Amazing Grilled Chicken Marinade (Recipe 81 of 150)

Yet another chicken marinade. I mean, chicken gets boring, so the more marinades you have in your back pocket the better, right? 

The great thing about this one is that most people have everything in their pantry already. What I liked about this one is it uses apple cider vinegar. I don't think I've made any marinades using ACV (that's apple cider vinegar in case you aren't keeping up). The recipe also called for a 1/2 c brown sugar, which I thought was too much. But I put it in and I'm glad I did. 

The result was a sweet / savory combination at first then the mustard hits you. It was a magical combination to me. 

I let this marinade for 5 hours. And per my usual MO, I cut the chicken into chunks and kebab-ed them. 

Amazing Grilled Chicken Marinade

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 6

• ¼ c cider vinegar
• 3 T Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 T lime juice
• 1½ T lemon juice
• ½ c brown sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 4 T olive oil
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, olive oil and pepper. Pour over chicken and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade. Grill chicken for 8-10 minutes per side, or until done.

Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole (Recipe 80 of 150)

This was a delicious recipe. At least, the way I made it. See it was too hot to even consider turning on the oven, so the only part of this recipe I didn't do is bake it. Turned out it was just fine without. 

I didn't use precooked chicken either. I didn't have any so I just sautéed a couple of chicken breasts. Worked out perfect.

I didn't make brown rice. I thought I had some and didn't, so white rice it was. 

This was a good recipe. And it made enough for leftovers. I'd make this again. And I'd not put it in the oven again too. I like that better. 

Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole

Recipe from Recipe Runner

Serves 4

2 tsp olive oil

3 green onions, sliced thin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 c cooked shredded chicken breasts

2 c cooked brown rice

8 ounce can diced green chiles

14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, drained

1/2 c frozen corn, defrosted

3/4 c green enchilada sauce

1/2 c plain non fat Greek yogurt

3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large oven safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the green onions and spices and sauté for a couple minutes.

Add the shredded chicken, rice, green chiles, fire roasted tomatoes, corn, and green enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Stir everything together until it's combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Once the cheese is melted and everything is heated through, remove the skillet from the heat and quickly stir in the Greek yogurt. Top with the remaining cheese and then bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot.

Serve the casserole as is or top it with diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro.

Chicken Spinach Salad (Recipe 79 of 150)

It's hot today. The last thing I wanted to do was turn on the stove. So a nice fresh salad with leftover chicken was just the ticket. 

Since it's shopping day I decided to mix it up a bit and make this spinach salad. The berries, the feta, and the dressing go so well together. Yum. 

I changed nothing with this recipe other than not making the chicken. As I mentioned, I had chicken left over from last night's yummy cluck cluck.

Chicken Spinach Salad

Recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Serves 4

• 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 c baby spinach
• 1/2 c fresh blueberries
• 1/2 c fresh strawberries
• 1/2 c clementine or mandarin oranges
• 2-3 T feta cheese
• 2-3 T sliced almonds
• Salt and pepper

Dressing

• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp honey

PREP: Prepare the fruit by washing and drying. If any ingredients are still wet, the dressing won't adhere very well. Remove strawberry stems and thinly slice. Peel clementine oranges. If desired, remove large stems on the spinach (I also tear the spinach leaves if they are large).

CHICKEN: (See Note 1) Remove fat from chicken and slice the breast in half width-wise. Dab chicken with paper towels to dry. Drizzle olive oil over both sides of the chicken pieces and then generously sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and chicken grilling blends. Drizzle 2-3 teaspoons olive oil over a large pan or grill pan.

CHICKEN CONT.: Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 4-5 minutes per side, flipping once at the halfway mark. If the chicken is browning too quickly, slightly reduce the heat. Once the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear or it registers 165 degrees F), remove from heat and cover with foil. Let slightly cool for 5-10 minutes and then thinly slice or chop.

DRESSING: Combine all of the dressing ingredients (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add some salt to taste (I use 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Close and shake until well combined.

SALAD ASSEMBLY: Add spinach to a large bowl. Toss with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Then add in the strawberries, blueberries, and oranges. Add in the slightly cooled chopped chicken. Add almonds and feta cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately.

STORAGE: This salad doesn't sit well with the dressing, so only dress what will be enjoyed same day. Store any leftover salad and dressing separately. Almonds and cheese should also be stored separately.

