Coffee Marinaded "Cheap Cut" Steak

I was watching a YouTube video by:

Margaret  and Frank Miller

This is the trick that you didn't get from your grandmother. 

"Back in the day", our grandmother had to make a dollar go as far as it could.  They didn't buy high end cuts of beef.  But here is a recipe that has guaranteed results.

Ingredients 

1 pot of coffee

1" to 1 1/4" thick: Chuck Steak, Blade Steak or Round Bottom, do not trim the fat.

1 cut up onion

Directions

Brew your coffee as you normally would.  Then, after it has cooled enough, put that coffee in the fridge, for at least 2 hours.

Cold is your friend.  You want to marinade this in the fridge, otherwise you are inviting bacteria.

Get a pan just large enough to fit your steak.  Make sure to put enough coffee about 1 1/2 inch deep.  The coffee has acids that will work on the outside layers of your steak.

Marinade in the fridge at least 8 hours.  No more than 24 hours.  More than 24 hours and the acids in the coffee will turn the outside layers of the steak to mush.  A mushy steak is so much worst than a tough steak.

Take the steak out of the marinate and pat dry with a paper towel.  If your steak isn't dry, you will be steaming your steak and not getting a crust on your steak.

Season your steak.

Heat a cast iron skillet and introduce your steak to the hot pan with a spoon of fat.  I personally would use butter.

Once you have the outside sear on the steak, move your steak to an oven proof Dutch oven.  Add about two cups of beef broth and your sliced onion.  A bay leaf added to the pot, would be nice at this point.

Set the oven to 275 F.  Cook for about 2 1/2 hours.  This low and slow will soften the muscles inside the steak.

Once you have cooked your steak, you can skim the fat and the liquid at the bottom is your gravy.

Cutting the fat off your steak, and you are going to have a stringy, and dry steak.  The fat on your steak is your friend.  

If you are like my brother-in-law, he doesn't eat steak fat.  I am not telling you to eat the fat, but having the fat on the steak is very important.  While your steak is cooking long and slow in the Dutch oven, the fat is basting your steak.

Serve with potatoes and veggies.  

This is the Sunday Supper your grandmother would serve once a week.

Candied Kielbasa Bites

Candied Kielbasa Bites are sweet, smoky, sticky, and incredibly easy to make. Since you enjoy creating recipes around your spice blends, I've also included an optional Cape Breton MAPLE COAL BBQ Seasoning version.

Candied Kielbasa Bites

Makes: 6-8 appetizer servings

Ingredients

2 lb kielbasa sausage

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)

1-2 tablespoons Cape Breton MAPLE COAL BBQ Seasoning

Toothpicks (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Slice the kielbasa into 1-inch pieces.

Line a baking dish or cast-iron skillet with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan.

Arrange the kielbasa pieces in a single layer.

In a small bowl, combine:

Brown sugar

Melted butter

Dijon mustard (if using)

MAPLE COAL BBQ Seasoning

Pour the mixture over the kielbasa and toss to coat.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

The bites are ready when the glaze becomes thick, bubbly, and sticky.

Slow Cooker Version

If you're entertaining guests:

Add the sliced kielbasa to a slow cooker.

Sprinkle with 1 cup brown sugar.

Add ¼ cup melted butter.

Add 1 tablespoon MAPLE COAL BBQ Seasoning.

Cook on low for 3 hours.

The slow cooker version creates an even stickier, candy-like coating.

Mitch & Tonya's Cape Breton Twist

Try adding:

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons maple-flavored barbecue seasoning

The sweet maple notes from your MAPLE COAL seasoning should pair beautifully with the smoky kielbasa.

Serve them with:

Toothpicks as an appetizer

Potato salad

Baked beans

Macaroni salad

A cold glass of iced tea

Mitch & Tonya’s Chicken Fried Rice Using Basmati Rice & Cape Breton SHORELINE All Purpose Seasoning

Basmati rice makes excellent chicken fried rice—especially if you cook it ahead and chill it. The grains stay separate, so you get that nice restaurant-style fried rice rather than something mushy.

This a great Mitch & Tonya’s Spice Cabinet version. 😋

🍗 Mitch & Tonya’s Chicken Fried Rice

Using Basmati Rice & Cape Breton SHORELINE All Purpose Seasoning 

Serves: 4–5

Best pan: Your large cast-iron skillet or wok

Ingredients

Rice & chicken

3 cups cooked, cold basmati rice — preferably cooked the day before

2 cups cooked chicken, diced small

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp butter

Vegetables

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

½ cup finely diced onion

2 green onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Eggs

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp butter or oil

Seasoning

1½ tsp Mitch & Tonya’s SHORELINE All Purpose Seasoning

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp ground ginger

Sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

½ tsp brown sugar

🔥 Let's make it

1. Get the rice ready

If you're cooking the basmati specifically for fried rice, cook it with slightly less water than you normally would. Spread the cooked rice onto a large baking sheet and let it cool completely.

Cold rice is the secret. Warm, freshly cooked rice tends to steam instead of fry.

2. Make the egg

Heat your skillet over medium-high/high heat.

Add 1 Tbsp butter or oil.

Beat the eggs and pour them into the hot skillet. Scramble them until just cooked, then remove them to a plate.

3. Fry the chicken

Add the 2 Tbsp oil and the chicken.

