Braised Short Ribs

Al made these for dinner and we loved them. Dave had leftovers for lunch the next day and said they were even better than the night before! Al didn't love the thyme and rosemary but I didn't think it was too herby-strong and liked the flavor of the 'gravy'. The original recipe is courtesy of Ree Drummond on Food Network, she serves the short ribs over cheese grits which I'm sure is good,  Al made mashed potatoes and it was delicious.

Ingredients:

• salt and pepper
• 8 beef short ribs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 thin slices bacon, diced
• 2 T. olive oil
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• splash of red wine
• 4 cups beef broth (enough to almost cover the ribs)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• cheese grits, regular grits, or mashed potatoes

Directions:

Preheat the oven 325'. Salt and pepper the ribs, then dredge in the flour. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until completely crispy and all the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and set aside. Drain off any excess fat.

Add the olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat* and raise the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove the ribs and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, shallots, and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Splash in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavorful bits. Add the broth, 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper and bring to a boil. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the ribs to the liqu8id; they should be almost completely submerge3d. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. Add the cooked bacon.

Put on a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ribs are fork-tender and falling off the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes with the lid on before serving. At the last minute, skim the fat off the top of the liquid (you can also refrigerate the mixture, then remove the solid fat from the top).

For each serving, arrange 2 ribs on a bed of grits or potatoes, spooning a little juice over the top.

*note: the directions are a bit confusing regarding the bacon fat - first it says to drain off any excess fat, the next part says add the olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat. I didn't ask Al what he did but my guess is the directions mean that even tho you've drained off excess fat there will still be bacon grease left coating the pan since it doesn't say to wipe the pan out. So you're adding the olive oil to the residual fat leftover in the pan.

8.31.18: farmhouse projects
8.31.17: remoulade sauce
8.31.16: coconut cream filled cupcakes

Herb-Crusted Lamb with Roast Potatoes

Let me start by saying I'm not a big lamb lover. Wait, I love lambs - but you know what I mean...the flavor isn't my favorite. Having said that, this lamb roast is delicious and I've never had anyone not like it. Easter is coming up quickly and if you haven't decided on the menu yet consider making this easy, flavorful traditional springtime roast  - you won't be disappointed!

(I feel like ham is our traditional dish at Easter, but Dave loves lamb and says his mom always made it for Easter and he feels that it's the most traditional - what do you think?)

The original recipe came from The New Basics Cookbook, over the years I've changed it a bit. I'm going to give you the original recipe and tell you what I do differently in notes after the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 leg of lamb (7 to 8 pounds)
• 2 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided (that means you don't add it all at once)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 30 small red new potatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• rosemary sprigs for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425'.
2. Cut slits all over the lamb with the tip of a sharp knife, and insert the garlic slivers in the slits.
3. Brush the lamb all over with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
4. Combine the 2 T. thyme, dried rosemary, 2 T. pepper, and coriander in a small bowl and mix well. Pat the herb mixture all over the lamb to form a crust. Place the lamb in a shallow roasting pan.
5. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining 3 T. olive oil, fresh rosemary, the remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and 1 teaspoon pepper, and the coarse salt. Toss to mix well, and arrange around the lamb in the pan.
6. Place the pan on the center rack in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375', stir the potatoes slightly so they don't stick to the pan, cook an additional 30 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven, and insert an instant-read meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. It should read 120' minimum for rare, let the lamb rest loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving. (The meat will continue to cook a bit more while resting, the temp will rise to 135' to 140'). Place the roast on a serving platter, surrounded with the potatoes. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.

makes 8 servings

My Notes: 

• I get a boneless or semi-boneless leg of lamb. They are usually between 4 and 5 pounds. You might need to adjust the cooking time depending how you want it done - for rare lamb allow 12 minutes per pound, for well-done lamb allow 18 minutes per pound. I still follow the time table in the recipe above, but if it's too rare after 30 minutes I pop it back in the oven until it reaches the temp I want. Rare seems to be the "usual" preferred temp. but others like it more on the medium-well done side (me included) but the longer you roast it the greater the chance of it getting tough. It's usually just right after the 30 minutes and 15 resting, rarer in the center and more well done on the ends. 
• I don't put garlic in slits on the lamb. 
• In the herb mix I add garlic powder, and dried oregano.
• Put the lamb in the pan with the fat side down. The potatoes cook in the fat and they are SO good, don't cook them separately. 
• I often use baby red potatoes, leave whole or cut in half if they are on the bigger side. This last time I made 3 pounds for 8 people and there wasn't a single potato left over. I'll make more next time!  