Best Chicken Marinade (Recipe 78 of 150)

Photo from Modern Honey

If you title your recipe the "best" it'd better live up to that label IMHO. This recipe was VERY similar to my other favorite marinade recipe Better Than A1 marinade. That recipe I use with beef. It never crossed my mind to use it with chicken. 

I put this marinade together and had it going for 4 hours before grilling the chicken. I used chicken tenders for this recipe and it was a nice, balanced flavored marinade. This was a GREAT marinade. It's being added to the favorites. 

Best Chicken Marinade

Recipe from Modern Honey

Serves 4

2 lbs. Chicken Breasts Tenders, or Thighs

1/3 - 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil depending on preference

3 T Fresh Lemon Juice

3 T Soy Sauce

2 T Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 c Brown Sugar

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

3 Garlic Cloves minced or 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

Garnish:

Fresh Parsley

In a bowl, stir together oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Pierce chicken breasts with a fork all over. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken.

Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 4 - 5 hours is ideal.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush grill with oil to prevent sticking.

Place chicken on the grill. Cook for approximately 5 - 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees.

Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken

I'm not counting this as a new recipe because I think it's barely a recipe. It never crossed my mind to combine BBQ sauce and ranch dressing together. 

I used Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ for this recipe. It's such a good, inexpensive BBQ sauce. 

Regarding the ranch, it didn't say whether it was Ranch dressing or Ranch dressing powder. For some reason I thought powder so I added just a packet of ranch to the BBQ. Now looking at the recipe I see it calls for a cup of ranch, which means it's supposed to be already prepared ranch. 

I won't make this again. It was good, but not worth doing again. 

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 4

1 c BBQ sauce

1 c Ranch dressing

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine Ranch Dressing and BBQ sauce. Pour over chicken and let marinate in refrigerator 4 hours to overnight.

Grill chicken approximately 15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff (Recipe 77 of 150)

I have a Kick Ass Stroganoff that I swear by. It's a recipe I've "worked on" over the years. When I
finally found the perfect combo of ingredients I wrote it down here. Consider it my gift to you. 

I've tried a bunch of stroganoff recipes over the years and each one is almost always slightly different. But when it comes to comfort I go back to my Kick Ass recipe. 

I am not a fan of one pot meals that include pasta being cooked in the same pot as everything else. For some reason I feel like it always comes out weird. Like the pasta is usually over cooked. It's the same reason I don't like bakes pasta (except lasagna). So, I did not cook the egg noodles in the crock pot. 

I did adjust the liquid though so it didn't turn out too soupy. I also almost always put my stroganoff over rice. It's controversial, I know. In fact, I took an unofficial poll on FB and everyone thought I was the crazy one. I can't argue that. 

I won't make this again, but only because I like my recipe. This was a good recipe. It had a ton of flavor and was super easy to put together. 

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Recipe from Eating On a Dime

Serves 6

2 pounds stew meat

1 T Olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp minced garlic

1/3 c red wine

1/2 onion (diced)

8 ounces cremini mushrooms (sliced)

1 T Worcestershire sauce

3 c beef broth

12 ounce egg noodles

1 c sour cream

2 T cornstarch

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the beef, season it with the salt and pepper and cook until browned. Then add the beef to a slow cooker.

Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of beef broth and then add this mixture to the crock pot as well.

Then add in the red wine, minced garlic, diced onion, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and remaining 2 cup of beef broth to the crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the beef is tender.

Then mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir this mixture and the uncooked egg noodles into the crock pot.

Cover and cook on high for 20-40 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.

Then stir in the sour cream and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Swiss Steak (Recipe 76 of 150)

I'm not sure what I expected of this recipe or Swiss Steak in general, but it wasn't what I think I was hoping for. I've made Swiss steak one other time and I recall it being delicious. This recipe was not. 

It was "ok" but not great. I did everything as the recipe called for - which is not my normal MO, but everything made sense so I didn't bother changing it. 

Slow Cooker Swiss Steak

Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 4

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds cubed steak
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 T olive or vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 (14-5-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
• 3 T tomato paste
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Season cubed steaks with salt and pepper.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and press both sides of each piece of cubed steak into flour.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cubed steak and cook just until brown on both sides.

Place onion and green pepper in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Place browned cubed steaks on top of them.

