One-Pan Noodle Bowls

Remember in college when you were broke and you ate top raman? And you swore you'd never eat it again...tonight I'm having raman. Though not quite the top raman sort.

I got my Cook's Country magazine in the mail this week and this recipe was in it. It sounded so good, I decided to make it tonight for dinner.

One-Pot Noodle Bowls

Photo from Cook's Country

Recipe from Cook's Country Oct/Nov 2017
Serves 4

1/4 c hoisin sauce
3 T soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 (12 oz) pork tenderloin, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced
2 1/4 c chicken broth
2 T vegetable oil
4 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 (3oz) packages raman noodles, season packets set aside for another day
12 oz broccoli florets, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 scallions, sliced thin on the bias

Whisk 1 T hoisin, 1 T soy sauce and cornstarch together in a bowl. Add pork and toss to coat; set aside. Whisk broth, remaining 3 T hoisin, and remaining 2 T soy sauce together in a second bowl, set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth mixture and bring to boil. Arrange noodles in skillet in single layer; cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until noodles have softened on bottoms (tops will still be dry), about 3 minutes.

Uncover skillet and flip noodles and stir to separate. Spread noodles in even layer and scatter broccoli over top. Cover and cook until noodles and broccoli are tender, about 3 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking. Divide noodle mixture evenly among individual bowls; tent with aluminum foil.

Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. Heat remaining oil over high eat until just smoking. Add pork in a single layer, breaking up any clumps and cook without stirring until browned on bottom, about 1 minute. Stir and continue to cook until pork is no longer pink, about 1 minute longer. Divide pork among bowls. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Corn and Cucumber Salad

I saw this in a Cook's Country magazine and knew I had to make it. I just needed the right reason to. If I made it for myself, that'd be just too much corn. Right?

So along came a mobile Sunday dinner that would be in a beautiful house on the water. Perfect!

As I typed up this recipe I realized I followed almost none of it. Between my laziness and my forgetfulness, I improvised a lot.

In the end, it was fantastic.

Corn and Cucumber Salad

Recipe from Cook's Country

Serves 4-6
I doubled the recipe and had enough for maybe two services left having fed 10 people.

1/2  cup extra-virgin olive oil

Taken from the Internet

4  ears corn, kernels cut from cobs  [JW Note: This is the lazy side. I simply bought frozen corn and thawed it]
 Salt and pepper
5  tablespoons lime juice (3 limes)  [JW Note: And this is the forgetful side. Forgot limes, so stopped and bought a lime garlic dressing instead. Way easier and delicious.]
1/4  cup sour cream  [JW Note: ended up not using sour cream at all.]
1/4  red onion, sliced thin
1  jalapeño chile, stemmed, halved, seeded, and sliced thin
1  English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
3  ounces feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)  [JW Note: Blech. I used the feta cheese, but didn't like it. Then again I don't like Feta in general].
1/4  cup fresh basil leaves, torn

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and spotty brown, 7 to 9 minutes; transfer to large bowl. Refrigerate corn until completely cool, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, remaining 7 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup lime vinaigrette to separate bowl and whisk in sour cream; set aside. Add onion and jalapeño to remaining lime vinaigrette; let sit while corn is cooling, at least 15 minutes.

3. Add cucumber and onion-jalapeño mixture (including vinaigrette) to bowl with corn and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to serving platter. Drizzle with sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with feta and basil. Serve.

Ropa Vieja

Meaty stew in any culture has to be good. Ropa Vieja is Cuban and one of my favorite Cuban dishes. In fact, it's their national dish, so I hear. I found this recipe in Cook's Country and decided for Mother's Day I'd give it a try.

The story behind Ropa Vieja goes something like this:
A man, too broke to afford meat for his family, stirred some old clothes (ropa vieja in Spanish) into a pot of broth. He then prayed over the pot and later, after some devine assistance, ladled out a rich stew of beef and vegetables.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Cook's Country June/July 2017

Photo from the Interwebs

Serves 4-6

3 T vegetable oil
2 onions, halved and sliced thin
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced (I didn't put these in because they're gross)
1/4 c tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1/2 c dry white wine
2 T soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 2 lb flank steak, tremmed (Flank steak wasn't on sale, but chuck roast was, so I used that)
3/4 c pitted green olives, sliced
1 T distilled white vinegar

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and bell peppers and cook, covered, until softened and spotty brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Push vegetables aside and add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant for about 1 minute.

