2023 Top 10 Favorites

Here we are at the end of 2022. And you know it's time for me to post my top 10 favorites. Last years favorites are here, in case you want a reminder. 

But first, stats. 

My goal was 150 new recipes this year. I blew past that and made 161 this year. Less than last year, but still an impressive amount of new recipes. That averages to 13 a month (in case you're wondering).

May threw off my average this year. I was traveling 3 of the 4 weeks in May so the low number makes sense. I'm not really sure what got into me in June to have 21 new recipes, but it helped my average. 

It's pretty clear with this chart that I started this new recipe goal in 2020. Covid helped with that. I suspect I cooked way more new recipes in the years prior to 2020, but wasn't very good about posting. 

Now, on to the top 10. 

There were some great recipes this year. I marked 23 recipes as favorites. But only 10 can win. These aren't listed in any particular "favorite" order, just alphabetical. 

1. Al Pastor Kabobs
2. Best Ever Beef Stew
3. Carne Picada
4. Chicken Tacos
5. Chili Colorado
6. Curried Cauliflower Gratin
7. Jenn's Kick Ass Chicken Scaloppini
8. Master Steak Marinade
9. Spicy Korean Chicken
10. Steak Diane

Phew! What a list! I can almost taste every single one of them again. If I had to pick a FAVORITE, it would be the Chili Colorado. 

I don't have a "goal" this next year like I have had. I figured I'll cook around 150 - 160 or so. I guess my goal is to keep cooking new recipes and keep trying new things. 

How about you? Has this inspired you to cook more?

Shepherd's Pie Soup (Recipe 161 of 150)

Happy birthday to me! You'd think I'd cook something "special". But, I had a birthday dinner last night and a birthday lunch today. So I'm happy with this as a birthday dinner.

This soup is also delicious. I don't eat much shepherd's pie. I've made it and have had it a couple of times. It's fine, but not my favorite. I think this this soup, however, is better than a shepherd's pie. The creamy broth really sets this up to be a stick to your bones kinda soup. 

Shepherd's Pie Soup

Recipe from To Simply Inspire

Serves 6

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 large carrots diced
• 1 large onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 c chicken broth
• 1 c half-and-half
• 1 ½ c diced potato
• ½ tsp ground sage
• ½ c frozen peas
• ½ c frozen corn
• 1 c freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Add the ground beef to a large Dutch oven or soup pot and cook over medium heat until the beef is browned, stirring and breaking the meat into small pieces.

Drain the browned meat into a colander.

Using the same pot, add the onion and fresh carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for additional minute.

Add the broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Add the ground beef, half-and-half, potatoes, and ground sage and stir to combine well.

Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Then add the frozen corn and peas and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the cheese and cornstarch together and then add it the soup in small batches, stirring constantly until the cheese has melted completely.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Best Burgers Ever! (Recipe 160 of 150)

Photo from Plain Chicken

Another recipe that claims the "best ever" burger. Ahh, not so much. 

Don't get me wrong, the burger was good, but not the BEST ever. 

To be fair, I didn't add the American cheese or put it on a bun. I just ate it as a patty. It was good for a dinner (and a left over) but not a recipe I'd make again. 

Best Burgers Ever!

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 3

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp dried basil
• 3 T teriyaki sauce
• 2 T Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 T grated parmesan cheese
• 3 slices American cheese
• 3 hamburger buns

Mix together beef, onion, salt, pepper, basil, teriyaki sauce, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Divide into 3 equal patties (I use a kitchen scale for this).

Grill to desired doneness. Top with American cheese, cook for a minute, until cheese is melted.

Serve on hamburger buns.

Carne Picada (Recipe 159 of 150)

Who'da thunk I'd add a 2022 favorite in the last week of the year. But a favorite is exactly what I found. 

Carne Picada is a hearty, savory, and a bit spicy beef stew that you have to try. I cannot express it enough how yummy this was. 

I did make one small modification and that was in the time I cooked it. I was using stew meat again (I got a deal on it a couple of weeks ago so I had several packages that needed to be used up). And because it was stew meat it needed more cooking than the hour she suggests. I cooked it on a medium simmer for 2.5 hours. That did the trick for sure. And I think the flavors combined really well together too. 

If you want to make this within the time she suggests below, you may want to buy a nicer piece of meat that isn't so tough. 

This recipe can be spicy. I didn't rib my jalapeno and so that made it a little more spicy. It was the perfect spicy. 

I served it with some Mexican rice - well rice cooked in tomato bouillon. It's the best. Tomorrow's left overs will be served with low carb tortillas. 

Carne Picada

Recipe from Hola Jalapeno

Serves 4

• 2 T olive oil
• 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 T kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
• 2 medium poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 2 jalapeños, diced (remove seeds if you are sensitive to heat)
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped (depending on how spicy you like things)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 c beef broth
• Sour cream and chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Brown beef. Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan that is big enough to hold the meat. If you don't have a frying pan big enough use a large Dutch oven. Add beef, salt, cumin, and oregano and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned, about 8 minutes.

Sauté veggies. Add poblanos, onion, jalapenos, garlic, and chipotles and continue cooking until veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes more.

Braise. Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue simmering until beef comes apart when pressed with a fork and sauce is thickened, about an hour and a half more.

Serve. Spoon over rice and top with sour cream and chopped cilantro or serve as tacos.

Mama's Best Lasagna (Recipe 158 of 150)

Just so we're clear, this is someone else's Mama's Best Lasagna recipe. Not my mama. For starters I never called my mom "mama". Then there's the fact that she rarely, if ever, made lasagna.