To the slow cooker, add the Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic. Mix the tomato paste in.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Beef Chow Mein (Recipe 76 of 150)

Chinese food in my neighborhood is hard to come by. Well, that's not exactly correct, there is Chinese options but I haven't been a fan of them. And making most the Chinese food I like is simple enough. 

This was a good recipe. I'll make it again. 

I made two small changes to the recipe. 

The first is I don't like frozen veggies so I opted to not include them. Now having had it, I think sautéing up some fresh veggies would do a good lot better than frozen. 

The second was I added 1 tsp of Sriracha - I'm starting to like spice. 

It had flavor and was easy to pull together. 

Beef Chow Mein

Recipe from Chelseasmessyapron.com

Serves 4

1 package (10 to 11 ounces) frozen stirfry vegetables

1/2 pound (8 ounces) flank steak thinly sliced against the grain

2 c green cabbage cut in small shreds

1 1/2 tsp garlic cloves minced (~2 large cloves)

2 tsp fresh ginger minced (~1-inch piece)

1/4 c green onions ~3 onions

1 1/2 T vegetable oil

1 package (6 ounces) chow mein noodles

1/2 T cornstarch

1 1/2 T lite soy sauce

1 1/2 T oyster sauce

1/3 c beef stock 

1 T brown sugar lightly measured, do not pack!

1/2 tsp toasted (or plain) sesame oil

Freshly cracked pepper

Optional: toasted sesame seeds

SAUCE PREP: Whisk the cornstarch and soy sauce with a fork until completely smooth. Stir in the oyster sauce, beef stock, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Add pepper to taste. (I add about 1/2 teaspoon.) Whisk until smooth. Reserve for later.

BEEF PREP: Thinly slice the beef (1/4 inch thick) against the grain. Slice long strips into 2-3 smaller pieces.  Place in a bowl and add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce Cover and marinate for 15 minutes to an hour. Pat dry with a paper towel and it's ready for this recipe!

VEGGIE PREP: prepare the ingredients in advance because the cooking goes fast! Finely shred the cabbage, coarsely mince the ginger and garlic (don't want too fine of a mince or they burn; don't use jarred/tube ginger or garlic). Thinly slice the green onions to separate the white root from the green. You should get about 1/4 cup thinly sliced white roots. Reserve the thinly sliced green part for later.

NOODLES: Follow package directions to prepare the chow mein noodles. Rinse in cold water and set aside.

COOK: Add the frozen veggies (unthawed and don't add liquid) to a large nonstick skillet. Put the heat on high and, stirring frequently, cook until mostly thawed, about 5 minutes (add vegetable oil if sticking/needed). 

Transfer to a plate. 

Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the same skillet and keep over high heat. Add the white roots of the onion for a minute or two and then add in the garlic and ginger. Be very careful to make sure neither burn -- only cook for about 10-20 seconds. 

Add the beef (patted dry from the marinade) and stir constantly for about 1 minute or until both sides are lightly browned (but not cooked through).

Add the cabbage right on top. Stir near constantly until cabbage is wilted, about 1-2 minutes. 

Add the vegetables that were set aside back in to the pan. 

Add in the cooked noodles and the sauce mixture. Toss with tongs for 1 minute. Add in the thinly sliced tops of the green onions.

Enjoy immediately with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

La Scala’s Famous Chopped Salad Made Skinny (Recipe 75 of 150)

Photo from Skinny Kitchen

I meant to make this for lunch all week, but the week got away from me so I only made it for today's lunch. I also ate the turkey I bought for this, so didn't have that to add to it. I did, however, have some ham. I used that instead. 

This was a good salad. I purchased the Cardini's Caesar. I gotta say, I'm not a fan. It's too tangy without the parmesan and garlic flavor. It was OK, but I won't be buying it again. I knew I should have bought Girard's. It's been a favorite for a long time. I was just thinking I'd try something new. 

I did have to find out about the "famous" salad. This is what the Interwebs spit out when I Googled it. 

The culinary masterpiece was introduced in the 50s by Chef Jean Leon at La Scala Boutique in Beverly Hills. The tasty dish combined two kinds of lettuce, salami, chickpeas, and cheese.

Over the years, the salad has been nibbled on by celebs such as Elizabeth Taylor, Julia Roberts, and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as JFK. La Scala still features the original version ($11.75, or for a $1.50 more, you can sub turkey, chicken, or tuna for the salami). Some food bloggers have further jazzed up the recipe with avocados and cherry tomato halves.