Stir vegetables and tomato paste together. Add wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Transfer veggies mixture, soy sauce, and bay leaves into slow cooker. Season steak with salt and pepper and put in slow cooker. Cook 6-7 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high.

Transfer steak to cutting board and shred. Discard bay leaves. Return to the slow cooker and stir in olives and vinegar. Season as needed.

Serve over white rice.

Blue Cheese Crusted Sirloin Steak

This was another Home Chef recipe. The beef that I go from them in this recipe box was weird. It had an odd texture to it, so I had maybe 5 bites from the steak.

What I did taste was delicious. The blue cheese mixture on top of the steak was super flavorful and really did add to the deliciousness of this meal.

It was a mostly simple meal if you were going to make it on your own. Very few ingredients and very little prep.

Blue Cheese Crusted Sirloin Steak
Recipe from Home Chef

Serves 2

12 oz fingerling potatoes, sliced in half
6 oz carrots, sliced on the angle
2 green onions, sliced on a diagonal
2 T parsley, chopped
2 sirloin steaks, salt and peppered
1/4 c Panko breadcrumbs
2 oz blue cheese crumbles
2 oz sour cream
1 T horseradish

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss carrots and potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place them on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes. (I left them in when I broiled the steaks and got them real crisp.)

In a small mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs, blue cheese, and green onions (save some for garnishing). Mash mixture until thoroughly combined, but still a little chunky. Season with salt and pepper.

Warm 2 tsp of olive oil in an oven safe pan over medium high heat. Place steaks in hot pan and cooke until steaks are browned on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Turn on broiler to high. Add blue cheese crust on top of each steak and place in the oven. Brown for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is browned.

While they're broiling, mix sour cream, parsley and horseradish to taste.

Place one steak, half of the carrots and potatoes on a plate. Add a dollop of horseradish to the side of the steak.

Chicken Chili Verde

This is another from Home Chef. I've stopped delivery for the month of April for now. I may add some weeks back, but for now I want to focus on recipes from Mom's recipe book.

This particular recipe was just meh. I usually like "verde" anything. And this may have been better without the beans, but overall it was just meh. I do realize it says "chili" and without beans it would just be Chicken Verde and that would be ok.

Chicken Chili Verde
Recipe from Home Chef
Serves 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 T cilantro chopped
1 can cannellini beans (15 oz)
14 fl oz Green Enchilada Sauce
1 oz sour cream

I'm a big fan of preparing your ingredients first. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts. Chop your onions, mince your garlic, zest your lime, juice your lime and chop your cilantro.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and chicken to hot pot. Cook undisturbed until browned, 3-4 minutes. Flip and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until chicken reaches a minimum internal temp of 165F, 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

In the same pot, heat to medium heat. Add 1 T olive oil and onion to hot pot. Cook until softened and lightly browned, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, 1 minute.

Add 1/2 c water and beans with their liquid. Bring to a boil and boil for 5-8 minutes. while soup cooks, shred chicken. Add shredded chicken and green enchilada sauce. Return to a boil and immediately remove from the burner. Stir in 1/2 of the cilantro (reserve the rest for garnish).

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, 1 tsp lime zest and 2 tsp lime juice.

To plate, ladle chili verde into a bowl. Top with dollop of lime crema and remaining cilantro.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Home Chef came through again. I've found that I'm enjoying cooking shrimp more now. Not sure why all of a sudden it's on a rotation for me, but I'm sure loving it.

This recipe was easy and delicious...though the bang bang sauce didn't have a huge "bang" in my opinion.

And you all know how I love to change up recipes, right? Well, in this case, I mixed the bang bang sauce, the slaw and the tomatoes all together. It just made sense to me.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
Recipe from Home Chef

Serves 2

1 lime
1 roma tomato, chopped
16 shrimp (medium size shrimp)
1 oz mayonnaise
2 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 eggs, whites only
3/4 c flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
6 small flour tortilla (corn would work well too)
4 oz slaw mix


Zest the lime, and set aside. Juice the lime and set aside. Core the roma tomato and dice.

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the mayonnaise and Srircha in a small bowl. [JW note: I added some lime juice to this and it really made a difference.]

Place egg whites and flour in separate small mixing bowls. Working with a few shrimp at the time, dredge the shrimp in the egg whites and then dip in flour. Toss to coat completely and transfer to a plate.

