Beef With Broccoli

I discovered this delicious recipe on recipeczaar.com. My family thinks it is better than what we get at the local Chinese restaurant. It really is good and surprisingly easy.

50 min/20 min prep

SERVES 6

2/3 lb. flank steak

MARINADE:
1 t rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 t baking soda
1 T soy sauce
1 t cornstarch
1 T sesame oil
1/4 t sugar

Broccoli and Sauce:

1/2 lb. broccoli
1 t cornstarch
1/3 C water
7 T vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 t salt
1/2 t soy sauce
3 T chicken broth
1/4 t pepper

1. Slice beef across grain and at an angle into thin strips. Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef strips; mix well. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Cut each broccoli top lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. Dissolve cornstarch in water to make a paste; set aside. Heat 6 T oil in a wok over high heat 1 minute. Stir-fry marinated beef until very lightly browned. Remove beef, draining well over wok; set aside.
3. Add 1 T oil to oil left in wok. Heat 30 seconds. Stir-fry garlic 30 seconds. Add broccoli tops. Stir-fry 5 minutes. Add cornstarch paste, salt, soy sauce, chicken broth, and pepper. Remove from wok and arrange on a platter. Serve with rice or lo mein noodles.

Caramel & Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I wanted to do something fun for Valentines this year. The boys and Eric loved them, my boys went to bed with tummy aches from eating to much sugar throughout the day. Don't worry they were healed & wanted more the next day!

Caramel & Chocolate Covered Pretzels
1 bag 160z. Snyder's Pretzels (Rods or Olde Tyme shape work the best)
1 batch of Caramel (click here to get caramel recipe)
White Almond Bark
Chocolate Almond Bark

Dip pretzels in the caramel then place on a buttered cookie sheet to cool. Once cooled dip in melted almond bark. After the almond bark has hardened, cut the corner of a zip lock bag and put some of the melted almond bark inside to drizzle (or swizzle as my son calls it) across the top of the pretzel.
You could add all kinds of toppings while the almond bark is still wet: sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, crushed candy cane, etc.

One batch of caramel will come close to covering the whole bag of pretzels.

Microwave Caramels

I love caramels but not the stress it causes me to make them. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Jennifer years ago. It is so easy and tastes fabulous! I know many of you are skeptical- microwave.?.?.?.?....trust me!

Microwave Caramels
1/2 butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c lite Karo syrup
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe glass bowl. Cook in microwave for 7 minutes. Butter a 8x8 pan and pour the caramels in, once they cool cut into small bit size pieces. Wrap them individually in wax paper.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Here is the salsa recipe I made to go with my fajitas the other day. I got this from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.
You definately can't beat a fresh salsa in the summer made straight from the garden but this recipe is good for the off season.

Restaurant Style Salsa
1 Can (28 oz) Whole tomatoes with juice (I used my home canned)
2 cans (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes w/green chilies
1/4 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin (seeds and all)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 c cilantro (more to taste)
1/2 of a whole lime, juiced



Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour.

Fajitas

When we took in our last beef to the butcher I asked about having fajita meat cut. Which they didn't charge any more to do. This makes it a lot faster for me to cook to not have to worry about cutting the meat.
I got this recipe from mom years ago. We have used it on beef and chicken.

Fajitas
1 lbs. fajita meat-steak or chicken (brown in 2 tbs of cooking oil
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp crushed re pepper flakes (or Tabasco)

Onion
Green and Red Bell peppers

Mix all ingredients together other than the meat. Once your meat is browned add the mixture to it in the fry pan. Cover and let steam till meat tenderizes. (I usually add a little bit of water for moisture). Add sliced onions and peppers (what ever color bell peppers you like) Cook uncovered till onions a peppers are tender.
Place in flour tortillas and top with favorite toppings: cheese, avocados, sour cream, salsa

I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day on nachos, not bad!



I made salsa to go with them as well, which I will be posting soon.

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

The other day after I left for jury duty my husband put a roast in the crock pot before he went to work (didn't tell me). On my way home I picked up a pizza for dinner, which the boys and I ate. When I got home I thought the house smelled like popcorn? (I'm not sure how I came up with that but later that night I realized the crock pot sitting next to the stack of pans on the counter had something in it. Oops. So the next day I was trying to think of some way to use the well cooked roast for dinner. It was just falling apart but the top was a little on the dry side. So I thought of this recipe that I adapted from the Taste of Home mag. in 2008. I actually prefer the shredded beef in it. I only used about 1/2 of the 3 lbs roast. Very Tasty.

