Stout-Marinated Steak Tips

Oh....My...God...

This recipe was do dam delicious that I barely have words for this. The marinade was fan-freakin-tastic. This is definitely going on the Sunday Dinner and repeat list. 

Definitely let this marinade for at minimum 8 hours. I managed just slightly over 8 and that long marinade made the difference I think.

My next time I make this I'll buy a better cut of meat. I had never heard of flap meat. When I Googled it they referred me to Sirloin Tip. That's a tough piece of meat, but I thought  maybe the marinade would change that. It really didn't. I'd go with NY Strip or TriTip next time. 

I'd also take about a cup of the marinade and set it aside. Cooking that down to drizzle over the top seems like a brilliant thing to do.

Stout-Marinated Steak Tips
Recipe from Food Network

Serves 10-12

• 5 pounds beef flap meat
• 4 ounces soy sauce
  
• 4 ounces Worcestershire sauce
• 1 c molasses
• 1 pound brown sugar
• 1 T red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 5 or 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 cans stout (recommended: Guinness)

Trim the silver skin and icky fatty parts from your flap meat, then cut into 3- or 4-ounce chunks, or whatever size you like. Place in a container with a tight-fitting lid; don't forget to leave extra space for the marinade.

In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper and garlic. Add the stout; be careful, it will foam a bit. There is really no need to add salt--the soy and Worcestershire are plenty salty.

Pour the marinade over the beef tips and stir gently to evenly coat. (If you don't use all the marinade, it will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

Refrigerate the meat for 8 hours or overnight; it will keep for up to 4 or 5 days. Cook as desired.

Keto Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables to me that is boring as heck. I don't like it raw, but love it cooked. I mostly cook cauliflower in the oven with olive oil and McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning. Every now and then a recipe comes along that is easy and sounds delicious. This is one of those recipes. 

Super easy and super delicious. I have never cooked cauliflower with mayo before and wasn't sure how this would turn out...and I was pleasantly surprised.

Keto Roasted Cauliflower
Recipe from Kicking-carbs.com

Serves 6

• 

  Photo from Kicking-carbs.com

  1 head cauliflower
  
• 1/3 c mayonnaise
• 1 T Dijon Mustard
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 T butter melted
• 1/4 c fresh grated Parmesan
• 1 T lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mayonnaise over the cauliflower and toss to combine.

Spread in a single layer on a roasting pan or on an oven safe cooling rack sitting on a cookie sheet.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until tender.

Transfer to a bowl. Top with melted butter, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir and serve warm.

Easy Double Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Photo from
SweetCdesigns

Lesson 1 of cooking...read the instructions BEFORE you get started. I did not for this recipe. I assumed it was just like every other muffin, cookie, cake recipe I've ever made. Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Mix dry and wet together...voila. 

Well, let's hope they turn out ok cuz I did not follow these instructions. In fact, reading them now they are a bit confusing. 

Further, I neglected to read the baking instructions. I popped them in at 425 for 6 minutes and they weren't done. So I put another 6 minute timer. THEN I read the instructions. Ugh.

I also did not refrigerate the batter...oh boy...these are going to be interesting.

Easy Double Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Recipe from SweetCDesigns

Makes 6

• 2 c all purpose flour
• 3/4 c cocoa powder
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 extra large eggs
• 8 T unsalted butter melted
• 1 c plain yogurt or buttermilk (JW: I used buttermilk)
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Toss the chocolate chunks into the dry ingredients to coat the chocolate chunks in flour (which will help them not sink to the bottom of the mix when baking!)

Make a well in the middle and add in eggs and vanilla, whisking vigorously.

Using a large spoon, mix rest of ingredients in to muffins until large clumps are gone and batter is consistently mixed - but do not overwork muffin batter.

Cover batter and refrigerate for one hour to overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full.

Bake at 425 for 6-10 minutes, until muffins have puffed slightly above muffin liner.

Reduce heat to 350 (DONT open oven when you do this) and bake until sides of muffins are slightly crunchy and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (after about 25-30 minutes total baking time.)

Ginger-Soy Beef and Vegetable Kebabs

Tonight was the first night all week where I wasn't grilling in the pouring rain. It's amusing to me that people think there's a "grilling season." Our family grilled year round. In fact, at one point in my life I wondered why we had a stove at all.