I found this little blurb with a recipe that I think I may have to try. 

I'd make this again. It was a nice salad to have at lunch time. It was filling and different from the normal boring old salad I have been making.

La Scala’s Famous Chopped Salad Made Skinny

Recipe from Skinny Kitchen

Serves 4

• 10 c romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1½ c tomatoes, chopped
• 1½ c turkey breast, diced
• ¾ c Italian dry salami, cut into thin strips, see shopping tips
• 1¼ c canned garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and chopped
• ½ c mozzarella cheese
• 8 Kalamata olives or black olives, pitted and chopped
• ½ c Cardini’s Light Caesar Vinaigrette or Girard’s Light Champagne Dressing
• 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste

Chop romaine lettuce and add to a large salad bowl. 

Add remaining ingredients except the dressing and balsamic vinegar. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Just before serving, toss in dressing and balsamic vinegar. Add a little more dressing, if desired.

Cashew Chicken (Recipe 74 of 150)

Photo from Spicy Southern
Kitchen

I'm almost half way to my target goal, with half the year left. Awesome. 

The last time I made a cashew chicken I ran into the same problem with the chicken soaking in a cornstarch slurry and getting a weird jelly type issue attached to the chicken. It tastes fine, but it's just weird to me. 

I didn't "fry" the cashews. Frankly I just skipped past that part and added the cashews on top in the end. I just didn't think that would make a difference in the overall recipe. 

This recipe had too much hoisin for me. I'd use less if I made it again.

Cashew Chicken

Recipe from Spicysouthernkitchen.com

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

5 T soy sauce, divided

2 T cornstarch

1 T dry sherry

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/3 c hoisin sauce

1/3 c water

1 T balsamic vinegar

3 T vegetable oil

1 c raw cashews

2 celery ribs, sliced into 1/4 inch slices on bias

6 green onions, white parts sliced thin and green parts sliced into 1-inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

white rice for serving

In a medium bowl, stir together chicken, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, cornstarch, sherry, and sesame oil. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together hoisin sauce, water, vinegar, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet until hot. Add cashews and cook stirring constantly until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reheat oil in the skillet until very hot. Add chicken mixture. Cook, stirring frequently until about halfway cooked.

Add the celery, white parts of green onions, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add hoisin mixture and cook for 1 to 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove from heat and stir in green parts of green onions and cashews.

Serve over rice.

Chicken Shawarma (Recipe 73 of 150)

Whenever I hear about shawarmas I'm jetted back to my first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dad took mom and I to a local souk to see what they were like. Once there he deemed it necessary that we all have shawarmas for lunch. Neither mom nor I knew what a shawarma was. Dad ordered three and what came were three bundles of something. We couldn't tell because they were wrapped in foil like a burrito. 

We took them to the car and sat and ate them. We unwrapped them and Mom took a big bite. The sound she made was one of complete deliciousness. Then she started laughing. In the middle of this meaty, veggie filled Middle Eastern taco was a French fry. Just one. And it was cold. 

I dug into mind and sure enough I had one too. Dad, oddly, did not. Dad said that he's found pickles and potato chips in his shawarmas before. Sometimes they just toss things in. 

I've made shawarmas over the years, many times they don't include putting them in bread. This recipe is one of a few that has you use Naan. I actually think pita would be better, it's not so thick. 

Anyhow, this was a decent recipe. It's still no Saudi shawarma, but it was darn good. I actually put the tomatoes and cucumbers in with the meat. I did not put the lettuce in because I'm not a fan of warm lettuce. I'd make this recipe again. In fact, the left over chicken will be a shawarma salad tomorrow for lunch. 

I changed nothing in this recipe. I did, however, cook the Naan too long on the grill so it wasn't so easy to fold into a taco shape so I just at the "sandwich" with my fork and knife. 

Chicken Shawarma

Recipe from Thefoodcharlatan.com

Serves 4

For the chicken:

• 1.25 lbs chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or one 7 ounce container)
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 4 pitas, naans, or flatbreads
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce
• 1 medium cucumber, sliced thin
• 2 medium roma tomatoes, sliced thin

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade (yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cinnamon, oregano, salt, nutmeg, and cloves). Add chicken to the marinade, coat well, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. If desired, slice the chicken into strips before marinating to maximize the flavor.