Combine slaw mix with 1 T lime juice. [JW note: I put the mayo Sriracha sauce with the slaw mix as well.]. Salt and pepper slaw mix to taste.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a medium non stick pan over medium high heat. Add breaded shrimp and cook until shrimp is golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and season with salt.

Heat your tortillas. Fill tortilla with dressed slaw and top with shrimp. Drizzle with bang bang sauce if you didn't mix it with the slaw.  Squeeze a lime over the top and devour.

Irish Nachos

These were made for last years Irish Sunday Dinner...and I forgot. This year I thought I was sooo clever to make these.

I made a few modifications to this recipe out of pure laziness.

These are fantastic with my modification and sadly, too easy. I highly recommend making these for any occasion.

My modification consisted of buying Waffle fries instead of slicing potatoes. The rest I did follow.

Irish Nachos
Recipe from KitchMe.com

1⁄2 lb potatoes,

2 tbsp olive oil,

1⁄2 tsp paprika,

1 tsp sea salt,

1 tsp ground black pepper,

5 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tbsp pickled jalapeno pepper, chopped

5 slice bacon, cooked and chopped

3 tbsp Greek yogurt or sour cream,

1 tbsp tomatoes, diced

1⁄2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

2 tbsp green onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place in a bowl. Add olive oil, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper and toss until the potatoes are well coated. Arrange slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, turn over, and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and crisp. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Arrange potato slices in a cast iron skillet, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, jalapeno pepper, and bacon.

Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove the skillet from the oven and top with Greek yogurt or sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onion.

Guinness Stew

Yesterday was March's Sunday Dinner. Last year I did corned beef and cabbage. This year I decided to do Guinness Stew.

First let me just say I forgot how much I love Guinness. I think I drank more than I should have while cooking. But, I mean, I bought a six pack so I had to test it, right?

FoodNetwork had a recipe that seemed easy and I've not been let down by their recipes before, so we gave it a go. And let me just tell you...it was fantastic. I don't think it had enough of the Guinness flavor so I'd add more of that next time. AND adding tomato paste to a beef stew was magical. I never have done that before and now it's going to be in every stew I ever make.

Guinness Stew
Recipe from FoodNetwork
Serves 6

2 pounds stewing beef
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato puree, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups Guinness
2 cups largely diced carrots
Sprig of fresh thyme
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, and cut into 2-inch cubes. Toss beef with 1 tablespoon of the oil. In a small bowl, season the flour with salt, pepper and cayenne. 

Toss meat with seasoned flour. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. 

Reduce the heat, add the onions, crushed garlic and tomato puree to the skillet, cover, and cook gently for 5 minutes. 

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a casserole and pour half of the Guinness into the skillet. 

Bring Guinness to a boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices on the pan. Pour over the meat, along with the remaining Guinness. 

Add the carrots and thyme. Stir and adjust seasonings. 

Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat, or in a 300 degree F oven until the meat is tender, 2 to 3 hours. Garnish the beef with parsley and serve. 

Ginger Steak Salad

If you know me at all, you know I'm a huge Pioneer Woman fan. She got a bit "over sold" for me for a while and I had to walk away. I've since welcomed her and her wonderful recipes back into my life.

This weekend while cleaning out my own recipe pile I stumbled on to this Ginger Steak Salad. I decided that I'd make it for the book club ladies.

It was not only perfect in that it wasn't heavy and yet was fulfilling, but it was PERFECT in every way.

I love Asian flavor salad dressings that include ginger and garlic, and this one does not disappoint. The recipe is easy and delicious. It will see another rotation in this house again.

Ginger Steak Salad
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sherry
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 whole Rib-eye, Strip, Or Sirloin Steak
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

FOR SALAD DRESSING:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
2 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
1/2 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
2 whole Green Onions
8 ounces, weight Salad Greens (baby Lettuce, Endive, Radiccio, Etc.)

JW Note: I added cucumber and tomato to the salad as well.

Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion.

When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly.

Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced steak on top of salad. Pour remaining salad dressing over the top. Sprinkle green onions over the salad, and add cherry tomatoes if that makes your skirt fly up.

Mardi Gras Shrimp Po'Boy

Home Chef delivered one of the BEST meals yet. This Mardi Gras Shrimp Po'Boy...good heavens it was delicious.

Because this is a Home Chef recipe, I'm guessing on the amounts. Adjust as you see fit.

