yeast and sugar.
2 - Set aside 5 minutes to allow yeast mixture to become frothy.
3 - Add eggs and butter.
4 - Using the dough hook of the electric mixer, beat on medium speed until well-blended.
5 - Add dry milk and salt. Mix well.
6 - Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl.
7 - Leaving dough in bowl, lightly grease top of dough ball with vegetable oil.
8 - Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in size.
9 - Lightly grease two large baking sheets.
10 - Punch dough down and roll out on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle.

Filling:
11 - Brush butter over dough.
12 - In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over butter.
13 - Continue with pecans and marshmallows
14 - Roll dough up tightly, starting at long edge.
15 - Pinch dough to seal seam.
16 - Cut into portions
17 - Place, cut sides up, on baking sheets.
18 - Let rise in a warm place 1 hour.
19 - Preheat oven to 350°F
20 - Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Icing:
21 - Whisk together the powdered sugar, the evaporated milk, the butter for the icing and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
22 - Spread over warm rolls

#thisweeksmeals #baking #cooking

The ultimate carbs on carbs: pierogi.