Let the chicken sit against the hot skillet for a minute or two so it gets a little colour.

Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for about 1–2 minutes.

4. Add the vegetables

Add the peas and carrots.

Cook for about 2 minutes until heated through.

5. Here's where the magic happens

Add your cold basmati rice.

Break up any clumps and spread the rice across the skillet. Let it sit undisturbed for about 30–45 seconds, then toss/stir.

Repeat that a couple of times.

You're trying to get some of those beautiful little toasted bits of rice.

6. Season it

Sprinkle over:

1½ tsp SHORELINE

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp ginger

Toss everything together.

7. Add the sauce

Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar.

Drizzle it around the hot sides of the skillet, rather than dumping it all in one spot.

Then toss the rice through it.

That gives the sauce a chance to caramelize slightly before coating the rice.

8. Finish

Return the scrambled egg to the skillet.

Add the green onions.

Toss everything together for another minute.

Taste before adding any more salt—the soy sauce and SHORELINE will already bring plenty of seasoning.

⭐ One thing I do differently with my spices

I actually keep SHORELINE as the main seasoning rather than using a traditional Chinese five-spice blend.

Your SHORELINE has that versatile savoury profile that would work beautifully with the chicken, egg and vegetables without making the fried rice taste like a completely different dish.

If you want a little Mitch & Tonya's kick, though, I'd put ¼ tsp of FORGE into the sauce.

That would give you a Chicken Fried Rice with a Cape Breton kick without making it painfully hot. 🔥

And if you're using leftover roasted or BBQ chicken, that's even better—the little smoky bits of chicken mixed through the basmati rice would be fantastic.

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Mitch & Tonya’s Spice Cabinet

Freezer Pasta Sauce Kit Bags

Freezer Pasta Sauce Kit Bags

Make homemade pasta night even easier with these simple freezer-ready sauce kits! Fill each bag with fresh ingredients, freeze, and when you’re ready for dinner, just thaw, blend, and simmer into a delicious homemade sauce. Customize every bag to fit your family’s favorite flavors.

Yield: 6 family-size freezer bags

Ingredients

12 cups cherry or grape tomatoes

3 medium onions, cut into wedges

12 garlic cloves, peeled

20 fresh basil leaves

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1½ tsp dried oregano

¾ tsp cracked black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Divide the tomatoes evenly among the freezer-safe bags.

2. Add the onion wedges, garlic cloves, and basil leaves to each bag.

3. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and oregano. Add black pepper if desired.

4. Remove as much air as possible, seal or vacuum seal the bags, and label with the date.

5. Lay the bags flat and freeze until solid.

To Make Homemade Pasta Sauce

1. Thaw one freezer bag overnight in the refrigerator or under cool running water.

2. Pour the contents into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Transfer to a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Taste and adjust with additional herbs, salt, pepper, or a pinch of sugar if desired.

Storage

Store flat in the freezer for 6–10 months for the best flavor and quality.

Delicious Ways to Use

* Homemade spaghetti sauce

* Lasagna

* Pizza sauce

* Ravioli or tortellini

* Baked pasta dishes

* Meatball sauce

* Tomato soup

* Dipping sauce for garlic bread

Tip: These freezer kits are easy to customize! Add bell peppers, mushrooms, hot peppers, or extra herbs before freezing to create your own signature pasta sauce whenever you’re ready to cook. 🍅❄️

Homemade SPAM

Homemade Spam

Homemade Spam is one of my favorite convenience foods! It’s tender, full of flavor, and so much better than the store-bought canned version. I recently made a big batch and ended up with about 50 slices. The top portions were vacuum-sealed and frozen for later, while the bottom went straight into my husband’s lunches for the week. (And yes — there’s even a little heart-shaped slice for extra love!)

Ingredients (Makes 1 large loaf ≈ 2.5–3 lbs)

* 2¼ lbs ground pork (80/20 lean-to-fat ratio)

* ¾ lb ground ham (or finely chopped ham)

* ⅓ cup potato starch (or cornstarch)

* ⅔ cup ice water

* 2½ teaspoons kosher salt

* ¾ teaspoon pink curing salt (Prague Powder #1) — optional but recommended for color and longer keeping

* 2½ tablespoons sugar

* 1½ tablespoons garlic powder

* 1¼ teaspoons onion powder

* ¾ teaspoon white pepper

* ¾ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Grind the pork and ham together until very fine (almost paste-like) using a food processor or meat grinder.

2. Mix the potato starch with the ice water to make a slurry. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry seasonings.

3. In a stand mixer or large bowl, add the ground meat, slurry, and seasonings. Mix thoroughly for 3–4 minutes until the mixture becomes very sticky and well emulsified.

4. Press the mixture firmly into a greased loaf pan (or several smaller pans). Smooth the top and cover tightly with foil.

5. Bake in a water bath at 325°F (165°C) for about 1½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C).

6. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best) so it firms up for clean slicing.

7. Remove from the pan and slice thinly (about ⅛-inch thick for classic Spam-style slices).

Storage

* Refrigerator: Up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

* Freezer: Vacuum-seal the slices or portions and freeze for up to 6 months.

To Serve

Fry the slices until crispy and golden. Enjoy in sandwiches, fried rice, breakfast with eggs, musubi, casseroles, or right from the pan!

This homemade version is more affordable, fresher, and incredibly versatile. Perfect for meal prep and stocking the freezer!