Mardi Gras Shrimp Po'Boy

Recipe from Home Chef
Serves 2

1 Romaine heart, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
16 shrimp (16/20 count - average size shrimp), shelled and deveined
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (I'd add more as it wasn't as full of flavor as I had expected)
1 1/2 oz mayo
1 oz dill pickle relish
2 Italian hoagie rolls
1/2 fl oz seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 oz honey

Olive oil, salt/pepper

Prep your veggies. Chop lettuce coarsely. Core roma tomatoes and cut into 1/2" dice.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Combine shrimp with 1 tsp olive oil and half the Cajun Seasoning in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

Make your remoulade by combining mayo, pickle relish and remaining Cajun seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Warm a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.

Toast the bread. Slice the bread and brush with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill until browned, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

Using the same pan, lightly coat with cooking spray. Place shrimp on grill pan and grill until shrimp is firm and opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Make the salad. Combine the seasoned rice vinegar, honey and 2 tsp olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the romaine and tomato and toss to combine.

To plate, Spread remoulade on one side of the Italian rolls. Arrange romaine/tomato salad over remoulade and top with grilled shrimp.

JW note: I'd double the remoulade. I like my po'boy saucy. I'd also add a bit more Cajun seasoning as the flavor was muted.

Oh Henry Bar

I found this recipe in my Mom's recipe book and thought it would be fun to make for my February cookie of the month.

Then I noticed it was a recipe from my St. Louis Sister-in-Law and I KNEW it'd be tasty.

Then I had to look up what an Oh Henry Bar even was...

The website says it has caramel, peanuts and fudge. This recipe has none of those. Still these are tasty bars.

I under cooked them, that's for sure. The recipe warned to not over cook so instead I undercooked. I have no idea what it was supposed to look like so no clue what was over cooked or under cooked. Still, it didn't stop me from tasting them. They were "loose" so I dropped them in the fridge and they hardened up.

Oh Henry Bars
Recipe from Bev Wraspir
Servings 24

4 c rolled oats
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c butter
1/2 c white corn syrup
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the oats, brown sugar, butter and white corn syrup together. Pat into a 10X15 pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE!

Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small sauce pan. Spread over baked crust while hot. Cut into bars right away.

Jenn Note: I tried to cut into it right away and they were too loose. I instead cut them once they had been in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Steak Wellington with roasted carrots and mushroom demi-glace

I'm a fan of steak wellington. I've always felt like it's harder than heck to make successfully - so I never tried. Home Chef delivered a version of steak wellington and I was thrilled to try it. What I mean by "Home Chef delivered" really means I ordered it.

Because the ingredients come already pre-measured, I'm going to make my best guess on a few of these things in this recipe.

Steak Wellington with roasted carrots and mushroom demi-glace
Recipe from Home Chef

3 sprigs of thyme
16 oz carrots, sliced on a diagonal
2 sirloin steaks (about 6 oz each)
6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Puff Pastry dough square (it needs to fit slightly around the steak, but not completely. this recipe calls for a strip of puff pastry to go around the steak, not fully covering the steak)
2 tsp beef demi-glace (i have no idea how to replicate this other than I've seen those packets of beef broth that's concentrated. Those might work)
2 pats of butter

Stem and coarsely chop thyme. Peel, trim and cut carrot into 1/2" piecs at an angle. Place a medium oven-safe pan over mediume-high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil and carrots to a hot pan. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Place the pan in a 450F oven and bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Remove from oven and season with salt, pepper and half the thyme. While carrots are baking, sear steaks.

Pat dry your steaks and season with salt and pepper. Sear them in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Transfer steaks to a baking sheet with parchment paper on it.

Add 2 tsp of olive oil to the pan you cooked the steaks in and saute the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown 4-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove puff pastry from refrigerator. Cut into 2" strips to be wrapped around the steak. Use the back of a small knife to draw diagonal lines on puff pastry 1/2" apart. Draw another set of lines in opposite direction to make a crosshatched pattern.

Place steaks on prepared baking sheet. Place 1/3 of the mushrooms on top of each steak. Place the puff pastry over width of mushroom-covered portion of steaks. Place on top rack in oven and bake until pastry is golden brown, 8-12 minutes.

While steaks are in the oven, make the demi-glace. Add 1/4 c water and demi-glace packet to pan with remaining mushrooms. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until reduced by half, 1-3 minutes (this took me about 10 minutes). Remove from the burner and put 2 pats of butter in the demi-glace.

To plate: Put spoon of mushroom sauce on the plate, and place the steak wellington on top of mushroom sauce. Put carrots on the side.