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

2 lbs beef stew meat -or shredded beef

1 tbs veg. oil

5 c. water

1 C celery, chopped

5 medium carrots, chopped

1 c onion, chopped

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) dices tomatoes (I used 1 pint home canned tomatoes)

4 beef bouillon cubes

3/4 tsp each, dried oregano, thyme, basil, and parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 c quick-cooking barley

2 potatoes peeled and cut into bite size

If using the stew meat dredge it in flour (seasoned with salt and pepper). Brown meat in oil on all sides; drain. (If using shredded beef just add to the following ingredients). Add water, celery, carrots, onion, tomatoes, bouillon and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer for 50 min.

Stir in barley; cover and simmer 10-15 min. longer or until barley is tender. (I couldn't find quick cooking barley so in a separate pan I cooked the barley and then added it to the soup for the last 15 min)

Blueberry-Cheese Rolls

This recipe came out of the Kraft Food Magazine and is simple and delicious. It calls for refrigerated crescent rolls but I make a batch of machine rolls (Craig's recipe), and they are delicious. There will be more dough than needed so I just shape regular rolls out of what is left. I have never tried it with fresh blueberries but use the leftover blueberry topping from the KOA snack shack. I usually put a light glaze on them when they are through baking.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. less fat cream cheese
2 TBS sugar
1/2 C blueberries, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Combine cream cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 11 to 13 minutes till golden brown. Makes four servings. Can sprinkle with powdered sugar or glaze with a thin icing.

Chili Relleno Squares

If you like Mexican food this is a good appetizer. The original recipe didn't call for bacon but I added that and liked it.

3 Cups shredded (12 oz.) Monterey Jack cheese.
1 1/2 Cups (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chillies, drained
2 eggs
2 TBS milk
1 TBS flour
4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Place half of the cheeses in a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with chillies and remaining cheeses. In a bowl beat the eggs. Add the milk and flour; pour over cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until set. Cut into small squares. Serve warm. Yield: 16 servings.

English Toffee Popcorn

This recipe is from Aunt Cherrill and we all know she is one of the best cooks around. She shared some with us while we were in Arizona in January and Dad had to make it. He used his new popcorn machine and then covered it with the yummy candy. Dad used nearly 3/4 C of unpopped corn and thought there was plenty of sweetness. It really is rich and so good but then what can you expect with all that butter. Yum!

2 1/2 quarts popped corn (about 1/2 C unpopped)
1 Cup peanuts
1 1/2 Cup butter
1 1/2 Cup sugar
3 TBS water
4 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup.

Combine popcorn and peanuts in a large metal pan. Melt butter over low heat and add sugar and blend well. continue to cook stirring constantly till it reaches a full boil. Add water and corn syrup. Mix well and continue to cook until it is the color of peanut butter or test in water for hard crack stage at 315 degrees. (It took about 8 minutes.) Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly.

Tacoritos

Our poor neglected food blog. I had a good excuse for not contributing-dead computer (that will do it every time) and the house is finished-I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off anymore! (just running) Any way enough of the excuses, I'm planning on doing better at posting!

This recipe I got out of the Taste of Homes Feb/March 2010 issue. I saw the ground beef contest winners and thought, can you ever have to many ground beef recipes?!? No!

So this is the grand prize winning recipe. (By Monica Flatford/Knoxville, TN) While making this I started getting a little skeptical that my family wouldn't like it, but it turned out to be a winner at our house too.

Tacoritos

1/4 c butter

1/4 c flour

4 c water

3 TBS Chili pwd (This scared me, I used maybe 2 1/2 TBS)

1 tsp garlic salt

1 lb ground beef

1 lb bulk pork sausage

1/4 c onion, chopped

1 c refried beans

8 flour tortillas

3 c shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I just used cheddar, it's what I had)

Optional toppings:

lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, avocados, etc.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in chili powder and garlic salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 min.

In a large skillet, cook the beef, sausage, and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in refried beans; heat through.

Spread 1/4 c sauce in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Spread 1 TBS sauce over each tortilla; place 2/3 c meat mixture down the center of each. Top each with 1/4 c cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-22 min. or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with optional toppings if desired.

My sauce didn't seem thick enough so I add a little bit of thickening to it. Of course in my book the more cheese the better, so I add some extra on top.

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits

Having spent some time in the South I came to enjoy grits. So when I saw this recipe on Paula Deans' cooking show today I had to try it. I loved it. I only had quick grits so it took about 5 minutes for the grits to thicken instead of the 10. I also didn't have white cheese so substituted yellow. Try it, you will like it. I realized this would be way too much for two people to eat so I cut it in half and then in half again. I included those measurements. I used the smallest and it was plenty for two people

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits

6 C chicken broth ( 3 C broth ) (1 1/2 C broth)
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp salt) ( 1/4 tsp salt)
1/4 tsp pepper (1/8 tsp pepper) ( pinch of pepper) 1 /4 tsp garlic powder (1/8 garlic powder) ( 1/16 tsp garlic powder)
2 C regular grits (1 C regular grits) (1/2 C regular grits)
16 oz cheddar cheese, cubed (8 oz. cheese) ( 4 oz cheese)
1/2 C milk (1/4 C milk) ( 1/8 C milk)
4 large eggs, beaten ( 2 eggs) (1 egg)
1/2 C butter (1 stick) (1/4 C butter ( 2 Tbs. butter)
8 oz grated sharp white cheddar (4 oz cheddar 2 oz cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 4-quart (2 qt. or 1 qt.) casserole dish.