Prepare the yogurt sauce for the sandwiches. Open a 7 oz. container of plain greek yogurt (or put about 1 cup in a bowl) and stir in the garlic, dill, and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use. The longer it sits the better.

After marinating the chicken, grill until cooked through (a George Foreman works great).

Prepare the vegetables for the sandwich. Chop, rinse, and drain the lettuce in a colander. Wash and slice the cucumber and tomato.

Build the chicken shawarma sandwiches. Spread the yogurt sauce on your flat bread, top with the chicken and vegetables. Roll the sandwich closed. You can wrap the sandwich in foil to help it stay closed as you eat.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins (Recipe 72 of 150)

I really wanted these to be off the chart delicious. They were good, but not great. I'll eat them, but I won't crave them. 

I felt like they were missing the buttery flavor that other pumpkin breads have. Using vegetable oil instead of butter makes it a different consistency too. I don't really know what it is about them, they just weren't that great. 

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe from Chelseasmessyapron.com

Makes 12 muffins

• 3/4 c light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c canned pumpkin
• 1/4 c buttermilk
• 1 1/2 c white all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c miniature chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a muffin pan or use cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and buttermilk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in both types of chocolate chips. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until JUST combined. Overmixing results in dense muffins.

Divide the muffin batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin, filling up 12 cavities. Each cavity should be 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 18-23 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to slightly cool before removing them to a cooling rack.

Muffins are best eaten within 3-4 days. Store muffins in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Slow Cooked Tri Tip Roast with Gravy (Recipe 71 of 150)

Photo from Lauren's Latest

This is not a recipe that should us tritip. Tritip to me is about steaks (or roast) on the grill. Back in the day when tritip was less expensive I might have given it a go. Not today my friends. Tritip is among the more expensive and if it's gonna sit in a slow cooker all day, then I don't need to spend the money. 

I used good old stew meat for this recipe. It turned out fine. I used an almost 2 pound chunk of sirloin and cut it into 1" cubes. Pro tip: Don't buy the already cut stew meat. You often don't know what you're getting and those bits and bobs can be too tough to really break down. 

I have also rarely cooked with beef consommé. Wow. What a bright, beefy flavor that gave this dish.

And last, but not least, I had no bay leaves. I know! I couldn't believe it either. I always have bay leaves and/or always stock up. Apparently last time I used them I did not write down that I needed them. To be fair, I'm not always sure bay leaves add anything special to a dish. Still, I googled substitutes and the Googles said dry oregano or thyme. I am no fan of thyme so I went with about a tsp of dried oregano. 

I put this in a slow cooker even though the original instructions didn't say use a slow cooker. I cooked it on low for 6 hours. 

Slow Cooked Tri Tip Roast with Gravy

Recipe from Lauren's Latest

Serves 4

• 3 t olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 2 lbs tri tip pieces or a 2 lb. tri tip roast cut into large pieces
• salt & pepper to taste
• 10.5 oz beef consommé 1 can
• 1 can water
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 3 T butter softened
• 3 T flour
• more water if needed

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large heavy-bottomed pot {such as a dutch oven} heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, sauté onions for 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Season meat with salt and pepper and brown in pot. This should take about 5 minutes.

Pour in beef consommé, water, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir and cover. Place into the preheated oven (or crockpot on high) and bake 2-3 hours or until meat is fork-tender. Remove from oven.

Using a slotted spoon, remove meat from the liquid in the pot. Return to medium heat on the stovetop. In a small bowl, stir butter and flour together until smooth paste forms.

Pour butter mixture into the hot liquid and whisk in to stir. Within a minute or so, the sauce should thicken to a gravy. If the gravy gets too thick, add in 1/2 cup water or until desired consistency is reached. Replace meat and stir to coat in gravy. Turn heat to low to keep warm before serving.

Serve with mashed potatoes and/or roasted veggies!

Jenn's Slow cooker Instructions: 

Saute the onions.

Brown the beef. 

Pour all that into the slow cooker.

Set on low for 6 hours.

When it's done, ladle out most the liquid into a small sauce pan. 

Pour in a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken it up. 

Pour that gravy back into the slow cooker with the meat. 

Serve over mashed potatoes!

Chopped Romaine with Pine Nut Vinaigrette (Recipe 70 of 150)

Photo from Cuisine at Home

For book club last night I opted to bring a salad. We all tend to like to bring the same course - mine is usually appetizer. This time I decided to mix it up and bring a salad. 