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

This was another Home Chef meal and it was fantastic. The lettuce tasted a little funky AND I think it's an easy recipe to duplicate without being part of Home Chef.

It made a HUGE salad. So don't think you aren't going to get enough to eat.

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

Recipe from Home Chef

1 Romain Heart
4 oz grape tomatoes, halved
1 green bell pepper, chopped (this didn't get used in my salad)
4 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 red onion, minced (use more if you'd like)
15 1/2 Oz canned black beans, rinsed
4 oz corn kernels
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 small corn tortillas
3 Oz BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rae's)
3 oz Ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley)

Chop veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and bell pepper) and put in a bowl.

Drain and rinse the black beans. Top the salad with them. Add corn.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.

Place chicken on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake until chicken reaches 165F, 12-15 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and set aside.

Slice tortillas in strips and toss with 1 tsp olive oil. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 375F until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Watch them though. They can burn quickly.

Shred the chicken and put on the salad. Mix the salad with the ranch dressing and plate.

Drizzle with BBQ sauce. Put tortilla and cilantro on top.

Dig In.

Parisian Bistro Steak w/ dauphinoise potatoes and green beans

I'm in week 5 of my Home Chef meals. I've only made a couple because I was off to Tucson for a bit. The friend who made those meals reported back that they were 'just ok'.

The one thing I like about these is you get the ingredient amounts exactly what you need. So you don't have to buy an entire thing of heavy cream for 6 oz. You get 6oz in the box. Perfect. I feel like I'm not wasting food as much.

The two portion is questionable. Maybe I think portions are larger than they are (most likely considering my weight...)

This meal overall is delicious. I'll repeat it for sure.

Parisian Bistro Steak w/ dauphinoise potatoes and green beans
Recipe from Home Chef

Serves 2

10 oz Yukon Gold potatoes
1 shallot
6 chives
6 oz green beans
2 sirloin steaks
6 fl oz Heavy Whipping Cream
1 oz shaved Parmesan
6 oz butter
4 tsp beef demi-glace

You'll need:
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cooking spray

Slice potatoes into 1/8" rounds. Bring a medium pot with potatoes and enough lightly salted water to cover to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until softened, 10-12 minutes. While potatoes cook, peel and mince shallot. Mince chives. Trim ends of green beans. Rinse steaks, pat dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Strain softened potatoes and return to pot over medium-high heat. Add heavy cream, half the shallots, and half the chives to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook stirring occasionally and gently, 5 minutes. Add half the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to prepared oven-safe casserole dish. Top with remaining Parmesan and bake until cheese browns, 15-18 minutes. While potatoes bake, cook steaks.

Place a medium non stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 T olive oil and steaks to hot pan and cook until steaks reach a minimum internal temp of 145F,  4-5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate to rest and wipe pan clean.

Return pan used to cook steaks to medium-high heat and add half the butter, green beans and 1/4 c water. Bring to a simmer and cook until bright green and tender, 2-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Return pan used to cook green beans to medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil and remaining shallots to hot pan. Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add demi-glace and 1/2 c water. Bring to a simmer and cook until just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2-3 minutes. (mine took too long to thicken so I added some corn starch). Remove from burner, add remaining butter, and whisk to incorporate.

Loaded Slow-Cooker Potatoes

Loaded is an understatement. Made these for a Sunday Dinner hosted by a friend. OMG...just looking at them makes my mouth water. I've not officially tasted them yet, but what could possibly be bad about these.

The key is to have everything done before you start layering them. I didn't and it was a bit of a pain.

Loaded Slow-Cooker Potatoes

Photo from Delish.com

Recipe from Delish.com
Serves 6

Cooking spray
2 lb. baby potatoes, halved and quartered if large
3 c. shredded Cheddar
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 slices bacon, cooked
1/4 c. sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
1 tbsp. paprika
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream, drizzling

Line a slow cooker with foil and spray with cooking spray. Add half the potatoes, 1 1/4 cups cheese, half the garlic, 1/3 of the cooked bacon, half the green onions, and half the paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat.

Cover and cook on high until potatoes are tender, 5 to 6 hours. (The bigger your potatoes, the longer they'll need.) About 20 to 30 minutes before serving, top with remaining cheese and bacon (this is your moment to make the potatoes look pretty!).

Garnish with more green onions, drizzle with sour cream, and serve.