Vodka Bolognese Pasta

Yes, vodka is in the title. But don't let that scare you off this recipe - you don't have to use vodka if you don't drink or the thought of adding vodka to a dish you want to serve the kids just seems wrong; if you prefer to not cook with alcohol just replace it with chicken or beef broth (although it simmers for so long all the alcohol is cooked out so no one is getting drunk eating this delish pasta sauce, it's even ok for kids to eat it!).

I adapted this recipe from the original found here.

Ingredients:

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 3/4 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
• salt and pepper
• 1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only, remove from stem)
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup vodka
• 1 parmesan rind, plus grated parmesan for serving

• 1 pound pasta, cooked according to the package. I used tagliatelle noodles.

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, carrots, and celery, season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and starting to brown. Add the beef and sausage, brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go so there's no big clumps, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, milk, vodka, and the parmesan rind. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine; cover and cook over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Let the sauce cool, then spoon off any grease that is sitting on the top - NOTE: I had quite a bit of grease from the sausage, next time I will drain it off after browning the meat before moving on to adding the tomatoes, etc. Using a spoon I scooped up the obvious pools of grease. You can now refrigerate the sauce and then reheat it about 1/2 hour before serving time, or if you are eating it right away just put it back on the stove top and reheat the sauce.

Remove the parmesan rind. If the sauce is soupy, cook an extra 20-30 minutes uncovered.

To serve, divide the pasta among bowls or plates and ladle the bolognese over top. Serve with additional parmesan cheese. 

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

I've posted my chicken enchiladas before (click here) which we love, but as I'm reading Joanna Gaines' new cookbook (thanks mom!) I see she has a similar version that sounds good so thought I'd give it a try. To be honest I can't give a good critique because I didn't follow her recipe exactly - it's so annoying when people review a recipe and then note all the changes they made to it! If you didn't make the recipe exactly you have no business giving it a poor rating hahaha!

Anyway - I combined some of her recipe with my standard recipe and came up with good dish that is waaaaay saucier than my usual one...I like extra saucy so I really liked this version, Dave doesn't like saucy so he prefers the way I've always made them. So your choice - make my delicious go-to enchilada recipe, or try this sauced up version!

I'm not going to give you her original recipe since I didn't make it exactly (she added more verde sauce and diced green chiles, uses 10 larger flour tortillas, and bakes in a 13x9 dish). This is very similar to my standard recipe with the addition of soup to the sour cream. One thing I will do from now on no matter if it's this hybrid recipe or my regular one, is to mix the sour cream and the verde sauce together before pouring overtop - way easier to spread that way (my recipe calls for pouring the verde sauce over and then spreading the sour cream over the sauce).

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. jar mild green verde sauce
• 10.5 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup (I used Campbells Healthy Request)
• 8 oz. sour cream (I used light) 
• 3-4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella
• 4 oz. or so shredded colby jack (it's what I had - use whatever you want!)
• 9 corn tortillas
• fresh chopped cilantro

shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado for salad on the side if you want, or put toppings in small bowls and let everyone garnish as they wish. 

Directions:

Preheat oven 350'. Spray an 11x7 baking dish with non-stick spray. 

Mix together the verde sauce, soup, and sour cream. Spread 1/2 cup in the baking dish.

Lay out the tortillas on a clean workspace, top with a sprinkle of shredded colby/jack or whatever cheese you want, some of the shredded chicken, and a bit of fresh cilantro. Tightly roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Continue rolling the tortillas and adding to the baking dish in a tight single layer.

Pour the remaining sauce over the filled tortillas. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the 8 oz. mozzarella on top, bake until the cheese is melted about 15 minutes.

Serve with side salad or bowls of garnishes. This made 3 big servings (3 tortillas each) or 4 smaller portions.