This was a delicious marinade. The recipe is designed to be cooked in an air fryer apparently. I didn't realize that until AFTER I had grilled them. Which means I didn't read the full recipe. Oops!

Ginger-Soy Beef and Vegetable Kebabs

Photo from ATK

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

Serves... unknown. I'd say 2

• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp grated orange zest, plus 1 T juice
• 12 oz sirloin steak tips, cut into 1.5" pieces
• 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
• 4 oz mushrooms, stemmed and halved (if large)
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 in thick rounds
• salt and pepper

Combine 4 tsp  veg oil, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes. Microwave until fragrant (30 sec). Whish in sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, and orange zest and juice until combined. Measure out and reserve 3 T. Add beef to remaining and toss to coat; set aside. 

Meanwhile, toss onion, mushroom and zucchini with salt and pepper and remaining 2 tsp veg oil in a bowl. Thread onion, mushroom, zucchini on a skewer...repeat.  Arrange skewers in air fryer basket, parallel to each other and spaced evenly. set temp to 400F. Cook until the veg begin to brown about 8 minutes. 

Meanwhile, thread beef evenly onto skewers. flip and rotate veg then arrange beef skewers on top, perpendicular to veg skewers. Cook until beef registers 130-135, 10-14 minutes, flipping and rotating beef skewers halfway through. 

Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew)

This is the second Carne Guisada recipe that came up in my random selection of recipes. Random? 

Yes, random. I have a spreadsheet that has all my recipes. I actually keep the recipes in a recipe manager called Paprika. Each week I have a random number app select 10-15 random numbers which I then correlate to the row number in the spreadsheet. If I've made the recipe before, I move on to the next random number. I will admit I don't always make what the randomizer comes up with and that's mostly because appetizers or breakfasts aren't easy for a week's menu. 

At any rate, my point is I don't completely control what I make each week. I kinda like it that way. 

This recipe didn't seem to have enough liquid for cooking 1.5 hours. I added 1c beef stock in addition to the 1/3 c water. I also think I probably added more like 1/2 c beer. I didn't measure that, I mean, why bother. 

I only used Adobo seasoning, didn't have any Sazon. It turned out fine without it. It turned out just fine. I didn't serve it over rice or anything. I had some leftover tortillas so I ate the stew with that.

Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew)

Recipe from SkinnyTaste

Serves 5

• 2 tsp olive oil

  

  Photo from SkinnyTaste
  She takes way better photos than me.

  
  
• 1 c scallions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 2 T cilantro, minced
• 1.5 lb beef stew meat, cut into small chunks
• 1/3 c light beer
• 1/3 c water
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp adobo, or salt
• 1/2 tsp achiote, or sazon
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• 10 oz baby red potatoes, halved or quartered

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Add scallions and garlic and sauté about 2 - 3 minutes; add tomatoes, cilantro and a pinch of salt. Cook another 2 minutes, stirring.

Add beef to the pot along with beer, water, cumin, adobo, achiote, bay leaf and salt if needed.

Cover and simmer on low heat 1 1/2 hours.

Test to make sure beef is tender, if not cook another 15 minutes.

Add potatoes and cook until soft, about 20 minutes depending on the size.

The Best Pork Chop Marinade - #100... or is it?

So tonight I was to hit my 100th recipe for this year. The goal I arbitrarily set in January to push myself to cook more new recipes. I really didn't think I'd make it at all, but enter COVID and all bets were off. 

Because I was home it was easier to start dinner, or marinate earlier, etc. 

Last night, knowing this was to be recipe 100, I thought I should check my math. After several hours of reviewing the blog entries and comparing that to what's in my recipe index (aka a spreadsheet), I determined this is actual recipe #111. 

Yes that's right boys and girls I surpassed my goal a week or so ago. Which makes tonight's fanfare somewhat anticlimactic.

I only had this marinating for 2 hours tonight and, frankly, I think it was enough.

The Best Pork Chop Marinade
Recipe from SixSistersStuff

Serves 4

• 

  Beautiful photo from 
  SixSistersStuff

  1/2 c soy sauce
  
• 1/4 c chili sauce
• 1/4 c honey
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 bunch green onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 6 boneless pork chops

In a gallon-sized resealable bag, add the soy sauce, chili sauce, honey, vegetable oil, green onions, and curry powder and mix until completely combined (I just use my hands and squish it all around in the bag until it's all mixed).