What I liked about this recipe is it uses a bechamel sauce. I'm not a fan of ricotta so a bechamel sauce is the key to a good lasagna for me. 

I used the no cook noodles. I gotta say, I'm not a fan. I tried to get fresh lasagna noodles, but by the time I could get out (which was Christmas day) the store was closed. 

I'd make this again, but I wouldn't make it with the no cook noodles. They didn't have girth to them. They were too thin and gummy. I want to taste the pasta and I couldn't. 

I also forgot to cut the recipe in half when I was making the white sauce. I made the full amount of the bechamel and I had at least half of it left over. I made the full recipe of Bolognese because it freezes so well. 

Mama's Best Lasagna

Recipe from Cafe Delights

Serves 12

Meat Sauce:

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
• 24 ounces ground beef mince
• 10 ounces ground pork mince, or beef
• 24 ounces Passata
• 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed
• 1 tsp each dried oregano and basil
• 1/2 tsp sugar, (if desired)
• Salt and pepper, season to your tastes

White Sauce (Béchamel):

• 4 T butter
• 4 T flour, all purpose or plain
• 4 c milk, (I use low fat)
• 1 c fresh shredded parmesan

Lasagna:

• 13 ounces fresh lasagna sheets* 
• 17 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 T finely chopped fresh parsley

Meat Sauce:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the onion and carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

Add beef and pork (if using) and cook while breaking it up with the end of your spoon, until browned.

Pour in the Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon and dried herbs. Mix well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper (I use about 3/4 teaspoon each) and sugar if needed. Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes, occasionally mixing, until the sauce has thickened slightly and meat is tender.

Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste.

Parmesan White Sauce:

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from hot plate; add the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.

Place pot back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps.

Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.

Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.

To Assemble:

Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°F.

Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish, then cover with lasagna sheets. (Trim sheets to fit over the meat if needed.) Layer with 2 cups of meat sauce (or enough to cover pasta), 1 cup of white sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers (leaving the remaining cheese for the top).

Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Garnish with parsley and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

*Fresh lasagna pasta sheets are found in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores. We prefer fresh pasta in our lasagna, but if you can't find or don't have access to fresh, you can use dried.

No Cook or Instant Noodles can be used without pre-boiling (check the packet instructions first). You can assemble as normal. To ensure the pasta has enough liquid to cook through while the lasagna is baking, we normally add about 1/2 cup of water to our sauce when using INSTANT.

Pre Boil Or Pre Cook Pasta Sheets need to be boiled first before assembly. Follow the instructions on the packet. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into the water to prevent the sheets from sticking together, and stir them occasionally with a wooden spoon. Transfer each cooked lasagna sheet carefully into a large bowl or pot filled with cool water to help stop the cooking process. Leave them in there until ready to use. This helps prevent them from sticking together or drying out.

Best Ever Beef Stew (Recipe 157 of 150)

Stew is a pretty basic, and pretty simple recipe to make. Yet, I consistently screw it up. I can never get the right balance of flavor without getting too salty or too something. 

To call a recipe "the best ever" has a pretty high bar to hit. And yet, this recipe was spot on.

I followed everything - well, I cut it in half, but otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter. I measured everything and did exactly what the recipe says. And you know what? It was a very yummy stew. 

A couple of notes in the instructions below to make it a bit more clear. I also would use a nicer cut of meat than "stew meat". It doesn't cook for too long and stew meat needs a lot more time to get tender. I, unfortunately, used stew meat and while I cut it in small pieces, it didn't get as tender as I'd like. When I make it again I'd cook it for longer than 30 minutes. 

Make this stew. It's hearty and I'm sure the leftovers tomorrow for lunch are going to be YUMMY.

Best Ever Beef Stew

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Serves 8

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 pounds top sirloin steak, diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1/2 c dry red wine
• 2 1/2 c beef stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season steak with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, add steak to the stockpot and cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes; set aside.

Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. 

Keep the temp up to medium high and stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the stockpot.

Stir in beef stock, thyme, bay leaves and steak. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until beef is very tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in potato; simmer until potatoes are just tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve immediately.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cubed Steaks (Recipe 156 of 150)

Photo from Just a Pinch

It's this type of recipe that I can do in my sleep and "make up" on my own that it makes this one feel
like cheating. Still, it is technically a "new" recipe. 

And overall it's a good recipe. I wish I would have made mashed potatoes to eat with it because the gravy was yummy. 

My one piece of advice whenever using Onion Soup Mix is don't salt anything until you get the mix in and taste it. That mix is pretty salty and you may not need as much salt as you think. 

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cubed Steaks

Recipe from Just a Pinch

Serves 4

• 1 - 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• 4 large cubed steaks
• 1 pkg Lipton beefy onion soup mix
• olive oil
• 2 c water

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in large (cast iron works best) skillet on med-med/high heat.

Mix flour, salt & pepper in a plate.

Dredge cubed steaks in flour mixture.

Brown steaks maybe 5 min. per side.

Place cooked cubed steaks in a deep casserole dish. Drain oil from skillet, reserving steak/flour residue. [JW Note: I did my steaks in a cast iron dish that can go into the oven. I removed the steaks and set them aside. I had very little oil in the pan so I just left it.]

Mix soup mix with 2 cups water in a bowl. Pour water into cast iron skillet. [JW Note: The cast iron was already hot enough when I poured the water in to deglaze.]

Turn heat higher whisking to loosen browned bits in skillet. I sometimes add some of the leftover flour at this time... mixture does not need to be thick as it thickens in the oven. [JW Note: I added about a tablespoon of the left over flour mixture. It turned out perfect.]

Pour this mixture over cubed steaks. 

Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. [ JW Note: I checked mine after 30 minutes AND I left the lid on the cast iron. I think the liquid would have dried out too quickly otherwise.]

Makes its own gravy & cubed steaks are so tender, you won't need a knife!

Asian Steak (Recipe 155 of 150)

Photo by Barefeet in the Kitchen

If my recipes were men, I'd have a definitive type. Marinades are my "type". There are so many out there and they are all so similar. Little tweaks here and there to make them slightly different than the last. 

The marinade has so few ingredients it's almost not a recipe at all. What makes this recipe so yummy is the chili paste. Whoa Mary! 1 tablespoon is a lot of heat. And so darn good. 

I marinaded trip tip steaks (way cheaper than flank steak) cut into big chunks. It was marinating for 3 hours. The recipe says 30 minutes, but that's not enough time to give flavor to the meat. 3 hours was just right I think. 

I grilled them on a skewer. Why I tell you that is because it was 21 FREAKING degrees out. The grill cover was frozen so it stood up by itself when I took it off. That's how cold it was. It took the grill 10 minutes longer to heat up too. But it was worth it. So worth it. 

Asian Steak

Recipe from Barefeet in the Kitchen

Serves 4

• 1 3/4 pounds flank steak
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 2 T honey
• 1 T chili paste
• 1-2 T light flavored olive oil

Slice the steak across the grain into strips 1/2″ wide. Cut each strip into bite-size pieces, approximately 1/2″ – 3/4″ in size. Place the chunks of beef into a medium size bowl. Stir together the soy sauce, honey, and chili paste. Pour over the beef and stir to coat well. Let the meat marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Heat a heavy bottom stainless steel pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add 1/3 of the meat to the pan and spread out in a single layer. Let it cook for about a minute, until the meat has browned. Flip the meat or toss with a spatula for an additional minute or two as it finishes cooking. Remove the meat from the pan to a plate.

Add half of the remaining meat to the hot pan and repeat the above steps. Add the cooked meat to the waiting plate. If necessary, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the remaining meat. Repeat the steps. Enjoy!

Herbed Steak with Orzo Caprese Salad (Recipe 154 of 150)

I have a recipe that's similar to this one that is one of my favorite summer salads to bring to a pot luck or something. It's a light salad with simple flavors.

Tonight's dinner would be much better in the summer time. It was delicious, don't get me wrong. It just felt weird having it when it's 39F outside. 

I grilled my steak earlier in the afternoon so it had time to chill. In fact, I made the whole salad around 3pm and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors could come together. 

While I was eating it, I remembered the Med Orzo Salad I made this summer and realized it too is similar.

I made a enough for a serving for lunch tomorrow too. I might toss in a few olives for good measure tomorrow. I did throw in cucumber tonight because I had just a small end left and needed to use it up. I'll be burping all night, but it was worth it.

I also didn't "cook" the tomatoes and cheese. That's not something I'd enjoy. 

Herbed Steak with Orzo Caprese Salad

Recipe from Our Best Bites

Serves 6

24 ounces steak*

8 ounces grape tomatoes

1/4 ounce parsley (a small bouquet)

8 ounces fresh mozzarella (mozzarella pearls work great!)

4 cloves garlic

12 ounces orzo pasta 

2 tsp Herbes de Provence

2 T balsamic vinegar

1–2 T extra virgin olive oil for the salad, plus more for cooking

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Chop the parsley, discarding the stems. Wash the tomatoes. Mince or grate the garlic. If you bought a single ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2″ cubes.

Set steaks out on a plate or plastic cutting board to rest at room temperature. Season both side with salt and pepper and Herbes de Provence. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Once the water is boiling, add the orzo to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (about 9-11 minutes). Drain in a fine mesh strainer.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan (cast iron if you have one) over medium-high heat. When hot, add the prepared steak and sear 2-3 minutes per side, using tongs instead of a fork to turn the steak. After they have seared on both sides, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until desired doneness is reached, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes.

While the steak is roasting, reduce the heat to the pan you seared the steaks in and add a little more olive oil to the pan. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring gently, for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove the pan from heat.

Add the pasta, balsamic vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (this is a great time to use flavors like garlic or lemon), parsley, and mozzarella to the pan with the tomatoes. Stir gently to combine and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

After the steak has rested for a few minutes, slice it thinly against the grain. Divide the pasta salad between plates (you may have some salad leftover–just serve it cold the next day!) and top with the sliced steak. Garnish with additional minced parsley and serve.

Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken with Crispy Bacon (Recipe 153 of 150)

Photo from Cafe Delites

Its funny sometimes how my brain works. I saw this photo on one of my favorite food bloggers site and I thought, "Yummy". I read nothing. Nothing of the recipe. Nor, apparently, the title of the recipe. 

Tonight as I read the recipe to prepare for making it I realized it's honey mustard. Which isn't my favorite. But since I had all the ingredients, I went ahead and made it. 

It had too much sweet for me and not enough mustard flavor (which I like). So I added a tablespoon of dijon after the milk and cream. That did the trick. 

It certainly isn't a favorite and one I may not ever make again, but it was interesting to make. AND, the best part, I got to use up my stone ground mustard that was hanging out in the fridge.

Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken with Crispy Bacon

Recipe from Cafe Delites

Serves 4

• 1/3 c honey
• 3 level T whole grain mustard
• 1 1/2 T minced garlic, (or 3-4 cloves crushed garlic)
• 1 T olive oil
• Salt to season
• 5 skinless and boneless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
• 1/2 c diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat (I used 4 small bacon rashers)
• 1/3 c cream 
• 1 c milk 
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley

In a large, shallow dish, combine the honey, mustard, garlic, oil and salt to taste (not too much salt if serving with bacon as the bacon will add a salty flavor when served). Coat chicken evenly in the sauce. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick pan (or skillet) over medium heat. Fry bacon until crispy; transfer to a plate. To the same pan, sear chicken fillets on each side in the oil left over from the bacon until just beginning to brown (about 3 minutes per side -- not completely cooked through as we will finish them in the sauce).

Add any remaining honey mustard sauce into the pan along with the cream and milk. Bring to a simmer while stirring occasionally to mix the flavors through the sauce (about 3 minutes), until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate.

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the center of the pan, mixing it through the sauce until it thickens. Place chicken back into the pan; coat with the sauce. Top with the bacon and garnish with parsley.

Serve over steamed / roasted vegetables for lower cal options. Also great with pasta, rice or mashed potatoes!

Shake and Bake Ranch Potatoes (Recipe 152 of 150)

Photo from Spicy 
Southern Kitchen

I don't post too many vegetable recipe. My vegetable dishes are usually something like broccoli or asparagus sautéed. Simple. But I have a ton of vegetable recipes. I think I need to start making more.

This one was hard to make for a single serving. I didn't want to open a full packet of ranch for such a small amount, but I did. And it was worth it. This was really yummy. I'd make this again for sure. 

Shake and Bake Ranch Potatoes

Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 6

• 1/2 c Italian bread crumbs
• 2 T Ranch seasoning, I use Hidden Valley
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 T melted butter
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Add bread crumbs, Ranch seasoning, paprika, and black pepper to a large zip top bag.

Add potatoes and shake to coat.

Add butter, oil, and parmesan cheese to bag and shake again. Pour potatoes out onto prepared pan.

Bake 15 minutes. Stir and bake another 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Chicken Lazone with Mushrooms (Recipe 151 of 150)

Photo from To Simply Inspire

I've made Chicken Lazone a couple of times. The most recent this year. Then again here, but I didn't like this recip. The first recipe from Damn Delicious I liked a lot. And this recipe I liked even more. Both were simple to make,. Both uses ingredients most of us have on hand (well, except maybe the mushrooms).

Chicken Lazone gets it's name from a Chef in New Orleans, Lazone Randolph. He worked for Brennan's restaurant and came up with this recipe in a pinch.

This recipe comes together in 20 minutes - and it's best to have all your ingredients together before you start. Which, frankly, is the right way to cook. Keeps you organized and not in a rush. 

Note that this recipe serves 8. That's a LOT of people. I cut it in half and could easily server 4. I really like the milk instead of heavy cream for this recipe. I used 1% milk and it still turned out very creamy.

Chicken Lazone with Mushrooms

Recipe from To Simply Inspire

Serves 8

2 lb chicken tenders

8 oz white mushrooms sliced

2 T olive oil

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ tsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ c butter

2 c milk

2 T corn starch or flour

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauté the mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil until tender

Combine salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over both sides of chicken tenders.

In large sauté pan, melt ¼ cup of butter over medium high heat. Cook the chicken tenders for about 8 minutes or until done.

Mix the corn starch or flour with cold milk in a bowl.

Pour the milk mixture into the skillet.

Lower heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes.

Serve pasta, rice or quinoa.

S'mores Cookies (Recipe 150 of 150)

Tomorrow is the December Sunday dinner. As is tradition, we are having a cookie exchange. I like to make a new cookie, and a cookie that is a little different. Enter S'more Cookies!

This is a fun cookie to make. It really is very simple. They smell amazing while they are cooking. I haven't tasted one yet because, well, there's only 12 for tomorrow's dinner. Though I suppose I should taste one just in case they're gross. Unlikely, but it seems like the right thing to do. 

Hold on.

Phew. Ok. They're DELICIOUS! The toasted marshmallows on the top really is what makes this cookie. So good. 

The only thing I did different is I didn't bother buying large marshmallows for the top. I figured the small ones would work just fine as well, and they did. When you put them in under the broiler DO NOT WALK AWAY. They go quick.

I just reread the recipe and realized I didn't put the honey in! They still taste great, but honeyless.

S'mores Cookies

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Makes 12 large cookies

• 1 c salted butter, melted
• 1 c sugar
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c graham crumbs
• 1 T kosher salt (yes one tablespoon)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 c milk chocolate chips
• 1 c mini marshmallows
• 2 milk chocolate bars
• 6 large marshmallows, halved

Mix the butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, graham crumbs, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and combine thoroughly using a spatula. Fold in the milk chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Using a 1/3-cup scoop, roll the mixture into 12 large balls. Place onto 2 parchment paper-lined sheet pans, spacing them evenly, and push a square of the milk chocolate bar into the top of each. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove the cookies and switch the oven to broil, letting it preheat for a couple minutes.

Add a halved marshmallow, cut side down, to the top of each cookie. Return to the oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes to toast the marshmallow toppings. Remove and let cool slightly before enjoying.

Pesto Mushroom Chicken (Recipe 149 of 150)

Photo from The Girl who
Ate Everything

Pesto!  MMMM. A friend and colleague moved to another state over the summer. In their attempt to get rid of food they had been hoarding, he asked if I wanted to take some of their pantry and freezer food. Of course I did. So I went over to his house and walked out with several grocery bags of really useful food. In those bags were three...count them THREE...jars of Kirkland brand Pesto (Costco's brand). He had frozen them so they'd keep. I, in turn, dumped them in my freezer. 

Since I've been trying to eat through my freezer I pulled out a jar last week for another recipe. And, well, since it's out, I gotta use it up. 

Enter this recipe. I searched my recipe list for "pesto" and came up with several. This one looked the simplest and sounded yummy. 

And it was yummy. The only thing I didn't do was put the provolone cheese over the chicken. I didn't have provolone so I used mozzarella instead and I think it was WAY better. 

I served this with a side of spaghetti noodles drenched in pesto. 

Pesto Mushroom Chicken

Recipe from The-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Serves 6

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 c butter , melted
• 1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs (or regular)
• 1/4 c prepared basil pesto
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 6 slices provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Brush chicken with butter and coat completely with bread crumbs.

Place chicken in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté mushrooms until they give up their juice.

After 20 minutes of baking, spoon pesto sauce evenly over chicken breasts and top with mushrooms.

Cover each breast with a slice of provolone cheese and bake in the oven for an additional 10-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Serve with a side of pasta tossed in additional pesto if desired.

Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette (Recipe 148 of 150)

It's not often my new recipe is a vegetable recipe. I tend to just do the boring old standby of broccoli or

Photo from My Recipes

asparagus. I like green beans, but they have a weird texture to me. I can usually get past that texture by using the French green beans (haricoverts - or as I like to call them "harry armpits"). The thing is, it's hard to find them without having to go to two different stores (Trader Joe's always has them. Safeway does not).

The BFF took me to the grocery story on Friday and we went to Fred Meyer by our houses. Not my favorite store. In fact, I hate it. But they have French green beans. So maybe I'll have to swing by to get the green beans. 

This was a good recipe. I overcooked the green beans (bad timing with the tritip on the grill). And I burnt the shallots (see previous comment about timing). All that being said, the balsamic is the star of the flavor here. I didn't have white balsamic. I thought I did but turned out it was Sherry vinegar. 

Now thinking about everything that went wrong with this recipe, I wonder if I'd like the real recipe. I might have to try this again. 

Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe from MyRecipes

Serves 8

• 2 pounds green beans
• 2 bacon slices
• 1/4 c minced shallots
• 3 T coarsely chopped almonds
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/4 c white balsamic vinegar

Cook green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; set aside.

Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Crumble; set aside. Add shallots to bacon fat in skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add almonds; sauté 1 minute. Remove and let cool. Add sugar and vinegar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.

Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.

Master Steak Marinade (Recipe 147 of 150)

It snowed on Tuesday. And I still have snow on my deck and on my grill. But that didn't stop me from grilling. No mam. It was freakin' freezing outside, but gill I must. 

I LOVED this marinade. Loved it. It's going into the favorites for 2022. Something about the chili sauce and mustard made it so savory. Really, I can't even explain how good it is. You just have to make it for yourself. 

I marinaded my steak for 5 hours. I cut this recipe in half since I was just making a single steak. It's pretty versatile in that regard. 

Master Steak Marinade

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 4

⅓ c red wine vinegar

¼ c chili sauce

2 T vegetable oil

1 T soy sauce

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 steaks

Whisk together red wine vinegar, chili sauce, oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, pepper and garlic.

Place steaks in a resealable ziplock bag. Pour marinade over steaks. Seal bag and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Remove steaks from marinade and grill to desired doneness.

Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Skewers with Coconut-Peanut Sauce (Recipe 146 of 150)

Photo from Once Upon a Chef

Another chicken marinade. Scratch that...another delicious chicken marinade. This one was definitely flavorful and really well balanced. 

I did NOT make the peanut sauce though. I figured it was not something extra I needed to worry myself about. I'm sure it's delicious, but when you cook for 1, those type of sauces are difficult to cut down. 

Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Skewers with Coconut-Peanut Sauce

Recipe from Onceuponachef.com

Serves 4

FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 3 T dark brown sugar, packed
• Zest of one lime
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 - 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

FOR THE COCONUT-PEANUT SAUCE:

• 1 (13-oz) can coconut milk (do not use low fat)

1/4 c peanut butter

• 1/3 c dark brown sugar, packed
• 1-1/2 T soy sauce
• 1 T red curry paste
• 3 T fresh lime juice, from 2 limes

FOR SERVING

1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)

Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Cut the breasts into 1-1/2" pieces and set aside.

Make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, dark brown sugar, lime zest, vegetable oil, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cardamom and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix until chicken is evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Make the sauce by whisking together the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and red curry paste in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add the fresh lime juice. Set aside.

Preheat the grill to high heat. Meanwhile, thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Grease the grill. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning once, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken skewers with the Coconut-Peanut Sauce and lime wedges, if desired.

Mexican Rice (Recipe 145 of 150)

Mexican rice is one of the recipes I'm forever chasing to find the "perfect" recipe. I've come close and have several recipes I like. This recipe will be added to the list. 

It was flavorful and Damn Delicious (hahah I couldn't resist - that's the name of the blog I got it from). 

So, I didn't add any of the veggies - except the onion, but I don't count that as a vegetable. I'm not a fan of veggies in my Mexican rice. 

Mexican Rice

Recipe from Damned Delicious

Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in rice until toasted, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Stir in corn, carrots, peas, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes. Stir in tomatoes.

Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Al Pastor Kabobs (Recipe 144 of 150)

Oh man. These kebabs are delicious. I should say, they are with my few modifications. 

First, I'm not a huge fan of pineapple, and especially cooked pineapple. Blech. So I didn't put pineapple or the peppers on my skewers. Just the pork, mam.

The other thing I did different is charred the peppers. I don't find it makes much of a difference in the overall flavor. These chilis are already dried, so I don't bother. I cleaned, and de-seeded the chiles before I steeped them. 

This may look like a pretty involved recipe, but I assure you it is not. And the prep is 100% worth it. Such a wonder, well rounded flavor. 

One note from the original author: 

"CANNED Pineapple Juice. Please use only CANNED pineapple juice! Canned pineapple juice will infuse your pork with flavor without leaving it mushy if it’s not marinated too long. Fresh pineapple juice still contains enzymes that could break down your pork and more likely to leave it mushy in a short amount of time."

Al Pastor Kabobs

Recipe from Carlsbad Craving

Serves 4

SKEWERS

• 1 ½ – 2 pounds pork tenderloin cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pineapple cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 1 green bell pepper sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 1 large onion sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 5 T olive oil divided

MARINADE/SAUCE

• 4 dried Guajillo chiles
• 1/3 c canned pineapple juice*
• 1/3 c orange juice
• 1 onion peeled, halved
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 3 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T achiote paste (see notes)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 chopped chipotle pepper from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt

CHILES

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo chiles and toast until blistered in spots and fragrant, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer peppers to a cutting board. Once cool, cut tops off chiles, cut in half and remove seeds, taking care not to touch your eyes. Add chiles back to skillet and cover with water. Simmer 3-5 minutes until softened.

MARINADE

Remove softened chilies to blender along with all Marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.

Add pork to a shallow dish or freezer size bag. Add 1 cup marinade and 3 tablespoons olive oil, stir to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours.

Add pineapple, bell peppers and onions to a separate bowl. Add ¼ cup marinade and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and refrigerate. (You can prep veggies at any point – they don’t have to marinate.) Refrigerate remaining marinade separately.

ASSEMBLE

NOTE: Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in water before grilling or broiling.

When ready to cook, thread pork, pineapple, bell peppers and onions onto skewers. Dab off excess marinade from pork so it can char.

Grease and preheat grill to high heat. Grill skewers until lightly charred all over, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. You can check a pork cube for doneness if desired. 

Let rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Smothered Pork Chops (Recipe 143 of 150)

Cook's Country recipes never let me down. They're a spin off of Cook's Illustrated and those never let me down either. As long as you follow their directions, you're guaranteed a good meal. 

I had a couple things different in this recipe. I had pork chops in the freezer and wanted to use those. They were thinner than this recipe requires. They still turned out fine, but I think a thicker chop would be more pork flavor. 

I completely forgot the vinegar at the end. I was hungry and I thought I had read the recipe thoroughly. THIS is why I should always get all the ingredients out and measured before I start cooking. It's a new goal of mine and here I am skipping it. 

I'd make this recipe again. It's easy and delicious. It's got a nice onion flavor without being overwhelming. 

Smothered Pork Chops

Recipe from Cook's Country

Serves 4

• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 ½ T vegetable oil
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 2 onions, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ¾ c plus 1 T beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine onion powder, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub with spice mixture.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops, 3 to 4 minutes per side, and transfer to plate. Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ¾ cup broth and bay leaf, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Return chops and any accumulated juices to pan, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until chops are completely tender, about 1½ hours.

Transfer chops to platter and tent with foil. Discard bay leaf. Strain contents of skillet through fine mesh strainer into large liquid measuring cup; reserve onions. Let liquid settle, then skim fat. Return 1½ cups defatted pan juices to now-empty skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

Whisk remaining broth and cornstarch in bowl until no lumps remain. Whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce and simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in reserved onions and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Crock Pot Cubed Steak with Gravy (Recipe 142 of 150)

I feel like I've made a recipe very similar to this on before. I searched the blog and, indeed, there are several recipes involving a slow cooker, gravy and beef.

I've never used French Onion soup out of a a can before. In fact, didn't even know you could buy French Onion soup in a can. 

This is a fix it and forget it meal. Easy, easy, easy. And super budget friendly. Cube steak is somewhat inexpensive.

Crock Pot Cubed Steak with Gravy

Recipe from The Country Cook

Serves 4

• 1 packet au jus gravy mix
• 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10.5 oz) can French onion soup
• ½ c water
• 1 ½-2 pounds cube steak (about 3-4 cubed steaks)
• To thicken gravy:
• 3 T cornstarch
• 3 T cold water

In the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, combine cream of chicken soup, French Onion soup, packet of au jus and water. Stir well.

Put cubed steak in slow cooker with gravy mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook steak on low for 6-8 hours.

After cooking, it's time to thicken gravy. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Stir mixture into crock pot.

Turn the setting to high and cook for 30 minutes (until gravy is thickened.)

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (Recipe 141 of 150)

Alfredo is a super easy recipe for me. I've made it so many times I can do it without actual measurements. Like many things, it can be made to taste. 

This recipe was good. I didn't change up really anything. I didn't use fettuccini because I had tagliatelle on hand so I used that. Really you could use any pasta - except elbow. That's just weird and reserved exclusively for man n cheese and mac salad.

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe from The Food Charlatan

Serves 4

For the chicken:

• 2 large chicken breasts, (1.5 pounds)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons oil, vegetable, canola, or light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the fettuccine:

• water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
• 12 ounces fettuccine

For the Alfredo sauce:

• 3/4 cup butter, (1 and 1/2 sticks)
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 cups heavy cream*
• 1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adds flavor not heat
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 & 1/2 cups FINELY shredded block Parmesan cheese
• To garnish:
• extra parmesan cheese, to garnish
• chopped parsley, to garnish

Prepare the chicken. Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, to create a thin cutlet. Or you can buy chicken already cut into cutlets. 