1.12.18: sweet dill pickles (the best!)
1.12.17: little ideas for things to purge
1.12.16: closet storage


Happy Moment ~ getting an out-of-the blue text from your niece saying she misses you

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

Made this unstuffed chicken cordon bleu for Sunday supper and it was a huge hit. I'm never stuffing it again, why go thru that extra work when you can just layer the ham and cheese on top of thinly pounded chicken breasts - so much easier, looks great, tastes fantastic. You are definitely going to want to try this for yourself - I made a couple little changes but even if you follow her recipe exactly it'll be great and you'll look like a rock star when people gobble this up!

We had a couple pieces left over and it made for a delish lunch the next day...actually it made for delish breakfast for me, lunch for others haha.

 INGREDIENTS:

•  2 tablespoons olive oil 
•  1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into spears/thin wedges (see pictures in the post for a visual) 
•  Salt and pepper 
•  4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), pounded to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half to form two thinner cutlets (see note) 
•  2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
•  4 to 8 slices deli ham (exact amount depends on brand/size of slices) 
•  1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese 
•  15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 3/4 cup) 
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the lower-middle position. Brush a large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X18-inches) with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
2. Toss the broccoli with the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt), and a pinch of black pepper.
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake.
4. Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add 1/4 cup or so of the shredded cheese evenly across the top.
5. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese, and press lightly so the crumbs aren't loose.
6. Arrange the broccoli in a single layer on the opposite side of the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and the broccoli is roasted and tender. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. If the chicken still needs more time but the broccoli looks like it is finished, scoop the broccoli off the sheet pan onto a plate and lightly tent with foil while the chicken finishes cooking.
8. I recommend removing the chicken as soon as the sheet pan comes out of the oven so it doesn't sit in the liquid that will naturally pool on the bottom of the sheet pan.

My changes: I did green beans instead of broccoli, and roasted them on their own baking sheet - I made too much chicken for it all to be on the same pan. Used thinly sliced swiss cheese instead of shredded; and substituted coarse panko crumbs mixed with melted butter for the Ritz crackers. Oh man this is good ;)

The recipe came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, click here for the original post. 

Grilled Ahi with 2-Sauces

This is based on an old recipe from Roy Yamaguchi (of Roy's restaurants) that I've altered a little bit thru the years. The original recipe is called "Roy's Original Blackened Ahi" but since I've changed it I thought I better also rename it!

I'll give you his recipe and then tell you how I modify it:

Blackened Ahi:

• 1 T. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. paprika
• 1 T. salt
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1/4 t. white pepper
• 2 3oz. pieces of ahi

Mix dry ingredients well. Coat one side of tuna with the spices and pan sear to desired temperature. Slice into 1/4" thick pieces and arrange on plate. Ladle one side with Hot Soy Mustard Sauce and the other with Beurre Blanc.

Hot Soy Mustard Sauce:

• 3/4 cup dry mustard
• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Blend mustard with a little water until pasty. Add rice vinegar and soy sauce. Blend. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.

Beurre Blanc:

• 1 cup white wine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 T. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• white pepper and salt, to taste
• 1/2 lb. butter, softened

Reduce wine and shallot until one tablespoon is left. Strain out shallots. Add vinegar, cream, salt and pepper. Reduce until thick; whip in butter. Whisk continuously until butter fully melts. Do not let boil.

beurre blanc on left, mustard soy on right 

Now my version:

-Cooking the fish: I rub a little olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Dave grills until well done because that's how I like it, he prefers way less done but is a good sport about cooking it thru for me.

-Hot Soy Mustard Sauce is really hot. I do not like really hot. So I use maybe a tablespoon of the dry mustard mixed with a little water, then add about 1/4 cup rice vinegar and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Not usually necessary to strain it. If still too hot then add more vinegar and soy sauce.

-Beurre Blanc: I usually cut the amounts in half and leave out the shallot. At the end I only add about 3-4 tablespoons of butter.

-To serve I make sticky rice and put down a big spoonful in the middle of the plate, shaping it into somewhat of a circle, then top with grilled ahi. Spoon mustard sauce on one half and the butter sauce on the other half of the plate around the rice, they'll meet in the middle. Top with wilted spinach or grilled asparagus if you want - that makes this a complete dish, don't need any other sides. This is SO GOOD!!!!!

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken

This chicken is such an easy, healthy, quick, delish dish - I haven't made it in a while but am now remembering how much we like it! I'm bringing this recipe back to the front for sure.