Butterfinger Brownie Cookies

This year I set a goal to make a new cookie every month. Is completely opposite from my Lighten Up plan. But then again, I also am more interested in chips than sweets.

At any rate, here's the recipe. It was easy and not very time consuming. The cookies are fantastic. At least the first one out of the oven is.

Butterfinger Brownie Cookies
Recipe from Recipegirl.com

Makes 2 dozen

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon All Purpose Gold Medal® Flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chopped Butterfinger candy bars (7.8 ounces)- I used two 6-packs of .65-ounce bars found in grocery store candy aisle

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper.

Put butter and chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, then microwave an additional 15 to 20 seconds if needed until the mixture is melted and smooth. (alternately, you can heat the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a metal pan set over a pot of simmering water).

Stir sugar, salt and vanilla extract into the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until they are completely incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda, then add the flour mixture to the chocolate batter. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Give it all you've got for a good 2 to 3 minutes of mixing. The batter should be smooth and glossy and thick. If the batter is cooled off, stir in the butterfingers.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto your prepared cookie sheets- leaving about 2-inches between cookies as they'll need space to grow. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. They'll spread out and puff up. You want to take them out when they've crackled but they're still soft and gooey. They'll sink and become more firm as they cool. Wait a few minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Eat them up within 2 to 3 days (stored in a covered container).

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

My second delivery of Home Chef showed up this weekend. The first delivery went to CH since I was in Arizona unexpectedly.  She said the recipes were just so-so. I really enjoyed the Plated recipes so we'll see how these go. 

This recipe was easy to follow and delicious. Unfortunately the lettuce received in the kit was all wilted and unusable. I had to improvise and use some old lettuce I had. Overall, not lettuce wraps. 

The slaw included had a Sesame dressing that was out of this world.

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Recipe from Home Chef

1 head of Butter Lettuce

2 green onions

12 oz ground turkey

3 oz Hoisin sauce

2 tsp Sriracha

3 oz water chestnuts

1 tsp ginger, minced

4 oz slaw

3 oz Asian Sesame Dressing

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Prepare your ingredients by separating the lettuce leaves and washing them. Trim and thinly slice the green onions on an angle, keeping the whites and green portions separate. 

Heat a medium non-stick pan with 2 tsp olive oil (I didn't need the oil) over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until lightly browned and no pink remain, 8-10 minutes. 

Add Hoisin sauce, Sriracha (to taste), water chestnuts, white portions of the green onions, and ginger to pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 

Place a lettuce cup on work surface. Fill with a few spoonfuls of turkey mixture and top with slaw mix. Repeat for each lettuce cup.

Slaw mix is basically the slaw mix you buy in the store. You'll need to find an Asian Sesame dressing or something similar. 

Top with green portions of green onions and devour. 

Caprese Chicken over Warm Spinach Salad

Someday I will learn how to fry chicken with Parmesan on it and not 1) burn it or 2) under cook it. Today was not that day.

My mistake was I didn't pound the breast thin enough I think.

Regardless, this recipe was from the company Plated. I signed up for one of those services that deliver the ingredients and you cook it. I signed up and then cancelled within 30 minutes. Somehow, Plated didn't get the cancellation and delivered the first box (they refunded me the $$ by the way).

The first recipe is Caprese Chicken over Warm Spinach Salad. The chicken was fantastic. I under cooked it, but had to stick it in the oven to actually finish cooking. The Parmesan was becoming too brown in the skillet. I felt like I couldn't cook it in the skillet any longer. Popping it into the oven wasn't a bad idea.

If I make this again, I might grill the chicken to make it lower calorie.

Caprese Chicken over Warm Spinach Salad
Recipe from Plated

Serves 2
800 calories

1/4 oz basil, divided
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1 shallot, minced
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T Champagne vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
3 oz baby spinach
1 c flour (this is actually a bit much for 2 chicken breasts. You could cut this in half.)
1/2 c panko breadcrumbs
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
5 T olive oil

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet pound to 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Place flour on a plate. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a large, shallow bowl, whisk egg. In another plate, mix the panko and Parmesan. Dredge chicken in flour, shake off excess. Dip in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on a plate.

Add 2 T olive oil to pan, heat over med-high heat. When shimmering, add chicken and sear until crust is browned and chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate to drain.

Make the vinaigrette. Heat 1 tsp in olive oil over medium heat.  When oil is shimmering, add shallot and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in Champagne vinegar and mustard. Whisking continuously, slowly add 3 T olive oil until fully combined.  Season with salt and pepper.