In a small bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Pat the chicken with paper towels on both sides until it is very dry. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the chicken on both sides, and rub in. [JW note: I rarely cook chicken like this. I prefer my chicken to be bite size already so I don't have to deal with a knife. Lame? Maybe. If you choose to do that, just sprinkle the seasoning over the pile of diced up chicken.]

Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium high heat for at least 3 minutes. When it is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Swirl to coat. The oil should shimmer right away.

Carefully place the chicken in the pan. Once it touches the pan you can't move it, so arrange accordingly. Do not crowd the chicken. If your pan isn't big enough, do it in batches. Do not touch, poke, or move the chicken at all. It needs to stay put to get a nice sear.

Once all the chicken is in the pan, lower the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes. 

Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken, swirling the pan as necessary to coat with oil. Immediately add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and swirl the pan as it melts. (The butter helps the chicken to brown, and brings flavor.) Cook the chicken on the second side for about 2 minutes, until the other side is a deep golden brown and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Leave all juices in the pan.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to the package instructions. Drain when done.

Make the alfredo sauce. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) over medium heat. Let it melt and bubble a bit (don't let it brown), then add 5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.

Slowly add 2 cups of cream while stirring. Its really important your cream is at about room temp. Take your time. Add 1 and 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

Let the cream mixture cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until you see gentle bubbles on the side of the pan. Do not bring to a full boil; your sauce will break (meaning it will look curdled instead of smooth). Lower the heat to medium low.

Finely shred 1 and 1/2 cups parmesan cheese using the finest grater. I do not recommend using pre shredded parmesan (and definitely not the powdered stuff). Pre-grated cheese will not melt as well, and your sauce will be clumpy. [JW note: The recipe is not wrong, don't use pre-grated parmesan. It's got too many fillers and doesn't melt as nicely. Spend the time to grate your own. You'll appreciate it. I promise it.]

Add the cheese to the sauce just a few tablespoons at a time. Sprinkle some in and stir for a bit to help it melt, then add a bit more cheese, stir, etc. This will help the cheese to melt more thoroughly, making a smooth sauce.

Once all the cheese is added in, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as you like.

Add the noodles in batches so that it all gets coated well in sauce. Add in about 1/3, stir to coat, the next 1/3, and so on.

Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the chicken into strips against the grain. You can either plate the pasta and arrange the chicken on top to serve, or add the chicken to the pasta in the pan and stir it all together.

Top each serving with extra parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley!

Crockpot Beef Stew (Recipe 140 of 150)

Just 10 more recipes to hit my goal. I'll be half way there by the end of this week! 

It's stew and soup season to me and that means I try to make a stew or a soup (or both) in a week. It is a leftover I'll eat for sure - at least once. 

I have made stew a thousand times over the years and I've never made it quite like this one. And truthfully, this one is going to be a favorite from now on. 

See, I like my stews to have a thick sauce and not a loose, thin sauce. This recipe guarantees a thick sauce. It was perfect. 

Now, I kinda didn't have all the ingredients. Well, one main ingredient...the can of crushed tomatoes. I used that can earlier when I made Ropa Vieja and didn't get to the store to get another can. But I have this "tomato bouillon" and I figured that would suffice for the tomato flavor and it did. You gotta be careful with bouillon though because it can get salty. So watch your seasoning and maybe season later in the cooking process. 

Crockpot Beef Stew

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Serves 6

BEEF STEW

• 1 T Vegetable oil
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped (about 1 pound)
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced thick (1/4”-1/2”)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf

BEEF GRAVY BROTH

• 1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 10.5 oz. can beef consommé **
• 1 15 oz. can low sodium beef broth
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp beef bouillon
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme

Chop meat into bite size pieces. While meat is still on the cutting board, toss it with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the beef to the very hot skillet and let cook undisturbed for approximately 2 minutes, or until nicely seared on one side, then continue to cook while stirring until beef is browned all over but not cooked through. Remove beef to 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef.

Add all of the vegetables and garlic to the slow cooker and toss with the beef.

Add all the the Beef Gravy Broth ingredients to the now empty skillet (wipe out excess grease but leave brown bits). The flour will be lumpy at first but will dissolve as you cook and continue to whisk. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened to the consistency of gravy. Add to slow cooker and toss to combine. Add bay leaf. The Gravy will be very thick but will thin to the perfect consistency as moisture is released from the vegetables as they cook.

Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or on LOW for 8-10 hours or until vegetables and beef are very tender. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hot Jezebel Dip (Recipe 139 of 150)

Photo from 12 Tomatoes

I've been waiting and waiting to make this recipe. It's spicy and I have a couple of friends who don't like spicy. But tonight's Sunday dinner is my golden opportunity. Small group and most are ok with spicy. 

I did not use 2 T or 3 T of horseradish. I used a heaping tablespoon and it was just right. It still cleared the sinuses. 

The sweet and spicy combo of this with the cool cream cheese is really yummy. I have visions of baking chicken in this sauce at some point (sans the cream cheese). 

Hot Jezebel Dip/Sauce

Recipe from 12tomatoes.com

Serves 8

• 1 (18 oz) jar apricot preserves
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 2-3 T horseradish
• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• ritz crackers or chips

In bowl, whisk together apricot preserves, Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons horseradish, and black pepper. Add more horseradish and black pepper to taste.

Chill overnight OR serve immediately poured over top of cream cheese.

Curried Cauliflower Gratin (Recipe 138 of 150)

Photo from Cooking Light

Cauliflower is an under-used veggie I think. You don't see it too often on menus and rarely do you have it served to you at someone's house. Or at least that's been my experience. 

I happen to really enjoy cooked cauliflower. It's disgusting raw. I have several friends who aren't a fan of it, but I try to feed it to them anyhow. 

Tonight is Sunday dinner. It's being hosted by some British/Scottish friends. He's making a roast and I wanted to bring a unique and a bit different veggie side dish. Enter Curried Cauliflower Gratin.

Y'all this recipe was so freaking delicious. It's being added to the favorites for 2022. Make this side dish!

Curried Cauliflower Gratin

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 4

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• 4 c cauliflower florets
• 2/3 c light coconut milk
• 1/4 c lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 T chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T sliced red Fresno chilis

Heat olive oil in a 9-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add curry powder, grated peeled fresh ginger, and thinly sliced garlic cloves. 

Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. 

Stir in cauliflower florets, light coconut milk, cup lower-sodium chicken broth, and kosher salt. 

Bake at 450°F until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Turn on broiler to high; broil until browned, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced red Fresno chiles.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Recipe 137 of 150)

Whoa. It's been over a month since I made a new recipe. I think that's the longest I've gone in several years without making something new. There are a lot of reasons and you can find out by hopping over to the other blog for more details. 

Ropa Vieja! It's a Cuban recipe and it's so delicious. I never order at a Cuban restaurant because they use bell peppers in it and, well, blech. I've made it a couple of times too. Here is the most recent this year. And then again in 2017. Then one other time in 2011. All of them are slightly different, but all of them are basically stewed meat. 

This one was good. Flank steak was WAY too expensive to use so I bought a tritip roast which was, surprisingly, about $10 less than the flank steak. I think you could use a chuck roast for this and get just as good results. You might want to cut it into chunks though to allow more flavor into the meat. I cut the tritip in half. 

I didn't buy capers for this either. Capers are expensive little buggers and for a tablespoon of them I just didn't think it was necessary. 

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into thick slices
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick slices
• 3 large cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• 1 jalapeno (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired), cut into thin slices
• 1 T whole cumin seeds
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c small Spanish olives
• 1 T capers, drained, plus 1 tablespoon brine
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
• Cooked white rice and plantain chips, for serving

Preheat a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Season steak generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin seeds; season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Pour mixture over steak in slow cooker; cover and cook on high until very tender, 5 hours (or on low 10 hours).

Transfer steak to a platter; cut in half crosswise. Using two forks, shred meat. Transfer sauce to skillet; cook over high heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in shredded meat, olives, and capers with brine; cook just until heated through, 2 minutes more. Top with cilantro and serve, with rice and plantain chips.

Tater Tot Chili Dog Casserole (Recipe 136 of 150)

Photo from The Salty
Marshmallow

Oh man this one takes me back. Mom used to make this, or something similar, with her leftover chili. She'd make a VAT of chili (cuz why not). We'd have a meal with it, then she'd freeze the rest. Sometime later that month she'd pull that chili out and she'd make this. This was one of the first recipes I ever tried on my own. Daring, I know. 

This recipe has everything you probably remember in the 70's for casseroles. Everything premade/store bought and thrown together with minimal effort to feed a house full. 

Oh and the left overs of this casserole are to die for. Well, at least the leftovers from Mom's were. This one, I'm sure will be equally as delicious. 

Tater Tot Chili Dog Casserole

Recipe from The Salty Marshmallow

Serves 6 easily

10 Hot Dogs Sliced

42 oz canned chili

1 ½ c Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Package Frozen Tater Tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together the sliced hot dogs, one cup of the cheese, and both cans of chili.

Pour the chili mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Top the mixture with an even layer of tater tots.

Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Top with remaining cheese and bake for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole (Recipe 135 of 150)

Photo from Lauren's Latest

Tonight is Sunday Dinner. The theme? Casseroles! Usually when we do casseroles we have so much food it's not even funny. Tonight, I'm 100% sure we're going to have too much food that is is funny. 

I'm making two casseroles. Why? I couldn't decide which one to make. One is a good side dish. The other is a funny take on a childhood casserole my mother used to make. 

This recipe was outstanding. The real recipe says it'll feed 4. I think that's only if you're eating this. If you use it as a side, it'll easily feed 6-8. I'm planning on it helping to feed 7. And I am SURE there will be leftovers. 

I have two gluten free people coming tonight so I had to swap out the cream of chicken soup for sour cream. Frankly, I like it better than how it might have tasted with cream of chicken. Those cream soups are often used in casseroles as a binder. Turns out sour cream does as well. So that's what we went with. 

Go light on the salt since you're putting ham in this dish. I never salt until everything is all together. Taste it and adjust. 

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

Recipe from Lauren's Latest

Serves 6 

• 2 T butter
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 1 large carrot peeled & diced
• 1 ear yellow sweet corn
• 2 c steamed broccoli florets
• 4 oz. deli ham diced
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 pinches ground thyme
• 1 c Long grain white rice
• 2 c water
• 1 1/2 c medium cheddar cheese grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking dish and set aside. {Use a 9x9 square dish or one that is slightly larger.} JW note: I think mine was 9X12 give or take. It wasn't the large 9x13 - that held the other casserole. 

Place large skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Sauté onions, carrot, corn, and ham 5-7 minutes or until veggies start to soften. Stir in broccoli and cream of chicken soup.

Once soup starts to melt into the veggies, add in seasonings, rice and water. Stir to incorporate and remove any lumps

Melt cheese into mixture and pour entire contents of skillet into prepared baking dish. Bake 40 minutes or until rice is completely cooked and no liquid remains. Serve hot.