It's all about sustenance!

hash brown casserole

2009-03-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

You know when you need a simple breakfast meal for a potluck? Well a friend of mine made this and it was so good I HAD to make it for my potluck. Unfortunately it was early in the morning so I did not take pictures. :)

Ingredients

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1
Preheat oven to 350 or 375.
2
Pour into a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Bake, covered for 40 minutes, then top with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is melted.

Crack Dip

2009-03-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on a board a couple years ago - tried it once, thought it was good, and forgot about it... Until my BFF's baby shower ... So I made it. It was literally one of the first things to go. I got quite a few requests for the recipe. It is really known as "Buffalo Chicken Dip" but many people refer to it as "Crack Dip".

INGREDIENTS

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained OR 2-3 boneless breasts, cooked and shredded
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
OPTIONAL: Bleu cheese. Either itself or Bleu Cheese Dressing

DIRECTIONS

Mix all and bake in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes. If you need to keep it warm - transfer to a slow cooker and leave it on "warm".
Serve with celery sticks and crackers (Tostito scoops work great).

Traditional Thanksgiving

2009-03-22T09:35:00.001-07:00

Just a few photos from Thanksgiving 2008... Enjoy!

Appetizers

~Salmon wraps

~Muffalettas

~Chips and dip

Dinner

~Turkey

~Cornbread stuffing

~Sausage stuffing

~Artichoke Casserole

~Mashed Potatoes

~Sweet Potatoes

~Rolls

~Cranberry Sauce

Dessert

~Sweet Potato Pie

~Cookies

~Pumpkin bars

Individual Beef Wellingtons

2009-03-22T09:16:00.001-07:00

For Christmas, we tried making a huge beef wellington - while it was good, it completely fell apart.

So one day, I decided to try making individual beef wellingtons because my grandmother had given us some filet mignons. Minus my overlooking the part to cut the steaks 1" thin and thus having it very very very rare, it was actually pretty good!!!

I found the recipe from Rachael Ray. - However, I did make a few modifications for one reason or another.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus extra for drizzling
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, chopped
1-2 onions, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tournedos of beef filet mignon, 1-inch thick
1 sheet frozen prepared puff pastry, 11 by 17, defrosted
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add oil, butter, shallot and chopped onions. Saute 5 minutes. Remove from heat

In a nonstick skillet over high heat, sear meat 2 minutes on each side in a drizzle of oil. Remove skillet from the heat and season meat with salt and pepper.

Spread the puff pastry sheet out on to a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Quarter the dough with a sharp knife. Roll each piece of dough into a 10 by 6-inch rectangle. On each rectangle of dough, place 1/4 of the cooked onions. Top with 1 tournedo of beef. Wrap dough up and over the meat. Seal the dough with egg wash and trim excess. Use leftover dough bits to make decorative garnishes for the tops of your Wellingtons. Turn the wrapped Wellingtons over and cover with egg wash using a pastry brush. Affix dough garnishes with egg wash. For a simple decoration, roll dough bits into a long, thin spaghetti like string and make swirls on each Wellington. Bake beef Wellingtons 10 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes, then serve.

Time to catch up!!!

2009-03-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

How could the last 8 months have flown by? Ahh that's a story for another time.

I will be spending the next few hours trying to post everything I have pictures of/recipes I have tried recently... Enjoy!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2008-07-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

There is nothing better than having your husband and his best friend cook you dinner...

Except for these garlic mashed potatoes made by the above-mentioned best friend! :)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roast a head of elephant garlic (cut off the top, put some E.V. Olive Oil on top, sprinkle it with a bit of seasoning, and bake at 350 for about 45 - 1 hour).

Cut up red potatoes (about 2.5 lbs should do it) and boil in water (just enough to cover potatoes) along with 3 beef bouillion cubes until fork tender.

Drain potatoes, being sure to reserve a cup of liquid from the potatoes, and mash up potatoes. Add roasted garlic (minus the skin, of course), a brick of cream cheese, a stick of butter, milk (about just under a cup - depending on the consistency you want), and add the reserved liquid (again, depending on consistency - it might be between 1/2 c to 3/4c worth?) ... Mix well together... Season to taste.

Enjoy. :)

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Bars

2008-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

I found this in a blog (can't remember who right now.. sorry!!! let me know and I'll give you a shout out and a link :) ) ... and it is YUMMY!!!

No pictures- gone too fast to take a pic!

Recipe can be found at: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=226033

or below...

Ingredients
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine 1
(10 1/2-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
6 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
Cooking spray
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Preparation
Combine the peanut butter and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows; microwave at high 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal to peanut butter mixture; toss until well-combined. Pat cereal mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 30 seconds or until chips melt. Spoon melted chips in a small heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag; drizzle melted chips over cereal mixture. Cool slightly; cut into 24 pieces.

Yield
2 dozen
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 118(30% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.8g); IRON 0.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19g; SODIUM 93mg; PROTEIN 2.6g; FIBER 0.7g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2000

Whoopie Pies!

2008-07-19T12:31:00.001-07:00

For as long as I can remember, the recipes for Whoopie Pies has been an important part of my mom's culinary collection. I never much liked them considering my dislike for chocolate. Matt and Michael (Matt's oldest friend) got into a "debate" about the difference between moon pies and whoopie pies one day... So I decided to make the Whoopie Pies! Without any further ado, here the recipe is:

The "bread" part:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 TSP baking soda

1/4 TSP salt

1/2 C margarine

1 C milk

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C cocoa

1 egg

1/2 TSP vanilla

Preheat oven to 425.

Sift dry ingredients together. Cream margarine and sugar then add egg and vanilla. Add the milk alternately with the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth.

Drop by TBSP onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 7 minutes.

The filling:

1/2 C butter

1 C granulated sugar OR 2 C confectioner's sugar

1/2 C Crisco

6 TBSP flour

1/2 C warm milk

1 TSP vanilla

Cream shortening and butter together. Gradually add sugar and flour.

Add milk and vanilla- keep beating until it is airy and there is no sugar particles remaining.. (to do this you basically have to take a finger and feel it!)

Put pies together. YUMMY :)

California Rolls - Yes Really!

2008-02-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

For my first attempt at making sushi, I wanted to try something simple... and here are the results!!
Really - it's not hard. Make the vinegar mix for the rice per directions - mix together - let cool - create sushi. Enjoy sushi. :)

Update: here is the recipe! Thanks Tiff for asking!

A) Prepare sushi rice by doing the following:
4 cups short grain white rice/sushi rice
1.1 liter water
1. Start by washing the rice.
2. Cover with cold water and gently massage with your hand. This will release bran and cleaning compound into the water as evidenced by the milky color.
3. Tip most of this off, leaving about one cup.
4. Now, gently stir the rice for about 10 seconds.
5. Repeat steps two, three, and four 3 more times.
6. The water should look almost clear. Drain well.
7. Place the rice in the rice cooker with the water. Switch on. Leave the lid on the whole cooking process!

Create the vinegar dressing.
100 mL Japanese rice wine vinegar
60 gm sugar
20 gm salt
Prepare by dissolving sugar and salt in the vinegar over low heat. Immediately remove from heat and allow to cool.

Combine the rice with the vinegar dressing.
1. Empty the hot rice into a wide shallow container. Do not allow to cool.
2. Add the dressing by pouring it evenly over the rice.
3. Briefly run the spatula through the rice from top to bottom and left to right in slicing motions in order to spread the rice.
4. Continue to gently toss the rice until it starts to feel just tight. Spread the rice out in an even thin layer. Using a fan, cool the rice to body temperature. Make sure you turn the rice over so the other side is cool as well.
5. To keep the rice from drying out, cover with damp cloth.
This will yield 12 cups of prepared rice. Feel free to cut in half if you do not need that much.

B) Prepare the ingredients for California rolls by gathering the following:
-2 sheets nori seaweed
-5 cups prepared sushi rice
-1/2 avocado, sliced into strips
-1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin strips (optional)
-cooked crab meat (about 1 cup)
*make sure you comb through the crabmeat well to remove any remaining shells
-1 TBSP Japanese mayonnaise
*if you cannot find this in the store, use regular mayonnaise mixed with rice vinegar

2 TBSP flying fish roe or sesame seeds (optional)
-plastic wrap
-bamboo mat

C) Begin making the rolls.
-Cover the bamboo rolling mat with a sheet of plastic wrap.
-Place a sheet of nori on the mat and spread half the rice on the entire sheet, from edge to edge.
-Turn the rice-covered nori sheet upside down onto the sushi mat. The rice will now be facing down while the nori sheet is facing up.
-Spread some mayonnaise across the middle of the nori sheet. ALTERNATIVELY, you can mix the crab with mayonnaise.
-Place half the avocado, cucumber, and crab meat on top (in the middle of the sheet).
-Start rolling the mat up over the ingredients and roll almost one complete turn, stopping to press and firm, until the sheet is completely rolled.
-Be careful to not let the plastic wrap get rolled in!
-Take off the plastic sheet and add the roe or sesame seeds, if desired.

D) Serving
-Using a good knife, wet it and cut the roll in the middle. Wet the knife again and cut in the middle of each half and continue until you have 8 pieces.

E) and...
-Use the remaining ingredients to assemble one more roll.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

2008-02-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

"GCC" has been popular for at least a year now on the forum I check out... Someone found the recipe on "allrecipes.com" - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garlic-Cheddar-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Original recipe follows:

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter 4 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt. Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

My changes:
Since Matt doesn't like cheddar as much - I use mozzarella instead.

I also halve it since it is too much for the two of us.

Finally, I put a cookie rack on top of a baking pan so the breading will get much more crispy instead of sitting in the butter and being soggy on the bottom.

Roasted Garlic Bread

2008-02-24T15:26:00.001-08:00

Tired of the same old garlic bread? I certainly was! So I set out to roast garlic: quite very simple. Take an entire head of garlic, cut the top 1/2" off - drizzle with Extra virgin olive oil - wrap in foil. Bake at 350-ish for about 45 minutes.

(You can see the results of the garlic in the foil packet) - Spread it on a loaf of bread - it's just like butter! (Oh and you may want to let the garlic sit for a minute or two after opening the foil. intense heat! )
Tah dah.. ready for the oven.
I popped it in the oven for about 15 minutes. We loved it but will add cheese next time!

California trip - the food part!

2008-01-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

Matt and I lived in the San Fernando Valley for at least 5 years - so naturally, when we went back for a memorial, all we wanted to eat was food we missed. Here is a glimpse of our favorites.

Half-priced sushi from Shogun on Reseda Blvd in Northridge. The BEST.
Kevin (my fave sushi friend) & I ordered BSCR (baked scallops on california rolls), spicy tuna, monkey brains (deep fried mushroom with ..??), dragon roll, scallop roll, salmon, and octopus?? (can't remember what the white one is..) SO GOOD!

We also went to Claim Jumper where we had Irish Nachos, drinks, and I had a burger. YUM. (in the picture you can see my pink drink and burger.)

In n Out.. I love it. Obviously Matt doesn't agree..

Because Matt loves his Carl's Jr 6 dollar burger, fries, and zucchini.

Erika also had a deep dish cheese and tomato pizza from BJ's brewery. Delish!

While it was great to eat delicious food, it was also great to see our friends again.

Cheesy Loaf

2008-01-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

You know when you're growing up and you have this ONE favorite thing you always want to have... for me, it was "cheesy loaf"!

The recipe was originally found on a bag of dough. So not good for you, but oh so delicious ;-)

1 pound dough (let rise for a few hours beforehand)
~1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 TBSP parmesan cheese
1 TBSP basil
1/2 TSP garlic powder

After letting the dough rise, separate into pieces (I can usually get at least 16 out of it) .. flatten a piece and put a small handful of cheese in the middle.
Roll dough into a ball and place on ungreased baking sheet.
Continue until all dough has been rolled.

Let dough relax for about 30-45 minutes. (I've skipped this step once or twice, not quite the same.)

Mix remaining ingredients and brush over dough balls.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Mozzarella-stuffed Meatballs

2008-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe was floating around the cooking forums I visit on a regular basis. I believe it was originally from Rachael Ray - http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/pizza-pasta-recipes/spaghetti-with-mozzarella-stuffed-meatballs/article.html - Someone on the forums (so sorry I can't remember who!!) made some modifications which I follow ... it is definitely a goodie!!

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 pound lean ground sirloin
2 TBSP parsley, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated for me works better, but some people do shredded)
1 large egg
1/2 block of mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes

1. In a medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk.
2. Add the beef, parmesan, egg and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork until combined.

3.Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center. Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and mozzarella.

4. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes..

and don't be like me and letting it go for a little too long.. OOPS!! it was still delicious anyway ;-)

serve with pasta and sauce.

Zucchini & Summer Squash Casserole

2008-01-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

Not the most healthy side, but oh so delicious!!

1 green zucchini, sliced into rounds
1 summer squash, sliced into rounds
1 onion, sliced into strips
2 tomatoes, sliced (I have to leave this out for Matt.. but I love it either way!)
2 TBSP butter
1/4 TSP basil
1/2 TSP garlic salt
dash of pepper
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup croutons
(note: since leftovers are so good, I double everything)

Melt the butter and cook zucchini, summer squash, and onion until medium crisp & tender

add tomatoes and spices - cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes are tender

remove from heat and add cheese and croutons - enjoy! ** matt prefers his croutons completely crispy, so I only put croutons on my half before serving so it soaks up some juice and becomes "soggy".. YUM!**

(What it looks like after we've eaten!)

Japanese curry

2007-09-22T17:17:00.001-07:00

Anyone that lived in the valley has to have been to E.E. Cafe on Reseda and Nordhoff. Well, these people know what I am talking about when I say their curry was to die for. Imagine my surprise and sadness when the restaurant closed!! Never had I found a curry that I liked ... until E.E. Cafe! After a couple years of missing the curry, I set out to find a recipe and try to re-create the magic! I daresay I did pretty damn well!! The only thing was that this recipe wasn't as sweet as E.E. Cafe's was. Other than that, the smell, the texture, etc was right on!!

Notes:

-You have to make "curry roux" for the recipe. (recipe is below) I suggest making this after you've started the curry recipe and it is in the 40-50 minute cooking stage.

-This is the chicken curry recipe. If you want to use beef (hamburger), just exchange the soup boullion for beef and put in beef instead of chicken. Easy enough.

-I also love crispy chicken in this curry (pan fry chicken coated in panko crumbs)!

Recipe found at japanesefood.about.com

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups steamed Japanese rice (I used regular white rice. Next time I'll try Japanese rice!)
1 onion
2 potatoes
2 carrot
1/4 lb Japanese curry roux* (I used the entire pan full of roux.. what else was I going to do with it?)
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 lb chicken (I used 2 large chicken breasts)

PREPARATION:
Cut potatoes, carrots, and pork into bite-sized pieces. Slice onions.Heat a deep pan and saute the pork. Add onion, potatoes, and carrots in the pan and saute together. Add water in the pan and bring to a boil Turn the heat down to low and cook for 40-50 min. Add curry roux in the pan and simmer for 10 min. Serve the curry over rice.

*Japanese curry roux

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp curry powder
2 onion
2 tbsps flour
3 cups water
2 cubes soup bouillon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsps butter

PREPARATION:
Heat water in a pan and add soup bouillon to make soup.
Slice onion thinly.
Heat butter in a pan and saute onion slices slowly until they are brown for 15-20 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger in the pan and saute well.
Add flour and curry powder and saute over low heat.
Pour soup in the pan little by little, stirring quickly.
Simmer the curry roux until thickened, and add garam masala last.

Curry Roux

The first stage of the curry

The final stage of the curry.

Try it!! It's different but sooo good!

Enchiladas. Yummy.

2007-09-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

One of my college BFFs shared this recipe with me after Matt and I had gone up to her family's house one weekend and Matt fell in love with the meal.

I've stayed true to the recipe with a little modification. I shred the chicken and mix it with the rice before filling. It makes for a much easier prep.

Ingredients:-
1 box mexican rice
3-4 chicken breasts cooked and cut into 1/2 inch strips or bit-sized pieces
Grated cheese (about one big package)
Ggreen enchilada sauce - a big can, short and fat, 30 or so oz-
Tortillas (I buy the 8 pack - big burrito size)

9x13 pan
Tin foil

Cook rice as instructed to.
Cook chicken and cut into pieces when done.
In an ungreased 9x13 pan pour green enchilada sauce, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan a thin layer.
Roll in tortillas cheese, rice, and chicken.
Place in pan.
About 6 should fit.
Pour remaining can of sauce over enchiladas.
Sprinkle cheese on top of enchiladas.
Cook in 350 degree oven until it bubbles around the edges and cheese is melted on top.
Last few minutes take off foil.

Boiling chicken..

Cooking a box of Mexican rice (I use Rice a Roni Spanish Rice and make sure my tomatoes have jalapeno in it!)

The chicken has been shredded up and mixed in with the rice.

The bottom of the pan has been coated with green enchilada sauce.

My prep station is set up and ready to go!
Filling the tortilla..

Look at them all folded up!

Sauce and cheese on top.. yum yum. Cover with foil at this point and bake!

After 30 ish minutes in the oven!

After the last 10 minutes without foil in the oven

Stuffed Chicken

2007-09-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

This isn't my favorite, but it's good to have every once in a while. I found the recipe from allrecipes.com and tweaked it after trying the original.
(The original was pretty good!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Chicken-Valentino/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 (6 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice a chicken breast in half lengthwise, leaving the halves attached on one side: opened and laid flat, the chicken breast should resemble a butterfly. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pound flat. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Combine Parmesan cheese with Italian seasoning and chives, and sprinkle over chicken breasts. At one end of each breast, place 3 strips of roasted pepper. Top with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Roll each breast up, starting on the side with the peppers and cheese. Insert a toothpick in each roll to prevent unrolling. Place in prepared baking dish. Season rolls with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Set oven to broil, and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, slice to display the colorful filling, and serve.

For this version, I replaced the roasted red peppers with proscuitto and basil.

Tah-dah! A bit salty - so be sure to have something sweet afterwards!

"snowballs" aka - shaved ice

2007-09-16T13:16:00.001-07:00

When Matt and I first started dating, we planned a trip to his hometown where I was informed had the best snowballs, ever.

That they did. Delicious.

On a recent trip to visit Matt's hometown buddy in D.C., we were informed he had purchased a "shaved ice" machine. The adventure begins.

The machine that started it all.

Hard at work producing shaved ice (just simply throw in ice cubes and let it do the work) ...

Ta-dah... shaved ice.

Flavor choices: Peach, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate, Black Raspberry, and Grape

Matt went for Chocolate while I had Peach.

Mike pouring in the peach syrup.

Chocolate

Matt enjoying his cup.

It was a nice trip down memory lane. :)

French Onion and Beef Strudel

2007-09-16T13:02:00.001-07:00

My mom found this recipe in a Pillsbury book more than 10 years ago. This hits the spot and brings back memories for me. For one, i was my first true exposure to caramelized onions. For two, I didn't really eat steak much back then because of my braces. So to be eating bite size pieces was heaven, pure heaven for me. :)

While this sounds complicated and looks like it takes a while, it's not really that complicated once you get the hang of it and time flies by so quickly!

Step 1: Chop up 1 1/2 cups (~3/4 lb) onions - I usually use vidalia (sweet) onions. Saute in 1/4 cup butter for 15-20 minutes or until brownish. End result seen here.

Step 2: Chop up 1 1/2 lbs steak. My personal favorite (and it's the kind that melts in your mouth) is chuck/flat iron.

Step 3: Once the onions are done, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Cook the steak in the remaining juice for just 2 or 3 minutes!

Step 4: While the steak is cooking up, get the rest of the ingredients together (if you have time during Step 2 - after you've cut up the steak and the onions aren't ready yet- I'd do it then!)

Step 4A: Combine 3/4 c mozzarella (shredded) and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Step 4B: Combine 1 tsp flour, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 /2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. (In the picture, you can see I have done so in the measuring cup. I try to use as little dishes as possible!)

Step 4C: Measure out 1/2 cup of beef broth.

Step 5: Turn on the oven to 375 degrees! When the 2-3 minutes have elapsed on the steak, return the onions to the pan. Add the dry spices/flour to the pan. Pour in the beef broth. Cook and stir (make sure you scrape the pan!) for about 5-8 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

(FYI this is the point where I get excited and forget to take pictures. Sorry!)

Step 6: (I try to do this while the liquid is absorbing..) Grease a cookie sheet. Take one can of crescent rolls. Open it. Take 2 triangles and put the two shortest sides together to make the shape look like an even bigger triangle. Place on cookie sheet at the top. Repeat with the next two triangles and slightly layer the top piece on the first big triangle on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the last 4 pieces. The end result will SOMEWHAT resemble a kid's drawing of a Christmas tree.

Step 7: Place meat mixture down the middle of the crescent rolls. Sprinkle the cheese mixture on top.

Step 8: Beginning at the top, fold over the left part of the triangle and then the right part of the triangle (almost as if you are braiding hair). Fold over alternating pieces until you've reached the bottom. If there is room, pull up the bottom piece to touch the "braided" portion of the rolls.

Step 9: Sprinkle the top of the crescent braid with 2 TBSP parmesan cheese.

Step 10: Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until the crescent dough is a deep golden brown color. Cut into 4 pieces and serve!

Optional: Serve with sour cream and/or au jus.

The leftovers!

I've been tagged!!

2007-09-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been tagged. I have to share 8 facts about myself and then tag others.

1. I can't cut a straight line at all! (even when the line is clearly marked!)

2. Tell me your address once, I'll remember it for the longest time.

3. I've only ever owned two cars since I got my driving license.

4. I love playing with license plate numbers to make words, sentences, codes, etc.

5. I worked at the same school Laura San Giacomo's (Saving Grace) son attended.

6. I am the world's worst procrastinator when it comes to stuff I don't like doing.

7. I don't really like chocolate! Only once in a blue moon will I eat it! brownies, reese's, cookies... and even then I'm not crazy about it!

8. I still sleep with my receiving blanket at night.

Looking through the list of blogs I have, it looks like a lot of people have already been tagged... If you'd like to volunteer, go for it!! Otherwise, I'll randomly tag people throughout the next week and add the list to my blog when I can! :)

Kyle's Western Mac

2007-09-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite guys, Kyle, has this great recipe he calls "Western Mac" which is really a "goulash" of sorts - macaroni and cheese, peppers, beef, and so on. It is so easy to do and takes very little time to accomplish. While it isn't gourmet, it fulfills my desire when I want comfort food. :)

I've modified the recipe a little bit to suit Matt's and my taste.

1 pkg Macaroni and Cheese Dinner
1 lb ground beef
Several stalks of celery, sliced
1 large chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Shredded cheese (I use cheddar)

Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on package.

Brown meat, celery, pepper, and onion.

Stir in tomato paste, water, salt and pepper.

Add macaroni and cheese and mix well.

Pour into 2 QT casserole and sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake, uncovered, 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

Cornbread Stuffing

2007-08-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

I cheat. I do this the easy way.

Buy a bag of cornbread stuffing.

Slice up veggies (onions and celery and mushrooms) to your liking. (I personally use about 3 onions, half a bunch of celery, and a can of mushrooms.) Saute in a stick of butter until the onions are translucent.

Meanwhile, combine bag of stuffing with a can of chicken broth. Let sit until veggies are ready.

Combine the veggies and the stuffing in a 2 quart casserole. Add a beaten egg, some salt, and some pepper to the mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Yummy. I love me some stuffing.

Caramelized Baked Chicken

2007-08-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

On the forum I check almost daily, someone (Kayte) recommended caramelized baked chicken from allrecipes.com - thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

DELICIOUS. I drool thinking about it even 2 weeks later!

The original recipe is:

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup honey
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken.
Bake in preheated oven for one hour, or until sauce is caramelized.

-----------------------
We aren't big on bone-in chicken, so I substituted breasts for wings. (Approximately 1 1/2 lb worth) ... and reading the reviews, we decided to modify the recipe as follows-

- Cooked the sauce on the stovetop for about 15 minutes and added a cornstarch slurry (equal amounts of cornstarch and water) to thicken the sauce a bit.

- Poured the sauce over the chicken in a FOIL LINED pan.

- Baked at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Delicious. I apologize for the lack of photos - I was on the mend and all I wanted was food. :) Next time we make it, I'll snap pix.

Enjoy.

Herbed Mustard-Coated Chicken

2007-07-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a cookbook a few years ago... Can't remember which one! It's been a favorite in the years since.

Herbed Mustard-Coated Chicken

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly grease a pan.

2 TBSP mustard (any kind.. I've done dijon, honey mustard, plain mustard..)
2 TBSP italian salad dressing
Optional: Garlic... I usually add about 1-2 TBSP minced

Mix together in a bowl - put aside.

Combine the following in a separate bowl:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 TBSP Italian Parsley, chopped (I usually resort to the dried stuff.. about the same measurements)
1 TBSP thyme, chopped (use it dry as well.. same measurements)
A few grinds of black pepper

I use a package of thinly sliced chicken breasts. If you're anal, 1 pound should do the trick. Thin or thick, your preference. I personally think thin tastes much better. (and takes less time to cook!)

Cover the chicken breasts in the mustard mixture. Lay in pan.

Equally spread out the bread crumb mixture on top of the chicken.

Melt 2 TBSP butter and pour over the top of the chicken.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Note: the original recipe called for mixing the butter with the bread crumbs - I find this way (pouring butter on top) makes it more crispy. The choice is yours.

Serve with sides (green veggies and pasta work great!) and ENJOY!

Apple Crisp from Kayte's grammy

2007-07-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

So I found this recipe on Chelle's blog: Chelle's Cooking & Baking Creations (cookingcutie.blogspot.com) - she got this recipe from a friend of hers (kayte) who got it from her grandma... I love fruit. even more so when it is baked!! :)
My only suggestion would to be add a little brown sugar on top to give it more of a crunch? hmm..
Again, copied the recipe from Chelly's blog but pictures are all mine.

------

Apple Crisp

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 dash salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
8 Tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted
4 apples, peeled and sliced (I used Granny Smith, per the recipe recommendation)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Gradually add egg until crumbly.
Layer apples in an 8x8 glass baking dish.
Cover with flour mixture.
Drizzle with butter.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.

I baked at 375 for about 35-40 minutes until bubbly and very brown on top.

Yummy!

Deborah's Cookies

2007-07-16T13:02:00.001-07:00

I love blogs. Seriously. How can you resist when you see these delicious recipes!? For a weekend away with family, I decided to make these cookies by Deborah from her blog "Deborah's Culinary Confections" - the only thing I did was leave out the pecans. We have a mom allergic to nuts. Again, I've copied the recipe but the picture is mine... I did half the recipe per the cook's suggestion. It made at least 24. Plenty!

-------

One of my favorite things to do is to take the flavors or components of a dessert and make a cookie version of it, and here's my interpretation of a turtle candy. It's a buttery thumbprint cookie filled with caramel and pecans and drizzled with melted chocolate.

Note this makes a LOT of cookies, at least 4 dozen, so you may want to cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TURTLE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

For cookie dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:

1 (14oz) bag of individual caramel candies, unwrapped
2 tablespoons water
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons Crisco shortening

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with a handheld mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Form dough into a flat disc, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in fridge until firm, at least 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. In a medium saucepan combine caramel candies and water over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until caramel is melted and mixture is smooth. Reduce heat to low.

4. To prepare cookies - take heaping teaspoons of chilled cookie dough and form loosely into balls. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Return remaining dough to fridge to stay chilled until ready for the next batch. Using a small spoon or your fingertip, make an indentation in the middle of each cookie and spoon 1 teaspoon of caramel sauce into each indentation. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

5. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on sheets 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

6. In a small bowl combine chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave for 15-30 seconds, stopping to stir once halfway thru. Drizzle chocolate across surface of cookies and allow to cool until chocolate is set.

Yummy brownies with a twist!!

2007-07-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

Brownies... always a good stand-by... but then if you (gasp) add marshmallows and even more chocolate, you are sure to be a very popular girl!!

I got this recipe from my "internet" sister! ... Completely copied and pasted from her blog (Melissa's Magic in the Kitchen) but the pictures are my own!!

(the copying begins now!)

If you are looking for sweet, sugary chocolate goodness you have got to try these brownies! I found them in my Paula Deen cookbook, "Paula Deen & Friends, Living it Up Southern Style"....you can also find this recipe on the Food Network website.

. Here is the recipe:

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

Frosting:
4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup pasteurized egg substitute (recommended: Egg Beaters)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a 2-quart bowl in the microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring every 20 to 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and mix well with a spatula. Add the flour and stir to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, make the frosting.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl in the microwave on high for 3 minutes stirring every 20 to 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the egg substitute, vanilla, and sugar and stir with a spoon until smooth. Stir in the marshmallows; they will soften but not melt completely.

Spread the frosting over the warm brownies.
The frosting will set up when the brownies are completely cooled.
When cool, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares and store in the refrigerator in a plastic container with a snap-on lid.

(like my floor? :) )

Jambalaya!!!

2007-07-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

So Matt is a Southern boy, born and bred.

Jambalaya is a way of life down south.

We'd been doing the cheap/easy way out for so long... we stumbled upon this recipe and said, hey, why not? ... and we fell in love with this. So now it is our staple. No way will we ever go back to the boxed stuff.

Jambalaya

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1 (2 1/2-3 lb) broiler fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
-- we used 1.5 lb chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 lb pound cooked ham, cubed
-- we leave this out
1/2 pound smoked or Polish sausage - cut into slices
-- we fry it up a bit first so it is crispy, yum yum
1 can (16 oz) tomatoes, cut into pieces, undrained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups uncooked rice
1/2 c water
3/4 tsp TABASCO pepper sauce

Chopping up the vegetables before cooking...

Fried up the sausage...

In large saucepan, heat veggie oil. Add onions, green onions, and peppers. Cook 10 minutes or until tender.

Cooking away!!

Add chicken and brown on all sides - takes about 5-8 minutes.

Add ham, sausage, tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt. Cover, simmer 10 minutes. Stir in rice. Add water. Cover. Simmer 1 hour or until chicken is done. Stir frequently.

Add additional water if rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Before serving, stir in TABASCO sauce.

Tah-Dah!!!

Our first anniversary CAKE :)

2007-07-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

We were one of the lucky couples whose cake came out SO good 1 year later!
Honestly, all we did (or my mother did, actually) was to put the cake back into the box the bakery provided and proceeded to saran wrap it a TON of times.

The rest of the cake was half yellow half chocolate - but we had all yellow for the top. Buttercream frosting... can't get any better than that! :)

DELICIOUS :)

Chicken, Broccoli, and Pasta

2007-07-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is a creation my mother and I came up with when I was in high school. It has been a family favorite ever since! My husband requests this at least once or twice a month. He even wanted this as his birthday dinner!

Step 1: Start a large pot of water - allow it to come to a boil.

Step 2: While waiting for the boiling water, cut up 3 broccoli (crowns if you don't like the stalk parts) - Steam for about 8-10 minutes or until just about done. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: While the broccoli is cooking, cut up ~1 lb chicken breasts into bite size pieces. In either a bowl or a large ziplock bag, add 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, a few good shakes of garlic powder, a little less garlic salt, a few good shakes of lemon pepper, and a little shake of salt and pepper. Combine together and coat chicken.

Step 3: In a large saute pan (you want a deep one!), add veggie oil just until it coats the pan and a few "swirls" of extra virgin olive oil. Add a few cloves of garlic, minced. Set on medium-high.

Step 4: The water should be boiling by now. Add a box of pasta - we prefer the Barilla cellentani or gemilli but whatever you like!

Step 5: When the garlic is bubbling, add the chicken and cook through. We prefer it crispy but my mother likes it just cooked. When the chicken is done to your satisfaction, add the broccoli into the pan (thus the reason you want a big saute pan) and mix up. Turn the heat down to low and let the broccoli "re-heat through" ...

Step 6: When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and mix with chicken and broccoli in a big bowl.

Step 7: Optional: add mozzarella cheese!

Yum. And once you've got the routine going, it is easily ready in less than 30 minutes!

Our first anniversary meal!

2007-07-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

For our first anniversary, we decided to try something new! Matt took on the task of making "Stuffed Flank Steak" - the recipe was found in the "Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook - Collector's Edition"... The picture looked delicious!

The recipe is as follows:
1 (1.5 lb) flank steak, pounded
2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
2 teaspoons beef-flavor instant bouillion or 2 beef-flavored bouillion cubes
flour
3 TBSP veggie oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed tomato soup
1/2 tsp basil leaves
hot cooked noodles
parsley
- preheat oven to 350
- prepare stuffing mix according to package directions, dissolving bouillion cubes in liquid
- spread stuffing evenly on top of steak to within 1 inch of edges
- roll up steak, tucking in ends, tying with string
- coat roll with flour
- in large skillet, brown in oil

- place in shallow baking dish
- in same skillet, cook onion and garlic until tender
- add soup and basil; cook and stir til smooth
- pour over meat
- cover and bake 1 hour - basting occasionally
- serve with noodles; garnish with parsley
- refrigerate leftovers!

NOTE:

- we used cornbread stuffing instead, just a personal preference