Add in the pork chops, then seal the bag. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but I highly recommend letting them marinade for 6-8 hours (or even overnight!).

Remove bag from fridge, place pork chops on grill over medium high heat and discard marinade. Grill for 6-8 minutes on each side or until the insides of the pork chops are no longer pink.

Citrus Spiced Grilled Chicken (99 of 100 new recipes for 2020)

Trying to make chicken tasty is my goal in life. I trying different marinades to add flavor. I especially like citrus marinades.

This recipe had one flaw for me...too much cumin. It overwhelmed the other flavors to me, which it does all the time. I debated on whether I should put it in or not and decided to add it. I wish I hadn't. 

Besides that, this is a great marinade. I had the chicken in the marinade for about an hour. I also cubed my chicken so I could put it on skewers. I do this all the time with chicken marinades...more marinade gets to more of the chicken that way. 

Citrus Spiced Grilled Chicken
Recipe from Cook's Country Aug / Sept 2011

Serves 4

Process onion, lime juice, garlic, oil, orange zest, ore

• 
  1 onion, chopped course
  
• 1 tsp grated lime zest, plus 1/4 cup juice (2 limes)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T grated orange zest (2 oranges)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, trimmed (breasts halved crosswise)

Process onion, lime juice, garlic, oil, orange zest, oregano, salt, lime zest, pepper, lime juice, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to zipper-lock bag. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and add to bag, turning to coat. Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Grill chicken. 

Brazilian Pot Roast

Pot roast is among the top 5 favorite meals. It makes a GREAT leftover for lunches. I get stuck on the traditional pot roast recipe (roast, onion soup mix, carrots, potatoes, onions etc). And that's just fine, but when I find one a little different, I've got to try it. 

The important part of this is the gremolata. That is quite Brazilian and really adds to the flavor of this roast. 

Brazilian Pot Roast
Recipe from Cuisine at Home Oct 2018

Serves 8

For the pot roast:

Photo from Cuisine at Home


• 2 T olive oil
• 1 beef chuck roast (4.5-5lbs), seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 c diced onions
• 1/4c flour
• 2 T each tomato paste and minced fresh garlic
• 2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 T chili powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/2 c dry red wine
• 1 c diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 c beef broth
• 2 bay leaves

For the Gremolata

• 1/4 c minced parsley
• 2 T orange zest
• 1 tsp minced garlic

For the pot roast, heat oil in a Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Brown roast on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker. 

Stir onion, flour, tomato paste, garlic, serrano, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper into skillet, cook for 2 minutes. 

Deglaze with wine. Cook wine until nearly evaporated. Stir in diced tomatoes, broth, and bay leaves; bring to a boil and cook until thick, 3-4 minutes. Pour tomato mixture over roast.

Cover slow cooker and cook roast until fork tender on high setting, 4 hours or low setting 7-8 hours. Transfer roast to a platter. Strain sauce, discard solids. Skim fat from surface of sauce. 

For the gremolata, combine parsley, orange zest and garlic. Serve roast with sauce and top with gremolata. 

Cowboy Quiche

The Pantry Goat is coming over for breakfast today (and to pick up all the frozen leftovers I have for her). Making breakfast isn't something I do very often. I wanted to do something besides just pancakes. Turns out in my list of recipes I have a TON of pancake recipes (mostly low carb), several breakfast casseroles recipes and this single quiche casserole. 

Now, if you've been reading my blog for some time you know I'm no fan of eggs. I don't hate them, I am just not likely to eat them on purpose. So quiche seems like an odd choice right? Turns out that I love quiche. I think it's the cream in the eggs and all the goodies in them ... oh and the pie crust. 

Cowboy Quiche
Recipe from the Pioneer Woman

Serves 10

• 

  Beautiful Photo from Pioneer Woman

  1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust (enough For A Deep Dish Pan)
  
• 2 whole Yellow Onions, Sliced
• 2 T Butter
• 8 slices Bacon
• 8 whole Large Eggs
• 1-1/2 c Heavy Cream Or Half-and-Half
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 c Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Fry the onions in the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Fry the bacon until chewy. Chop into large bite-sized pieces and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pie crust and press it into a large fluted deep tart pan (or a deep dish pie pan).

