Let me tell you about my Veteran’s Day: I woke up at 7 to run; I went to Whole Foods before lunch which, if you think would be less crowded, you would be very very wrong; I was shocked at least twice with what’s been going on on Days Of Our Lives in my absence; and I cooked a lot. 2 out of 4 of the recipes I tried actually came out. I’m going to be happy because, if this were professional baseball, that’d be a good batting average. This was my lunch and my dinner. Why mess with a good thing? And this was really really good.

Beef Stir-Fry With Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1/2lb stir fry beef strips
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil + more to drizzle
• 3-4 tablespoons flour(or cornstarch)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Leeks for garnish

Heat the sesame oil over a medium-high burner until it comes up to temperature. In the meantime, add the flour or cornstarch sparingly to the beef until coated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and water. Mix to dissolve the sugars.

Next, add the beef to the pan to cook. Keep stirring and tossing until all of the beef has browned.

Once the beef has browned on all sides, slowly pour in the cooking liquid. Continue to cook as the water evaporates off. Cook until the liquid forms a thick glaze that coats the beef.

Once the glaze has formed, remove the beef from the heat. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and toss to finish. Add leeks on top for an oniony flavor.

This was spicy and delicious. I needed this kitchen-win in my life to make me feel good, especially since dessert was 2(or maybe 3) very very flat cookies. Who would have thought the day would come where I could cook better than I bake? Oh well.

No complaining here.

We all know the grill makes the best burgers, right? Or does it? Regardless, no one wants to grill when it’s 30 degrees and snowing. And most people living in cities or apartments don’t even have a grill. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a well-seasoned hamburger.

These are easy to make and only take about 10 minutes. And with just 4 common ingredients, they’re just as flavorful as ever. All you’ll need is a stove and a frying pan—that’s it!

Seasoned Pan Fried Hamburgers

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 1lb ground beef(either 90/10 or 85/15 are good)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion, diced

Method:

1. Add the salt and pepper onto the meat and massage the seasoning in. Do not apply too much pressure ever as this can make for tough and tight hamburgers.
2. Split the beef into 4 quarter-pound patties and flatten between the palms of your hands. Make a slight indent in the center for when the air in the center expands.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium heat and add the diced onion to sweat. When the pan has come to temperature, add the burgers on top of the bed of onions.
4. Cook for 4 minutes on both sides for rare, or until the liquid coming out starts running clear. For medium well, add about 2 minutes on both sides. Note that how many you can cook at a time depends on how large your pan is. I wouldn’t cook more than two at once as crowding will slow down the cooking.

Like any meat, let the burgers sit for 5 minutes off of heat for them to retain their juices. Serve with any condiments you could desire. What I love about these is that they don’t taste salty, or peppery, or “onion”y; they just taste like a perfectly seasoned burger.

You can either discard the onions or serve them alongside. They will most likely be slightly burnt and cooked heavily in beef fat; that just sounds perfect to me, but if you’re not a fan of onions feel free to dump them.

Inspiration is everywhere. In my daily life, I study Classics for a living. It’s a fun major to have; just ask Abby. Because of this, whenever I hear “Romaine” I instantly think “Roman”. I can’t be certain whether or not the Romans ate Romaine lettuce. I can tell you all about the politics behind public land used for personal food growth, however. But you don’t want to hear about that.

Without question, Mediterranean flavors are some of my favorite. The fish are always fresh; the flavors are always clean; and they’re not shy with the olive oil. This isn’t a Roman recipe by any means. The Romans most of the time at some sort of grain-based gruel with salt and animal fat added to it. Pork was the most common source of protein when a family could afford it, and cooking methods were far from glamorous. This would be the envy of any Roman plate.

Hazelnut-Breaded Baked Fish

Ingredients:

• 1lb flaky white fish(I used Pollock)
• 2/3 cup hazelnut flour
• 3 tablespoons parmesan
• 2 egg whites

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Mix the hazelnut flour and parmesan on a plate. Beat the egg whites slightly and pour over the fish to coat.

Bread the fish by placing alternating sides down on the plate until it’s fully coated and all the flour has been used up. Put the fish on foil and bake until white and flaky, about 15 minutes.

Roman Romaine Crunch Salad With Hazelnut Baked Fish

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Italian Crunch salad mix
• 1lb hazelnut-breaded baked fish
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil to drizzle

Distribute the salad evenly amongst 4 plates. Cut the fish into 4 filets and add to the center of each plate. With a sharp knife, halve the cherry tomatoes and add around the fish. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the plate to finish.

This was my entry for Olivia’s Organics’ holiday salad contest. You can enter, too! Just post a salad recipe on their Facebook Wall.