Immediately add spinach and tomatoes and toss to coat. Add mozzarella and half the basil to bowl with spinach - toss to combine.

Divide spinach salad between plates and top with chicken. Tear remaining basil leaves into small pieces and sprinkle over the top.

Serve warm...and dig in!

Old Fashion Goulash

Apparently this is a comfort food. Anything labeled "comfort food" and I'm all in. Tonight is my last night to each "unhealthy" so I figured I'd go out with a bang.

I don't recall every having goulash as a kid. It seems like something a 70's mom would have made so I'm sure I have had it, just don't remember.

At any rate, super easy recipe and SUPER good. I would not put in the Adobo seasoning next time I make this. I think it made it just too salty.

Old Fashion Goulash
Recipe from MyIncredibleRecipes.com
Serves - a lot

2 lbs ground beef or turkey
3 tsp minced garlic
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2.5 c water
1/2 c beef broth
1/3 c olive oil
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 T Italian Seasoning
1 T Adobo seasoning
3 bay leaves
1 T seasoned salt
2 c elbow mararoni, uncooked
1 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot, cook your ground beef until just done, add garlic and onions. Cook until beef is completely done. Add broth, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir. Add seasonings.
Cook for about 20 minutes.

Add macaroni and stir well. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves. Remove from heat.

Add cheddar cheese. Mix until combined. Add mozzarella right before you serve.

Buckeye Brownie Cookies

Oh...my...God...were these good.

Tradition in my house is the December Sunday dinner is a cookie exchange. This year I made these cookies...and lord were they good.

Make these cookies...

I didn't end up with enough powdered sugar to make real frosting, but ended up with a ganache type texture ... and truthfully I was ok with that. They were tasty.

Found this recipe on a blog called Cookies and Cups. I'll be visiting more often for sure.

Buckeye Brownie Cookies

Photo from
Cookies and Cups blog

Cookies and Cups
Makes 24

1 box 18-19 oz Brownie mix

¼ c butter, melted

½ c cream cheese, room temp

1 egg

¾ c peanut butter

¾ c powdered sugar

¾ c chocolate frosting

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl combine brownie mix, butter, cream cheese and egg. Stir until dough comes together, it will be very thick and sticky. I used my hands.

Form rounded tablespoons sized portions of dough into balls, placing on baking sheet about 2 inches apart, making an indentation with your thumb in the center of each.

In another bowl stir together peanut butter and powdered sugar. Form peanut butter into teaspoon sized balls and press into the indentations in the brownie cookies.

Press peanut butter down slightly because the peanut butter won't spread and you don't want the cookies to be too tall.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set.

Transfer to wire rack to cool.

When cooled top each cookie with about a tablespoon of chocolate frosting.

Note: I tried to use her chocolate frosting recipe...I fell short on the powdered sugar. Here's the recipe for you though. 

chocolate frosting

Argentinean Flank Steak with Chimichurri

So this last year I wasn't great about cooking new recipes AND definitely not adding them to the blog. This recipe was a Sunday Dinner meal I think in ... well, crap I have no idea which one. 

I love Chimichurri and think it and pesto are two of the best things ever created. I wrote on the bottom of this recipe to "make again" which only means that it was delicious. 

Argentinean Flank Steak with Chimchurri

Photo from FoodNetwork.com

Recipe from Weight Watchers Magazine July/August 2016

Serves 4

2 oz fresh parsley, (1 small bunch), stems removed

4 clove(s) garlic clove(s)

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp fresh oregano

1 ¹/₂ tsp kosher salt

¹/₄ tsp black pepper

¹/₄ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

4 tsp olive oil, divided

1 pound(s) uncooked lean and trimmed beef flank steak

2 spray(s) cooking spray

Salt and pepper or to taste

Puree parsley, garlic, vinegar, water, oregano, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and pepper flakes until relatively smooth. Remove 3 tablespoons chimichurri to a small bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon oil; rub mixture over steak, cover and marinate for 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to remaining chimichurri; reserve in refrigerator.

Off heat, coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray. Preheat grill to high heat.

Wipe marinade off steak and pat steak dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel; season steak with additional salt and pepper. Grill steak until medium rare, flipping once, about 5 to 7 minutes per side (or longer, if necessary, for desired degree of doneness). Remove steak from grill and let rest a few minutes before slicing against the grain. 

Serve steak drizzled with reserved chimichurri.