When I do that I don't like to just bring any old salad. I like to find a new one to try. Enter Chopped Romaine with Pine Nut Vinaigrette. 

Pine nut vinaigrette? What? I've never, in all my years of cooking, made a vinaigrette with nuts - let alone pine nuts. 

Be careful when you toast the pine nuts. You can look away and they'll burn. I put mine in a dry nonstick skillet on a med-high heat. Toss them every now and then. You'll start to smell when they're done. 

The vinaigrette was good. I felt like it needed more honey, or sweetness to it. I also didn't have Dijon (I always have Dijon) and that sorta sucked so I put yellow mustard in it. That's not a great substitute by the way.

I'd make this one again for a dinner party. It was good. 

Chopped Romaine with Pine Nut Vinaigrette

Recipe from Cuisine Tonight

Serves 4

Dressing: 

• 2 T pine nuts, toasted
• 3 T each white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T chopped shallots
• 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
• 1/2 tsp each honey and Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

• 6 c chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 c peeled carrot ribbons
• 1 c halved grape tomatoes
• 1 c seeded, sliced cucumbers
• 1/3 c sliced red onion

Pulse pine nuts in a food processor until coarse. Add vinegar, oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, honey and Dijon. Puree vinaigrette until emulsified; season with salt and pepper. 

Toss romaine, carrot ribbons, tomatoes, cucumbers and onion in a bowl with vinaigrette.

Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Recipe 69 of 150)

Photo from Kitchen Fun
with my 3 sons

This recipe was a bit more involved than my normal recipes, but y'all it was so worth it. This was a delicious recipe. The crispy chicken on top of the spicy past was a texture combination that wins in my book. 

Please note I didn't add any of those nasty bell peppers to my meal. I'm sure they'd be delicious if you like that sort of thing. 

The only modification I made is when I cut this recipe in half I felt like the amount of liquid involved (1.5 total when you cut it in half) was a bit much. I only added 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 a c chicken stock. Even with the cornstarch it ended up just fine. 

Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta

Recipe from Kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com

Serves 4

Cream Sauce

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 c heavy cream
• 1 c chicken stock
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 c Parmesan Cheese shredded

Parmesan Crispy Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts thinly sliced
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 c breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese grated
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 4 T vegetable oil

Pasta

• 1 Lb. Farfalle pasta
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 Yellow peppers sliced
• 2 red peppers sliced
• 1 green pepper sliced
• 1 red onion sliced
• 2 packages Crimini mushrooms sliced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1/2 c parsley chopped - garnish

In a medium bowl add the sauce ingredients together. Stir to blend. Set aside.

Add water the the large pot, bring to a boil and add the pasta. Check the box for timing on cooking the pasta. Remove the pot from the heat one minute short of the length of time listed on the box. Drain the pot but do not rinse.

In the second bowl blend the dry ingredients (flour, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper) together. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs in the third bowl. Line the breadcrumb mixture bowl next to the whisked egg bowl.

Dredge each piece of chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, next into the whisked eggs, and back to the breadcrumb mixture for a second time.

Transfer each piece of coated chicken to a tray. Set aside.

Put the skillet on medium heat, add butter. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, and mushrooms to the melted butter. Cook the veggies until they begin to brown about 3-5 minutes. (Do not let the vegetables to break down.)

Transfer the cooked veggies to a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the oil in the skillet. Cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side. (The chicken will be crispy and a golden brown). Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Drain the oil.

Return the pasta and veggies to the skillet. Add the sauce mixture to the skillet. Stir to mix.

Let the sauce thicken stirring for 3-5 minutes.

Slice the chicken while watching the sauce, veggies, and pasta. Add the pasta and veggies to individual serving plates.

Top with the sliced chicken on each plate.

Garnish with chopped to parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.    

Charley's Steak Marinade (Recipe 68 of 150)

I don't know who Charley is, but that guy needs a hug. Y'all, this marinade was fan-freakin-tastic.
 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, marinades are my favorite thing to BBQ with. Beef is good on it's own, and it has it's place. But marinades just add so much more flavor. 

I marinated this for 5 hours. I know the recipe says 45 minutes, but come on? That's not marinading it. That's just dunking it in a sauce and hoping for the best. I don't think you'd get the flavor with a measly 45 minute marinade. The 5 hours did the trick. I used tritip - which used to be a reasonable and flavorful cut of meat. Now it's more expensive but still flavorful. 