Whip the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then mix in the onions, bacon, and cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown. (The quiche will still seem slightly loose, but will continue to set once remove from the oven.)

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Slow Cooker Low Carb Chili

I didn't get my chili fix this year in October. It's tradition to make Frito Lollis for the October Sunday dinner - and well we didn't get to have a Sunday dinner (thanks Covid). Frito Lollies used to be our Christmas Eve tradition, but I shifted it to October. 

I was sitting at my desk today wondering what I'd be having for dinner when I saw a post from my younger sister. She posted a recipe for chili. Yes! That's what we'll have. 

Enter this low carb chili recipe (the one she shared). I love every recipe I've made from WholeSomeYum. I'm sure this one will be no different. It's got all the things a good chili needs...except beans. Since it's low carb, there are no beans. My version, however, has beans. Chili isn't chili without beans. 

The original recipe has directions for instant pot or slow cooker. I don't have an instant pot, so I went slow cooker. 

Slow Cooker Low Carb Chili
Recipe from WholesomeYum

Serves: about 8-10 I'd guess

• 2 1/2 lb Ground beef
• 1/2 large Onion (chopped)

• 

  Beautiful photo by
  WholeSomeYum

  8 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 15-oz can Diced tomatoes (with liquid)
• 1 6-oz can Tomato paste
• 1 4-oz can Green chiles (with liquid)
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 c Chili powder
• 2 T Cumin
• 1 T Dried oregano
• 2 tsp Sea salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 medium Bay leaf (optional)

Crock Pot slow cooker instructions

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the chopped onion for 5-7 minutes, until translucent (or increase the time to about 20 minutes if you like them caramelized). Add the garlic and cook for a minute or less, until fragrant.

Add the ground beef. Cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.

Transfer the ground beef mixture into a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except bay leaf, and stir until combined. Place the bay leaf into the middle, if using.

Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. If you used a bay leaf, remove it before serving.

Dina's Tossed Mushrooms

Tonight I made two new recipes. Pan-Fried Hone Garlic Chicken was my protein. This was my side dish. I had a lb of mushrooms in the fridge for a reason I can't explain, so it worked perfect. 

SkinnyTaste recipes rarely disappoint and this one didn't either. I ended up cooking mine for about 30 minutes, mostly because I forgot them and in my oven that was perfect. I'd make these again if I was looking for something different to do with mushrooms. 

Dina's Tossed Mushrooms

Beautiful photo from SkinnyTaste

Recipe from SkinnyTaste

• 1 pound white button mushrooms
• 2 T water
• 1/4 c dried Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 2 T Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• 2 T Italian parsley, minced
• 1/4 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• black pepper to taste
• 2 T olive oil to drizzle
• olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice off the bottom of the stems; then, use a moist paper towel to gently remove any dirt from mushrooms.

Quarter or halve the mushrooms, depending on the size.

Sprinkle water in the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish then place mushrooms in a single layer on top of the water.

In a small bowl combine next six ingredients: breadcrumbs through salt/pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the mushrooms.

Drizzle evenly with olive oil then spray the top with olive oil spray so it’s evenly coated. Bake uncovered until the mushrooms are golden, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Pan-Fried Honey Garlic Chicken

Tonight I made TWO new recipes. I'm going to easily hit my goal of 100 new recipes. I can think COVID for that. If I wasn't working from home, I doubt I'd be cooking as much. It was just easier to drive through some place on my way home. Now I really don't have an excuse. 

This recipe wasn't great. BUT first let me say I didn't marinade it for 12 hours. That may infuse more flavor, but I doubt it. It just lacked flavor for me. There was enough garlic in it that I assumed it'd really be flavorful, but it really wasn't. Which is why I think maybe a longer marinade. 

Pan-Fried Honey Garlic Chicken

Beautiful photo from SpicethePlate.com

Recipe from Spicetheplate.com

• 4 pieces of chicken breast with or without skin (about a pound)

For marinating the chicken:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ c oil
• ⅓ c honey
• 1 T rice vinegar
• a head garlic, minced

Rub the chicken with salt and black pepper on both sides, let it sit for about 15 minutes.

While waiting, whisk oil, honey, rice vinegar and garlic in a container.

Transfer the chicken into large ziploc bag and pour the honey garlic sauce over, marinate at least 12 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat oil in a pan until shimmering, carefully place the chicken in the pan.