• 6 boneless chicken breast halves (2 lbs total)
• 1 1/4 lbs roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup finely slivered arugula
• 3 T. capers
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne
• salt to taste

-Pound chicken till flat and uniform thickness. Beat egg with 1 T. water in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish combine cornmeal, parmesan, and spices. Dip the chicken in the egg, then cornmeal mixture coating completely. Grill (or bake) until done.

-Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, arugula, capers, lemon and olive oil in a bowl.

-Serve the chicken with the tomato mixture on top.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving: 298 calories, 6.5g fat, 40g protein

don't have a meat mallet? I just put the chicken in a large
ziplock bag and pound it with a small frying pan!

dip first in egg...

then in cornmeal mixture. 

Notes: I should have halved the chicken but left them giant, took quite a while to get them cooked thru - also I couldn't pound them down very well. It's much easier and quicker with thinner chicken!

I used red pepper flakes instead of cayenne, and used a whole bag of arugula for the two of us instead of 1 cup for 6 servings like the recipe states. It's just arugula, go for it :). Oh, and I added some fresh mushrooms I had on hand just cuz.

The capers are really salty (in fact I usually rinse them before using), if you omit them make sure to season the arugula/tomato mixture.

This recipe originated in a Sunset magazine - when I tried to look it up online to get a date I only find mention of it in 1996! See, told ya I've been making it for a while now!

Chicken Enchilada Suizas

I've been making these for a long time, found the recipe in the LA Times and it's a winner! Even better, it's a quick dinner to put together (especially if you go the shortcut route and use rotisserie chicken!) and aren't high calorie - I usually think of Mexican dishes as being all cheesy and not very healthful so it's nice to have this recipe when you want a Mexican hit for dinner without all the calories!

• 1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde (it's green - I always get the mild version but they do have hotter. Don't worry if you see seeds in the jar, at first I thought that meant it was going to be too much for me but it's not jalapeño seeds!)
• 3-4 cups shredded chicken or turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt to taste
• 8 (7") flour tortillas (note: I usually use corn tortillas)
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup fat free shredded mozzarella
• 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish

Spoon 1/3 cup salsa verde into bottom of a baking dish. 

In a bowl combine meat, 1/3 cup salsa verde, 1/2 cup cilantro, and season with salt to taste. 

Lay out 8 tortillas and divide the meat mixture evenly on top, roll up and arrange on top of the salsa in the baking dish. 

Pour remaining salsa verde overtop evenly, spread with sour cream, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 400' for 25 minutes until heated thru and top just starts to brown.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Each enchilada is 256 calories, 8g fat. 

Notes: you'll want to have sauce and sour cream on all of the tortillas or they get dry when baked. I serve this with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and avocado on the side. My mouth is watering, this is so good I ate left overs for breakfast the next day (and Dave ate the rest for lunch)...wish there was more left!

before baking

25 minutes later.

Chicken Marsala

Yay - feels like it's time to start staying in more and getting back to Sunday Suppers... not sure why we don't do them in the summer but it just never seems to happen, I've missed it! I really enjoy looking thru my files of recipes I want to try, I have years worth ripped out somewhat organized in a giant file folder (after I make the recipe and decide if it's a keeper I move it to my actual recipe book or computer file) - I should probably make the recipe before feeding it to guests to see if it works but I totally experiment on everyone,  what's the worst that can happen? Ha, they can just go home and eat a sandwich if my dinners don't turn out :)

not the prettiest picture, much better
in person I promise! 

This week it's Chicken Marsala - I've eaten it a bunch of times but never made it, says "easy" so I decided to give it a try. Turns out it's very easy and delicious - especially if you just follow the recipe and don't try to "fix" it...yep that's what I did of course! Still turned out great, I just thought it was too soupy so added a little flour/water to thicken it and it instantly was too thick - everyone was standing in the kitchen waiting to eat so I didn't take the time to correct it by adding more broth and thinning the sauce back out but if I had time I would have and no one woulda been the wiser. As it was though the flavor is really good, we had it over herbed angel hair (click here for that recipe) with roasted broccoli and I got no complaints! Oh, and I tried my hand at making "georgian cheese bread" to round out our meal, I'll post that this week. You're gonna love it.

I followed a Tyler Florence recipe I found on foodnetwork.com - I was originally going to try a recipe I had in my file but while researching other ways to make it I landed on Tyler's and liked it so much I won't keep experimenting coming up with a better version.

Notes: don't add anything to thicken the sauce, just follow the recipe. And I used diced pancetta instead of prosciutto, yum.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
• 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence and JoAnn Cianciulli

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Herbed Angel Hair Pasta

I made this as a side dish for Chicken Marsala (check tomorrow for that recipe!) and even though it's simple and seemed like it was going to be a sort of "throw away" side dish (meaning I thought it was just going to be a reason to put more sauce on your plate but not be anything to write home about...) it turned out so flavorful and tasty that I'll share.

Boil a box of angel hair pasta according to the package directions. While that's cooking add a handful each of chopped chives, thyme, and Italian parsley to 1/4 cup of olive oil in a saucepan and heat for a couple minutes. Drain the pasta and pour it into the pan along with about 1/4 cup of the pasta's cooking water, mix all together. Remove from heat, add 2 Tablespoons of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta seems dry add a bit more olive oil and/or butter. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Makes about 8 servings.

One-Dish Spanish Rice

Flipped thru an Allrecipes magazine that came in the mail (it keeps saying this is my "last" issue - but I didn't pay for it and it just keeps coming!) and this recipe caught my eye. Yes I was hungry and that's never a good time to decide what's for dinner - we don't eat very many "casserole" type dishes, but this seemed fairly healthy so I wanted to try it.

SPANISH RICE BAKE
allrecipes november 2016

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
      (1/4 cup)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup chile sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook beef in a large, ovenproof skillet (with a lid) over medium-high heat, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, green pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, chile sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir once, then cover tightly. Don't stir it again or take the top off. Cook, covered, over low heat 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375'.
3. Uncover rice mixture, stir, and sprinkle with cheese. Transfer to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serves 6.

per 1-cup serving: 350 cal; 19.1g fat; 18.5 pro; 24.9g carb


It's a very easy recipe and after doctoring it a little it was a great dinner. I don't know what chile sauce is compared to chili sauce, didn't see chile sauce at the store so went with chili sauce. I thought it was a little bland so added 1 heaping Tablespoon of Mexican seasoning (I found it at the local grocery store, it's just called "mexican seasoning" and I add it to lots of things), a scoop of salsa, and salt and pepper. The other thing I did differently is just put the cheese on top of the rice and put the lid back on until it melted - I didn't put it in the oven (the original recipe is named "spanish rice bake" but I didn't bake it so changed it to "one-dish" haha). Served with a side salad of shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Yum, it was a hit.

Because I love leftovers for breakfast I reheated this the next morning and topped it with a basted egg - Dave said it was like spanish hash and I just made up a new thing hahaha! It was delicious!

stir once before putting the lid on tightly...

melt cheese after the rice is cooked. 

Burger Salad

I make this very easy salad all the time, Dave and I both love it - he doesn't usually want a salad for dinner but for some reason putting a grilled burger on top of it makes it acceptable haha!

This isn't really a recipe - just toss a bunch of things together...this is what I do, change it to suit your own taste. Put down a big base layer of chopped lettuce, top with rinsed and drained black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, and shredded cheddar cheese. Dave likes when I put tortilla chips on top of all that but I don't always have them. Drizzle with dressing and top with a grilled burger patty - I season the meat with montreal steak seasoning and a few dashes of worcestershire sauce before forming into patties for him to grill. Serve with additional dressing on the side.

For the dressing: mix together a big scoop of mayo and sour cream, thin it out with milk to get salad dressing consistency; then add a little ranch dressing and some kind of mexican seasoning blend (it changes depending on what I can find at the store) - if you don't have that or don't want to get it then add a big spoonful of salsa, I do that instead of the seasoning sometimes. Either way it's good! Drizzle over the salad before adding the burger patty.

Dave also really likes this using buffalo burger, which has quite a bit less fat in it - and you usually can't even tell the difference. Might as well go for less fat and calories!

Baked Crab Cakes

I've never made crab cakes but love them and have been wanting to try...yay they turned out SO good. I combined a couple recipes and got lucky - this is a keeper and I will definitely be making them often now.






Mix together in a bowl: 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 eggs, a big handful of plain breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, and a dash of worcestershire sauce. Gently fold in 1 pound crab meat pieces (note: I bought 2 containers of 8 oz crab meat located in front of the meat and seafood counter). Form into 6 big patties using just a little shy of 1/2 cup each (or you can make little appetizer sized ones by scooping 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 16 mini muffin cups) and place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350' for about 30 minutes until crispy and browned.


I served this with my version of a remoulade - I have no idea if this is actually remoulade sauce but it's what we've always called it! In a small bowl mix together some ketchup and creamed horseradish (that makes cocktail sauce by the way, in case you didn't know), then add equal parts mayo and sour cream (you can use all mayo or all sour cream if you want) and mix well.

White Beans in Marinara Sauce and Arugula Salad with Fresh Mushrooms

I got the idea for this dish when we went to Greece a couple years ago and had giant beans in a tomato sauce, and loved loved loved them. I found a couple recipes in cookbooks but then just sort of made this version up and it's stuck - I make them all the time.

sometimes I add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes 

 I don't know where to get giant beans here - for real, there are huge giant white beans out there! Get them if you find them - so I use canned white beans, usually Great Northern or White Cannelini and sometimes a mixture of both. Rinse them really well, put into a small roasting dish, and mix in some jarred marinara sauce (or any spaghetti sauce would be fine I think) - bake at 350 for anywhere between 30 - 45 minutes (you can't really overbake, they just cook down more the longer you bake them. If they seem dry I add a little hot water or olive oil to loosen them up a bit). Season with salt and pepper, and crumble feta cheese over the top for the last few minutes in the oven.

They are good by themselves, or as a side dish to grilled or roasted meat and chicken. I occasionally add halved cherry tomatoes and/or additional italian seasoning - it's a very adaptable dish. But white beans, marinara, and feta alone is just delish...I hope you'll try them!

This time we had them with grilled marinated pork tenderloin and a super easy salad of arugula and fresh mushrooms tossed with a little olive oil, lemon juice, coarse salt, and parmesan.

salad ingredients

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I don't think I have any Polish in me (but who knows - I descend from Cortrights, Hodgsons, Guenthers, and Suggates...that sounds like I have a little bit of a whole lot going on so maybe there is some Polish!) but I woke up the other day thinking about cabbage rolls. I know, it's weird. So I asked Dave if we could go north and hit Leggs Inn outside Petosky because that's the last place I had them and they were SO good, but a road trip can't happen this week - so I did the next best thing even though I've never made them before and gave it a go.

carefully pull the leaves off

Did an internet search till I found a recipe I wanted to try, click here to see the full recipe on Food Network. The reviews almost scared me off because so many people had a hard time separating the cabbage leaves, but I wasn't to be put off by temperamental cabbage and conquered it without any problems whatsoever. I followed the directions and they came apart easily - cut the bottom of the cabbage off so it sits flat and cut out some of the core, then carefully peel the leaves apart. If you look closely you can see the order they are layered, I put my fingers under the next leaf on top and wiggled around a bit to loosen and they came right off. Put into a large pot of boiling water for 3 minutes or so to soften them up. Then immediately put them in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

after boiling for a couple minutes put the leaves
in a bowl of ice water

I followed the rest of the recipe exactly and they were quite easy to make. There were lots of dirty pans and dishes when all said and done, but none of the steps was difficult - even rolling up the little cabbage roll burritos was easy. I only made one head of cabbage because it's just Dave and I eating them, so there weren't enough outside "bad" leaves to line the baking dish with, but I covered the whole pan with foil and they cooked just fine. I had leftover filling and looked around for whatever else I could find to stuff - the 2 small sweet peppers from my garden and a leftover zucchini fit the bill. The recipe says to bake for an hour but quite a few reviews said it took longer, so I did 2 hours at 350'.

the filling is ground beef and pork, cooked rice,
an egg,  and the doctored up sauce

back pan is the sweet and sour tomato sauce,
front pan is a little sauce mixed with
sautéed onions, parsley, tomato paste...

cut out the thick rib of the cabbage leaf. I cut out
too much actually,  don't do this much. 

my v cut is a little big so rolling wasn't quite as nice as it
could have been - now I know! It still worked fine.

Might not be Leggs Inn cabbage rolls but they turned out really good and I will definitely be making these again in the future. I wonder what I'll wake up wanting to eat next?

one head of cabbage made 8 rolls, I also stuffed 2 small
sweet peppers and a zucchini. top with tomato sauce before baking. 

My Sister's Birthday Dinner (aka: Quebec Chicken)

For my sister's birthday she requested Quebec Chicken - a dish we have been making forever. So this may or may not be a stolen recipe, it's a long ancient story - let's just say I heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another... and leave it at that! Wherever it came from and however I got it, it's an excellent recipe and we are all crazy for it (oh, and for the record I changed the name to protect the innocent hahaha!! ). 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken tenders
• a couple sweet peppers (I like to do different colors), chopped in bite sized pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped in bite sized pieces
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 T. montreal steak seasoning
• 1 t. lemon pepper
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 pound cooked angel hair pasta

Directions:

Cut the chicken tenders in half (big bite sized pieces), put in a big bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the montreal steak seasoning and lemon pepper, toss to coat evenly. Sauté chicken in the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan, turning once, a couple minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and add the peppers and onions, sauté for a few minutes until softened. Add the chicken back to the pan and then stir in the sour cream, mayo, and parmesan. I like to add additional montreal seasoning but that is up to you. Bake in a large casserole dish 1 hour until bubbly, serve over the pasta.

note: I normally double this - we rarely have leftovers, and the sauce is so good you'll want lots of it! Cover for the first half hour, then remove the cover so it browns a little bit. The sauce is super thick to start but will loosen up as it bakes. There are a bunch of people in the family that don't like peppers and onions so I don't usually add them to the sauce, bake them in a small dish separately and then whoever wants them can add to the chicken and pasta - if everyone at your house likes peppers and onions though, the sauce tastes even better if you bake them all together. I've made it with broccoli and mushrooms which is also good - but I personally like the onions the best!) 

OMG this is so good - you guys are gonna love it!

Braised Short Ribs with Tomato Barbecue Sauce

I don't usually eat ribs (too messy and too much work!) but I saw a recipe that looked good so I thought I'd try to make them for company coming to Sunday Supper - ran it past Dave and he vetoed pork spareribs (too messy and too much work haha) but requested beef short ribs. Um ok, well then I had to find a recipe that looked good for those since I've never made them before! I found this recipe in a cookbook "American Bistro" and decided to give it a try - like how I experiment on guests haha? 

geez I have a lot on my plate! short ribs,
smashed potatoes, roasted carrots, broccoli
slaw, and a roll. Yum...I'm still full.

So...this is a delicious and pretty easy recipe that everyone loved. I served them with smashed red potatoes and broccoli cole slaw (2 other recipes I've never tried before and turned out SO good - I lucked out that the whole menu turned out so good! I'll post those recipes on another day).

I followed the recipe with a couple tweaks: I increased the meat to 6.35 pounds (to serve 8), only used one onion so Dave wouldn't freak out, added more carrots and 1/2 cup more of the tomatoes, bbq sauce, and beef stock. Forgot to garnish with parsley and it totally didn't matter.

One thing I will do in the future is to cook the ribs and sauce ahead of time and let it cool so I can remove some of the fat, short ribs are a pretty fatty cut of beef. I tried to skim off what I could before serving, it would have been much easier to do when it was cool and the fat rises to the top and hardens. Otherwise this is a great, flavorful recipe.

braise the ribs in a large nonstick skillet, then transfer to a dutch oven. then in the skillet saute the veggies.

after sautéing the veggies and adding the other sauce ingredients pour over the ribs in the dutch oven.

finished ribs in the sauce.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds lean beef short ribs, cut into 3 to 4" pieces
• salt and pepper
• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 2 onions, thickly sliced into rings
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2" thick slices
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 t. Dijon mustard
• 2 T. finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, season the ribs with salt and pepper. 
2. Preheat the oven to 325'. In a 12" nonstick skillet, heat 2 T. vegetable oil over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the ribs on all sides, using kitchen tongs to turn and brown them evenly, for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs with a slotted spoon, drain briefly on paper towels, and then place in a large, ovenproof Dutch oven or other heavy pot. 
3. In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 T. oil, increase the heat to medium-high, and brown the onions for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently and watching carefully so that they brown but do not burn. Add the carrot and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, bbq sauce, beef stock, and mustard and stir well. Increase the heat to high and simmer for 1 minute to mix the flavors. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the short ribs and mix to combine.
4. Cover and bake the ribs for about 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender, turning the ribs every 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

Can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat gently on the stove top.

Serves 6

from the American Bistro cookbook