I also, per usual MO, cut my steaks into chunks. More marinade per surface area. 

Make this marinade. 5 stars our of 5 and it's going on the 2022 favorites list!

Charley's Steak Marinade

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 4

3 T yellow mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ c soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

4 NY Strip steaks

Whisk together mustard, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Pour over steaks and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, turning approximately every 15 minutes.

Remove steaks from marinade and grill until desired doneness.

BBQ Pork Ribs (Recipe 67 of 150)

Photo from Retro Recipe

Ribs! Yummy Yummy ribs! And added bonus of country style ribs.

I've not made country style ribs in a long time. My main rib recipe is for pork ribs or baby backs. When ribs gets requested, that's what I make. 

I had bought some country style ribs on sale a couple of weeks ago and I figured I better used them up. 

This recipe originally confused me when making the BBQ sauce. In all my years of cooking I've never EVER put celery in a BBQ recipe. Then I remembered, my Mom's special BBQ sauce actually calls for celery seed and that one ingredient is what makes her sauce so delicious. Also made me realize I hadn't made her sauce in a long time, might need to do that soon. 

This recipe was good and simple. I added about a cup of water in with the sauce as it cooked because it dried out too quickly for me. So if you make this, check it every 30 minutes and if the sauce is getting too think or starting to burn, toss in some water. 

I also cooked these covered for the first 30 minutes. No reason other than I didn't read the full recipe and missed that they were to be uncovered. I think it helped with the cooking and tenderizing. 

BBQ Pork Ribs

Recipe from Casserole Queens Cookbook

Serves 4

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 celery, chopped
• 2 T packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 c ketchup
• 1/4 c Heinz chili sauce
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• juice of 1 lemon
• 5 drops Tabasco
• 2 lbs pork ribs

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, celery, brown sugar, salt, paprika, butter, ketchup, chili sauce, vinegar, W sauce, lemon juice, Tabasco, and 1/2 c water. 

Put ribs in the prepared casserole dish and pour in the sauce, making sure to thoroughly coat the ribs. Bake, uncovered and basting every 20-30 minutes, for 2  to 2 1/2 hours, until it registers 160F. 

Honey Garlic Green Beans (Recipe 66 of 150)

1 star recipe. Maybe. Would not recommend. 

Seriously, this recipe should have been soo good. I mean soy sauce (or in my case tamari) and honey - savory / sweet combo for the win, right? 

I can't even tell you what went wrong, cuz I'm not really sure. I do know I overcooked the green beans, so that one thing. The other is the after taste was just not pleasant to me. Sherrie was over for dinner and she tasted nothing wrong and loved the recipe (aside from the over cooked green beans). 

So maybe it was me and my taster was off. At any rate, this one is not going to go into any "favorite" categories for me. But you should try it. I 100% believe it was me not the recipe. 

Honey Garlic Green Beans

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 4

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 T butter
• 4 T honey
• 2 T soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add green beans; cook, stirring constantly, over high heat until slightly blistered, 2-3 minutes.

Whisk together honey, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over green beans. Continue cooking and stirring until beans are coated and the sauce starts to evaporate slightly, 2-3 minutes.

Air Fryer Double Cheeseburger (Recipe 65 of 150

Photo from Better than Bread Keto

Everybody loves burgers. I'm no exception to this rule. In fact, it's a weak point of mine. There's nothing like a juicy burger where juices run down your arm when you take a bite. 

The problem is, burgers aren't that good for me. The carbs and all. So every now and then I have a burger without the bun. But since I don't like anything on my burgers like lettuce, tomato, onion, it basically becomes a burger steak. 

I'm pushing it counting this as a "new" recipe considering this is basically making a burger and cooking it. Still, it is a recipe that I followed, so it's a new recipe. 

I used pepper jack cheese for these. It helped make it easier to eat a plain old burger when the cheese has flavor.

Air Fryer Double Cheeseburger (Low Carb)

Recipe from Betterthanbreadketo.com

Serves 1

• 1/2 lb ground beef (or two pre-made beef patties)
• 2 slices cheese of choice
• 1 pinch pink Himalayan salt
• 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pinch onion powder

Form two 1/4 pound hamburger patties. It's better for this recipe to not buy the preformed ones so you can control the size of the burger both thickness and width.