Cook 6-7 minutes with lid on and flip to the other side and continue cooking 6-7 minutes until cooked through.

Place the chicken on a plate, drizzle some honey on top.

Top with green onion and black pepper to serve.

Combine with vegetable and rice for a simple meal.

Soy Marinated Flank Steak

I must have a dozen "soy" marinade recipes. They're all really the same: soy, sugar of some sort, ginger, oil, etc. This one is no different. What I like about it is the simplicity AND the adding of the vinegar to a side amount of the marinade to put over the meat later. That really brought the taste home. 

Soy Marinated Flank Steak

Photo from SkinnyTaste

Recipe from SkinnyTaste

Serves 6

• 1/2 c reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari 
• 1/4 c honey
• 2 T vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
• 2 T thinly sliced green onion, plus more for garnish
• 3/4 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 lb flank steak

In a medium-size bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, red chili pepper and green onions.

Remove 1/4 cup of the marinade and combine with the rice vinegar in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Place the remaining marinade and steak in a 1-gallon resealable bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour by laying the steak flat, and flipping the bag after 30 minutes. The steak can be marinated in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.

Remove the steak from the marinade, drain any excess liquid and transfer to a pan. Discard the marinating bag.

Set the grill to high. Add a small amount of oil on a folded piece of paper towel, carefully greasing the grill with the oil.

Allow the grill to preheat for 15 minutes, and once the grill is very hot, add the steak.

Cover and cook the steak until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook until desired doneness.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the steak against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Pour the reserved marinade on top and serve hot.

Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

 I've tried many a Asian salads in my life. Some great, some meh and some I'll never eat again. This recipe was simple, flavorful, and filling. 

I marinated my chicken in a teriyaki sauce I had on hand. Not really necessary, but it was a nice added flavor. I also cooked my chicken earlier in the day and let it cool before putting it in the salad. Also not necessary. 

I had some left over peanuts from an Asian salad I made a couple of weeks ago so I tossed them in. It added a nice crunch. 

Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

Recipe from SixSistersStuff

Serves 6

• 5 c romaine 
• 4 c shredded cabbage
• 2/3 c shredded carrots
• 1 1/2 (8 ounce) cans mandarin oranges (drained)
• 1/2 c cooked wonton strips
• 4 green onions (diced)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and diced)

Dressing

• 1/2 c rice vinegar
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 T canola oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

In a bowl, toss together kale, cabbage, carrots, mandarin oranges, wonton strips, green onions, and chicken.

In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, canola oil, salt, pepper and toasted sesame seeds until sugar has dissolved.

Pour dressing over salad and toss until combined.

Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms

This is my all time favorite pasta and chicken recipe. I make it frequently and am shocked it isn't on this blog. This is my 5 star recipe. 

It was first made in 2009 and I've made it at least 5 more times since then. I love the bow tie pasta and the cream and the chicken of this recipe. So good. Super easy and super delicious. 

It comes from a magazine that is no longer in publication called Everyday Food. It was a Martha Stewart spin off somehow. I loved the magazine. A ton of great recipes that are super easy and delicious. The magazine doesn't exist any longer, but many of the recipes live on via their website. 

Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms

Photo from Martha Stewart

Recipe from Everyday Food (Martha Stewart)

Serves 4

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 pound bowtie pasta
• 1 pound chicken tenders, white tendons removed, halved lengthwise and again crosswise
• 2 T butter
• 1 pound small white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, halved
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.

Meanwhile, season chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add mushrooms to pan; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook over medium heat until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring, until liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes more. Add wine; cook, stirring, until evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Add cream and chicken; stir to coat. Transfer to pot with pasta; add parsley and pasta water (if desired). Toss to combine. Season again with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Garlic Mushrooms

Yet another favorite that isn't on the blog. And before you ask, yes, I'm bored tonight and updating/coordinating my recipe list is something to do. 

According to my notes, this was made for a Sunday dinner in Dec 2018. It was a big hit. So much so that I handed out the recipe to two guests. I've made this a handful of times since then. When I made it originally I had forgotten to add the wine to them. I don't add wine to them now when I make them. 