Bring the broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart sauce pan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

Oreo Truffles

I guess these were all over the blogging world last year. Being fairly new to this I just found these the other day and had to try them. They are so simple, yet yummy.

Oreo Truffles

1- 16 oz package of Oreos, divided. Total of 45 oreos
1- 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

white bark -melted

Crush 9 Oreos in blender and set aside. Crush remaining 36 Oreos. (The whole cookie including the filling) Beat Cream cheese until smooth and add the 36 crushed Oreos. Beat until well mixed. Form into 1 inch balls and then rool in remaing crushed Oreos. Refrigerate them until firm.

Or instead of rolling them in more oreo crumbs dip them in some melted white bark. Then sprinkle with some oreo crumbs. Both ways are good but this was my families preference. Try not to eat to many!

spinach pasta bolognese

(this is a picture of the leftovers a day later it looks much better than this fresh)

I am finally contributing to this blog because I finally got my computer fixed and internet set up. Sorry I'm so slow. I don't know if I spelled this right but I tried. I adapted this recipe from a recipe from my brother CJ and from the red-headed italian chef on food network (whose name I can't think of sorry). It is quite easy but very diffferent from my usual creamy pastas I make so this adds some variety to our menus once in a while. I learned to measure from my mother (which means not measure:) so I'll do my best to get the proportions right sorry.


2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 C chopped or shredded carrots
1/2 C chopped celery
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 cloves garlic minced
salt & pepper

saute veggies in oil until crisp tender then add:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb chopped bacon
salt & pepper
1/4-1/2 C white cooking wine

brown with veggies still in pan, don't add wine until meat is partially browned. once meat is cooked, veggies are tender, and wine is basically gone add:

1/2 small can tomato paste
3 Tbsp milk

sauce will be very thick. the longer you let it all saute the better the flavors meld. When the sauce gets to dry I add ladels of pasta water (from the pan of noodles I'm cooking) to get the right consistency.

Then add spinach pasta noodles (I use store bought homemade looking kind, kinda pricey but worth it) cooked al dente to pan and mix all together make sure to remove pan from heat so noodles don't get soggy and then transfer to serving dish. Make sure to have plenty of noodles as the sauce is just to be a condiment:) top with parmesean cheese and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars

These are so easy and delicious! This recipe comes from my friend, Brittney D. The icing is what really makes these so yummy!!! Enjoy!


Pumpkin Bars
4 eggs
1c butter (softened)
2c sugar
1-15oz can pumpkin
2c flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp ginger

Mix all ingredients together. Spread into a jelly roll pan, bake at 350 for 20 min.
After the bars have cooled spread the frosting on and enjoy!
Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c powdered sugar

Zucchini Bread

I know, I seem to be obsessed with zucchini right now but my cup runneth over when it comes to zucchini. Actually the plants have frozen now so there will probably be no more zucchini recipes for this year. This recipe came to me in a ward cookbook and was contributed by Abbie Redden. I have tried other recipes and don't like any of them as well. This past week I made 10 loaves and put several in the freezer. On Sunday I sliced up four loaves and took them to church. I was giving the RS lesson so before I began I mentioned that I was overloaded with zucchini and since I couldn't give it away I brought it as zucchini bread and hoped they would all take a piece, which most of them did. (we have several diabetics that can't eat that stuff). On Monday I had two requests for the recipe as they thought it was better than any they had made. I was flattered but am grateful to Abbie for sharing the recipe.

3 eggs
2 C sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 C oil
2 C grated zucchini
1 tsp salt
1 TB cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 C flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)

Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix lightly but well. Add flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, baking powder and nuts. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Makes 2 loaves.

Lemon or Lime Zucchini Muffins

Got this yummy recipe from Kara's Kitchen Creations. Another good way to use up that abundant zucchini.

1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1-2 tsp lime or lemon zest
2 TB lime or lemon juice
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C shredded zucchini

Topping:
1 TB sugar (I used raw sugar)
1/4 C sliced almonds, slightly crushed (didn't have almonds so use pecans instead)

Cream butter and sugar. beat in eggs, zest, and juice. Stir in dry ingredients, then zucchini. Spoon into well greased or paper lined muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar, then almonds. Bake at 325 for 18-20 minutes. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes and they will come out easier.

Makes about 15 muffins. Can cook in mini-loaf pans but increase the baking time about 10 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.

Turkish-style Zucchini Gratin

Our zucchini went wild this summer and I have tried to make the most of it. I have been trying new recipes nearly every day and have come up with some really good ones. This one comes from Binnur's Turkish Cookbook and I tried it with some hesitation but that was a mistake as it turned out very good. I have done it following the recipe and then I did a different spin on it using some left overs that I wanted to get rid of. Surprisingly husband liked it and so we have had it a couple of times. Can be used as a side dish or appetizer or even the main dish. Since we seem to have misplaced our camera, youngest daughter has taken the pictures for me. Thanks Bess!

3 small zucchini

Filling:
1/4 C feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp dried dill or 1 TB if you have fresh.
parsley chopped (I didn't have parsley so left it out)

Topping
1 tsp butter
1 TB flour
1/2 C milk

Peel zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds with a teaspoon. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Mix the filling ingredients and fill the zucchini equally.

In a small pot, melt the butter; add flour and mix. Slowly add milk and stir, cooking till thickened. Cover the zucchini with this topping.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Arrange the zucchini on it and cook for about 25 minutes until the tops are golden.

Since I had some cubed ham in the fridge needing to be used, I prepared the zucchini as above but did not salt them. Fill the cavity with ham and then top with shredded cheese. Then add the topping and bake the same as above.

Stuffed Peppers

It's that time of year again, there is a chill in the air in the morning. It's time to say farewell to the fresh garden produce. Two nights ago our garden actually got frosted, not real hard but it definitely left it's mark. It won't be long!! Anyway last night was the night to make stuffed peppers. I just love them. I use my mother-in-law's recipe. I just love using all fresh ingredients from the garden but that isn't always available so I will include measurements for both the fresh and the store bought ingredients.

Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 lbs ground beef
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
5 or 6 tomatoes-skinned and cored, & diced (1 bottle or 2 cans)
2 c zucchini, cubed
6 ears corn (or 1 can)
1 1/2 c cabbage, shredded
1/2 c rice
6-8 Green Bell peppers-discard the seeds-dice the good parts of the tops
cheddar cheese

In a large fry pan brown the meat with the onions and garlic. Not just cook it but really brown it to get some good flavor going in the pan. Drain the grease. Add tomatoes, zucchini, corn, cabbage, rice, and the diced pepper tops. Stir this all together in the pan. (This will fill a very large fry pan). As this starts to cook the juices from the vegetables are released. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer till veggies and rice are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fill the bell peppers with the veggie filling and top with cheese. (I like a little more cheese in mine so I add some to the filling) Stand the peppers up right in a pan and steam them for 15 min. (more or less depending on how tender or crisp you want your peppers.

This makes a lot of filling, I would guess you could feed 8 people easily.

Fresh Tomato Pasta

This is my all time favorite summer dish!!

Ingredients:

Pasta (angel hair is best in my opinion, although not shown in pict.)

Fresh Tomatoes, diced (store bought won't cut it)

Fresh Basil

Garlic (I use the pre-chopped, refrigerated)

Butter (absolutely no margarine!)

Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper

While pasta is cooking dice tomatoes.

In a sauce pan melt butter (I usually do about 2 TBS per person). Add chopped garlic (1 tsp per cube of butter), basil (8-my leaves were fairly small). As Emeril would say let it get happy.

Drain pasta and put in serving bowl. Pour butter mixture over pasta and stir to coat noodles. Add chopped tomatoes (I prefer my tomatoes cold). Salt & Pepper to taste, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!!!

Sweet N' Sour Chicken

Last night Chinese sounded good, but I'm trying to cut back on spending and unfortunately eat out is right at the top of the list of cut backs. Anyhow I dusted off Cara's recipe for sweet n' sour chicken. I really like this recipe it just got forgotten about for awhile. Of course I didn't plan ahead for dinner I was thinking Eric was working late and so dinner was going to be "simple". Turns out he wasn't going to be "Late". So for the sake of time I defrosted the chicken mostly and then cut it into smaller pieces. I followed the recipe below except for the baking instructions. I baked it for 10-15 min at 450. I think I will do this again in the future, it was tasty and faster.
This goes great with plain or fried rice.

Sweet N' Sour Chicken
4-8 Chicken breasts - boneless, skinless
1 egg beaten
corn Starch
oil

Sauce
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c ketchup
1/2 c vinegar
1 TBS soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dip chicken in egg then roll in corn starch. Brown both sides in pan coated with oil. Place in baking pan and cover with sauce. Bake uncovered at 325 for 1 hour. (or till chicken is cooked thru)