Lightly salt, pepper, and onion powder the hamburger patties

Place into your air fryer and set to 370°F for 12 minutes.

At the 6 minute mark, flip the hamburgers.

When the air fryer finishes, place the cheese onto the hamburger patties and shut the drawer for one minute.

Remove the patties, stack, and devour!

Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy (Recipe 64 of 150)

Photo from The Kitchn

This was a good recipe. I have a thousand and one recipes that involve cube steaks and a gravy. My mom's cube steak and gravy is by far my favorite. But this one was easy, nothing fancy and delicious. 

I changed nothing in this recipe besides the quantities. I served this with mashed potatoes and green beans just like the photo, but really anything could go with this.

Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Recipe from The Kitchn

Serves 4

1 large yellow onion

8 ounces baby bella or cremini mushrooms

1 sprig fresh parsley

3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1/4 c plus 2 T all-purpose flour, divided

4 cube steaks (about 1 pound total)

2 T olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 c water

1 c low-sodium beef broth

1 (1-ounce) packet onion soup mix

Peel and trim 1 large yellow onion, then cut 1/4-inch-thick rings. Thinly slice 8 ounces cremini mushrooms. Strip the leaves from 1 sprig fresh parsley and finely chop until you have 1/2 teaspoon.

Place 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Pat 4 cube steaks dry with a paper towel, then season all over with the salt mixture. Dredge the steaks in the flour and shake off the excess flour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2 of the steaks and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 steaks. Wipe out any excess oil in the skillet with a paper towel.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon until the brown bits are incorporated into the onion mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and just starting to turn golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until both the onion and mushrooms are golden-brown, about 5 minutes more.

Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flour is lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup water, 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, and 1 packet onion soup mix. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens to gravy consistency, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more kosher salt and pepper as needed.

Return the steaks to skillet, turn to coat in the gravy, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Korean Beef Chuck Roast (Recipe 63 of 150)

Photo from Martha Stewart

Holy moly this was good! And I have enough leftovers for one more meal and one for the Pantry Goat.
 

Super simple, quick recipe. Spicy if you use the full 1.5 Tablespoon of gochujang. I used just a tablespoon and it was way spicy. 

I served this with rice. The sauce makes a nice gravy over the rice. 

Korean Beef Chuck Roast

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 6

4 pounds beef chuck, tied

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 c safflower oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped (2 cups)

6 large garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 c minced ginger

1/2 c sake

1/4 c mirin

2 c low-sodium chicken broth

3 T gochujang (Korean pepper paste)

4 carrots (9 ounces), cut in 2-inch pieces, halved lengthwise if large

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (3 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season beef with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high. Add beef and brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Pour off fat and wipe pot with a paper towel.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, onion, and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan, until softened. Add ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add sake, mirin, broth, and gochujang. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve gochujang. Return beef and accumulated juices to pan and bring back to a boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook, flipping a few times and adding carrots halfway through, 2 hours. Remove pot from oven and stir mushrooms into sauce. Cover and cook until meat is fork-tender, about 30 minutes more.

Transfer beef to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, remove vegetables to the board with the beef using a slotted spoon. Skim fat from sauce and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened like gravy, about 5 to 10 minutes more. Keep sauce warm until serving.

Remove string from beef; slice 1/4 inch thick. Serve with vegetables and sauce.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce (Recipe 62 of 150)

Photo from My Kitchen
Escapades

I do enjoy teriyaki chicken, but I'm finding more and more I like it when I buy it from my local teriyaki
place. 

This recipe is good. A bit unconventional with cooking the marinade first. If I made it again I wouldn't do that. I'd marinade it before cooking and without the cornstarch. Then I'd add cornstarch and cook the remaining marinade. 

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Recipe from Mykitchenescapades.com

Serves 4

• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 2 Tb honey or agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 Tb cornstarch
• 1 C water
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a medium saucepan, whisk together all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce then heat over high heat until it simmers and thickens. Allow it to cool.

Slice the chicken breasts into long strips about 1 inch wide and place in a large bowl. Add about 3/4 of the teriyaki sauce and marinade in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight. Save the unused sauce to finish the dish after the chicken is cooked.

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Place the marinated chicken on the grill and allow it to cook for about 4-5 minutes before turning it over an cooking for another 3 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Place the finished chicken on a clean serving dish and drizzle over the reserved teriyaki sauce before serving.