Garlic Mushrooms

Photo from CafeDelites

Recipe from CafeDelites

Serves 4

• 4 T unsalted butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 an onion chopped (optional)
• 1 pound Cremini or button mushrooms
• 2 T dry white wine* (optional)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

Sauté the onion until softened (about 3 minutes).

Add the mushrooms and cook for about 4-5 minutes until golden and crispy on the edges.

Pour in the wine and cook for 2 minutes, to reduce slightly.

Stir through thyme, 1 tablespoon of parsley and garlic. Cook for a further 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Season generously with salt and pepper (to your taste).

Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve warm.

Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas

Here's another recipe that I loved, but it never made it to the blog. This was first made in August 2017. The sister in law and cousin were over scrapbooking and I had this going in the slow cooker. 

My notes in the recipe in Paprika says I used chicken stock instead of beer. And I used about 2 T of the adobo sauce and 2 chipotle chilies. It wasn't hot at all. 

I served this with an onion, cilantro, lime salsa. You know the traditional topping for street tacos. 

Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas
Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Serves 6-8

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 (4-5 pound) lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch chunks
• 1 c beer (or chicken stock)

• 

  Beautiful photo from
  Gimme Some Oven

  1 medium white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 T chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned (about 1-2 minutes per side). Transfer pork to a large slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and give the mixture a stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.

Once the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and prepare two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Use a fork to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, and then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheets, spreading the pork in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker. (Don’t discard the juices, we’re going to use them later!)

Place one sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle about 1/4 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the pork, and then give it a good toss with some tongs. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the crispy pork.

Repeat with the other baking sheet of pork.

Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you! This pork can also be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

Chicken and Shrimp Paella

I've been working on my recipe index...yes I have an index. It's basically a list of all my recipes in an excel spreadsheet. It's where I track what recipes I've made over the years. Anyhow, I've found several that I have marked as "made" but it never made it to the blog.  

This is one of those recipes. It has a 5 star rating in Paprika so I must have liked it. Yet I have no idea when I made it. I think around 2009, but who knows. 

Chicken and Shrimp Paella

Photo from MyRecipe

Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Serves 6

• 6 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned
• 1 tsp chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 (4-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 c uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice
• 1/2 c diced plum tomato
• 1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 c fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 c (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus
• 1/2 c frozen green peas, thawed

Preheat oven to 400°.

Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.

Remove casings from sausage. 

Add sausage to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring to crumble. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

Return chicken to pan. Add broth and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Wrap handle of pan with foil; cover pan. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. 

Stir in shrimp, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp are done.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

This was a good recipe. The ketchup threw me off a bit, but it added a nice, slight tomato back flavor. I didn't have an egg to add to the meat, and I wish I had. The egg acts as a binder. My patties mostly stayed together, but an egg would have meant they would stay together.

Beautiful photo from CafeDelites

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Recipe from CafeDelites
Serves 4

For the steaks:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef, 90% lean
• 1/3 c breadcrumbs
• 2 T minced onion
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning, or equal parts dried basil, dried oregano and dried thyme -- OPTIONAL
• 1 T ketchup
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large egg, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil

For the gravy:

• 1 T butter
• 1/2 c sliced onion
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 c beef broth
• 1 T ketchup
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T chopped parsley

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, Italian seasoning, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, egg and salt and pepper.

Form the meat mixture into 4 equal sized oval shaped patties.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Place the patties in the pan in a single layer. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove the meat from the pan. Place on a plate and cover with foil.

Melt the butter in the pan. Add the onion and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Whisk in the beef broth, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and whisk until smooth. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has just thickened.

Add the meat back to the pan and spoon the gravy over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

S.O.S for dinner

 It must be that it was mom's birthday last week and that has made me nostalgic. Either that or the political crazy out there pushed me to "eat" for comfort. Regardless of what it is, I have found a couple of comfort meals that I have made or will be making. 

Tonight it's SOS. AKA Hamburger Gravy over toast. 

SOS is very much a military meal. If you are in a military family, there's a good chance you know about this meal. In our family, not only was it because my real dad was in the military, but it also fed us all for very little.

This is a super simple recipe and I (or anyone) should be able to make it without a recipe and with one arm tied behind my back. But since I've been posting recipes that are old school, it felt like this should be posted too. 

SOS
Recipe from...the military

• 
  1 lb ground bef
• 2 c milk (I used 2% or higher for gravy)
• 4 T salted butter
• 4 T flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices of bread (if you are going old school. I use biscuits for mine)

Brown ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in same pan, add flour and stir until bubbly and mixed together. Basically making a reaux.

Add milk and stir constantly until thick and bubbly. Add meat back in and stir. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

Serve over toast.

Second way to make it:

Mom used to brown the meat and usually there was enough grease to help thicken the gravy. She'd sprinkle the flour over the beef and cook it for a minute or so - cooking out the flour taste. Then she'd add the milk in - she'd warm the milk before adding it. Then she'd stir it to bubbly and gravy consistency. She also never seasoned it until it was in gravy form because she said she often over seasoned it. 

Broccoli Casserole - Twice

This is going to be the story of the two broccoli casserole recipes found in my mother's recipe box. And how the original recipe had morphed into the recipe we use today. 

This recipe is a tradition in our house for Thanksgiving. Sometimes Christmas. It all depended if Mom decided on doing a turkey or dad talked her into a standing rib roast. It always went with the turkey and never with the roast. 

It's not healthy. And screams 1970's. 

Mom's Broccoli Casserole (the recipe we use today):

• 1 stick of oleo (we use butter actually)
• 1 c celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 c minute rice
• 1 package chopped broccoli, thawed (not cooked)
• 1/2 lb burger or sausage (we almost always used a roll of Jimmy Deans original sausage)
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 jar (8oz) CheezWhiz

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the celery and onion. Cook until translucent. Add it to a big bowl for mixing later.

Cook the sausage (or beef). Drain and put in the large mixing bowl.

Cook minute rice. Add to the large mixing bowl.

Add broccoli, cream of mushroom soup and cheezwhiz to the large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Taste it for seasoning, but it's rare you need to season it because of the salt content in the cheezwhiz and sausage. 

Put into a 9X11 dish. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until it's bubbling.

The original recipe...

• 2 packages chopped broccoli, frozen
• 1-2 cups rice (minute rice)
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 small jar CheezWhiz
• 1 onion chopped

Brown onion in butter (note it's not listed in the ingredient list). Add broccoli, soup, cheezwhiz and stir until bubbling. Bake 30 minutes at 350F.

I remember VIVIDLY the year dad added the sausage. It was in the fridge and he wanted to use it up. I have no idea when the celery was added, but it's a nice add. 

Asian Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

I love me an Asian chicken salad. I've made several throughout the years and have a few favorites. 

This recipe was easy and delicious. The "Spicy" dressing wasn't spicy at all. I'm not sure if it was because I used jarred garlic or not. I feel like fresh garlic is sometimes TOO spicy. At any rate, I added a dash of sriacha. 

Asian Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Photo from ButterYourBiscuit.com

Recipe from Butteryourbiscuit.com

• 3 boneless chicken breast
• 1 c teriyaki sauce
• 2 hearts of romaine shredded
• 1/2 bag shredded carrots
• 1/2 red cabbage shredded
• 5 green onions
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped
• 1/2 c peanuts
• garlic ginger wontons

SPICY PEANUT DRESSING

• 6 T peanut butter
• 1/4 c honey
• 1/4 c rice vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 3 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp garlic minced or grated
• 5 T water

In a bowl pour teriyaki sauce over chicken and marinate 3-4 hours

Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat a grill on medium high heat, grill chicken 4-5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, except the peanuts and wontons.

Serve, drizzle dressing and top with peanuts and wontons.

Hamburger Stroganoff

Sister in Law was over to scrapbook today and watch the Seahawks win. I decided to go ahead and do one of my new recipes for the year. Hamburger Stroganoff. 

I'm a stroganoff purist. I believe it should follow a certain recipe and that recipe is the one I made up for Jenn's Kick Ass Stroganoff. It's traditional. 

This recipe was good, but not great. I prefer mine and I prefer stroganoff with strips of meat instead of burger. 

Turns out I made this one before too. I was searching my blog for my Kick Ass recipe and I noticed this on was made in 2015.

Hamburger Stroganoff
Recipe from Myrecipes.com

• 8 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef, extra lean
• 1 c prechopped onion
• 1 tsp bottled minced garlic
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 c  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 T dry sherry
• 3 T chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan; cook 4 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in salt and pepper.

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and sherry. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley.