Pollo Guisado (Latin Chicken Stew with Olives) (7 of 150)

Pollo Guisado, aka chicken stew! This is a great comfort food dish, especially during the rainy season here in the PNW. 

One cautionary note though...don't salt anything! The sazon seasoning, adobo seasoning and olive brine all have enough salt in them to satisfy the savory. 

I bought bone-in Chicken breasts for this recipe. First, it is SOOOO hard to find chicken breasts with the bone-in. And second, the flavor of chicken on the bone is so much better. I hate dealing with the bone, but it was worth it in this recipe.

Pollo Guisado (Latin Chicken Stew with Olives)

Recipe from SkinnyTaste

Serves 4

• 4 skinless chicken drumsticks, on the bone, 14 oz total
• 4 skinless chicken thighs, on the bone, trimmed, 20 ounces
• 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 medium scallions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro, plus 2 tbsp for garnish
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 packet sazon seasoning, optional ( I highly recommend using this)
• 1/4 c pitted green olives, plus 2 tablespoons brine
• 1 T Chicken Better Than Bouillon, or 1 cube
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 bay leaves

Season chicken with adobo seasoning salt.

In a large deep skillet, pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat saute the scallions in olive oil until soft, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and 1/4 cup cilantro cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

Nestle the chicken in the pot and let brown 5 minutes, turning halfway.

Add tomato sauce, Sazon if using, 1 cup water, olive, olive brine, Bouillon, cumin and stir. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil.

Cover and cook 50 minutes over medium-low heat, until the chicken is tender.

Uncover the pot, increase the heat to high and cook to thicken the sauce, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves, adjust salt if needed and add the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro.

Italian Vegetable Soup (6 of 150)

It was a blustery, wet day here in the PNW today. Perfect day for a hot, comforting soup. 

This soup was perfect for today. Hearty, warm and delicious! And healthy. I had mine with a side salad and it was a perfect recipe. 

The best part is this will be a sensational leftover for lunch tomorrow.

Italian Vegetable Soup

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Serves 8

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 4 medium size carrots, thinly sliced (2 cups)
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (2 cups)
• 5 c water
• 1 10.5 oz. can low sodium beef broth
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 T beef base or beef bouillon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c frozen corn, thawed
• 1/4 head green cabbage, roughly chopped (2 cups)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
• 1/4 c chopped fresh Italian parsley for serving (optional)

Crumble the beef into a large pot over medium high heat, add the onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the beef has browned. While the beef is cooking, prep the carrots and celery.

Add the carrots, celery, water and beef broth to the pot with the meat and onions. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil as you add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, beef base/bouillon, salt, basil, parsley, oregano, garlic, and pepper.

Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Once soup is boiling, stir and reduce the heat slightly to avoid splattering; simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the carrots are tender (or longer the better, time permitting).

Add the corn to the soup, taste the broth and add salt if desired. Stir in the cabbage, if desired. Cover and simmer for a few minutes more, just until the corn is warm and the cabbage has wilted. Scoop into bowls and, if desired, sprinkle with the cheese and parsley just before serving.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Roast (5 of 150)

Photo from Cooking Light

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the letters P-O-R-K! I don't eat much pork and since chicken is
getting boring, I figured I'd give pork more of a try. 

I wasn't really sure what I was going to make tonight, but at the store they had pork butts and BIG pork loins on sale, buy on get one free. I couldn't really pass that up. But I also knew I didn't have room in my freezer for a pork butt (I really need to get a small freezer for downstairs). So I opted these massive pork loins. I mean they were huge. 

They worked perfectly with this recipe. And this recipe was delicious. I cut this in half and used a what the store calls a "boneless half loin" - I'm not really sure how it was half because it was bigger than the pork loins. I need to do some research on this cut of meat. 

The only change I made is I used low carb brown sugar. I tend to use that all the time when I have it in a marinade recipe of some sort. 

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Roast

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 10

• 2 T dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 (4 1/2-lb.) bone-in pork shoulder roast (Boston butt), trimmed
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 c finely chopped white onion
• 1 T finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 c unsalted chicken stock
• 1/2 c unsalted ketchup
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons spice mixture. Rub remaining spice mixture evenly over pork, pressing to adhere. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add pork to pan; cook 15 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Place browned pork in a 5- to 6-quart electric slow cooker.

Add onion and garlic to Dutch oven; sauté 3 minutes. Add stock to pan, stirring bottom to scrape up browned bits. Remove pan from heat; stir in reserved 2 tablespoons spice mixture, ketchup, and vinegar. Pour stock mixture over pork in slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low 7 1/2 to 8 hours or until tender.

Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 20 minutes. Skim fat from cooking liquid; reserve 1/4 cup liquid. Shred pork into large pieces, discarding bones and fat. Place pork in a bowl; add reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid and salt; toss to combine.

Pollo Asado {Grilled Yucatecan Chicken) (4 of 150)

Holy Guacamole! This recipe was amazing. The flavor! This Pollo Asado recipe is derived from the flavors on the Yucatecan Peninsula. I've only been to Cancun there and, frankly, I don't remember this as an option - but I was younger and not yet food savvy. 

I speak Spanish and I know the word for delicious is delicioso, but I think you could sub in Pollo Asado to mean the same thing. 

What makes this marinade so special? Besides the wonderful citrus in it, the achiote paste adds such an amazingly warm, and comforting flavor to it. 

Not to be confused with achiote powder (which is ground annatto seeds without any additional spices added), achiote paste is soft brick of spices from Mexico like Mexican oregano, annatto seed, vinegar and coriander. It's a beautiful rust color and smells a little sweet with a savory after note.  And also, it stains things like dish towels. I'm just saying.

This paste is used primarily in the Yucatecan peninsula, but it can also be found in foods in parts of the Caribbean (do you say Care A Be an or Cah rib e n?)

So all that jibber jabber to say, make this recipe. I will be making it again. Because, after all, I have all this achiote paste that needs to be used. 

Pollo Asado {Grilled Yucatecan Chicken}

Recipe from Hola Jalapeno

Serves 4

• 1 whole 3-4 pound chicken or 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 1 c cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1/3 c orange juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 T lime juice
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T achiote paste
• 1 T kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin

Cut chicken. If using a whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces. Save the back bone for stock. Place chicken in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Blend marinade. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Marinate. Pour marinade over chicken and turn to coat it in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate preferably overnight but for at least 30 minutes.

Heat grill. Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat but only put charcoal in about half of the grill. If using a gas grill, leave one of the burners off. Remove chicken from the refrigerator while you wait for the grill to heat.

Grill chicken. Once the grill is hot, clean the grates and oil them then place the chicken, skin-side down and cover with the lid (but make sure the top and bottom air vents are open all the way) for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes check the chicken to see if any pieces are in an area of the grill that is too hot and they are burning. If so, move them to a cooler area of the grill.

Close the lid (again, make sure your vents are open) and let cook, undisturbed for 20 minutes. Flip chicken, putting any pieces that are cooking too quickly to the cooler side of the grill, and cook with the lid closed for another 20 minutes or until they are cooked through, the meat and skin is starting to pull away from the bone and the chicken is firm to the touch. If you want to be really sure, insert a meat thermometer or an instant read thermometer into the thickest piece, it should have an internal temperature of 165°F.

Tex-Mex Ground Beef Enchiladas (3 of 150)

Photo from Simply Mama Cooks Youtube

Y'all..I think we have our first favorite of 2023. These simple, yet scrumptious enchiladas were so easy
to make and so amazingly yummy.

There's a video from Simply Mama Cooks making these bad boys, in case you're interested in watching the magic. 

I now have two enchilada sauces in my arsenal that really means I'll never EVER buy canned enchilada sauce again. This recipe to make a "gravy" for these enchiladas just made my life and enchiladas so much better. 

Tex-Mex Ground Beef Enchiladas

Recipe from Simply Mama Cooks

Serves 4

• 2 T cooking oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 c onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 14 corn tortillas
• 12 oz shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
• 1/4 c cooking oil

Red Sauce

• 1/4 cooking oil
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 T chili powder
• 1 T chicken or beef bouillon powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 2 c water (room temperature) - I heated mine slightly in the microwave

In a preheated skillet over med heat, add cooking oil, ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Then brown until meat is cooked through. Set aside until ready to assemble enchiladas. 

In a medium to small pan, add 1/3 c cooking oil and preheat to low heat. Pass each tortilla through the hot oil (DO NOT COOK THEM). 2 -3 seconds on each side. Set each tortilla aside. Do all 14 tortillas. The idea is to make them pliable. 

To make the sauce, in med size pan, add cooking oil then evenly sprinkle flour to make a roux. Cook over med heat for 45 seconds to 1 minute. 

While continuing to stir, add chili powder, bouillon, garlic and onion powder and cumin. Slowly add water while constantly whisking.  Continue to stir and mix until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. 

In a 9X13 baking dish, add 1/3 c enchilada sauce and spread evenly over bottom of dish. Reserve a cup of cheese in a small bowl for later. 

To assemble, fill a corn tortilla with cooked ground beef and shredded cheese, and tightly roll. Place seam side down. Continue with all tortillas. 

Pour the sauce evenly over enchiladas. Top with cheese. 

Cover and bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an addition 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. 

Boursin Chicken (2 of 150)

Recipe from Salt
and Lavender

It's chicken night here at Chez Jenn's. Tonight's recipe sounded very interesting to me. When I read the title I immediately thought of the Boursin cheese, which I love. It never ever crossed my mind to melt it into a creamy sauce! Brilliant. 

This is a quick to pull together meal and full of flavor. DO NOT salt your chicken too much though. The Boursin has enough salt really. I over salted my chicken...again. Maybe my new year's resolution is to not use salt! 

I'd make this again for sure. That Boursin melted into a nice creamy sauce. I really REALLY wanted to put it over pasta, but new year trying to not eat as many carbs in one sitting. 

Boursin Chicken

Recipe from Salt and Lavender

Serves 4

• 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T butter
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 3/4 c chicken broth
• 1 (5.2 oz/150g) package Boursin Fine Herbs & Garlic cheese softened
• 1-2 T chopped parsley to taste, optional

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to get 4 thinner pieces. Season them with the garlic powder and some salt & pepper.

Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up for a few minutes. Cook the chicken for about 5-6 minutes/side or until cooked through, then transfer it to a plate.

To the skillet, add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned. If the pan seems dry, add a small splash more olive oil.

Add the chicken broth and the Boursin cheese to the skillet. Stir until you've got a smooth sauce. Let it bubble for 5 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley if using.

Add the chicken (and any plate juices) back into the skillet and let it warm through for a couple of minutes. The sauce should be thicker by now (you can always cook it a bit longer if need be). If it's too thick, you can add another splash of chicken broth.

Season with salt & pepper if needed (I find the sauce fairly salty when using regular broth) and serve immediately.

Beef and Guinness Stew (1 of 150)

Happy New Year! Welcome to a new year of new recipes! I've got a ton of them still, so we're going to keep cooking. I don't have any specific goal this year other than to keep cooking. 

As we start the new year, I'd like to make sure you all know (and understand) that for each of the recipes I cook, I don't cook the full serving. I usually cut it in half - or like in the case of this recipe, half again. I've had what I consider judge-y "comments" from people that they just can't believe I cook such full meals. I don't. Why would I? It's just me. Even cutting the recipe in half I have leftovers, so why would I cook for the full servings? 

Ok, with that off my chest. Let's talk about Guinness Stew. My first taste of a real Guinness Stew in Ireland blew me away. First because it was so amazingly delicious. Second because they asked if I wanted a side of veggies with it. I said, "sure." What I go was a bowl of mashed potatoes COVERED in Guinness stew that had potatoes and the side of veggies was French fries. Those Irish sure do like their potatoes. 

Since that time, I've tried several Guinness stew recipes. All of them are about the same and all of them, so far has been delicious, gravy based and full of real beef stew flavor. This one is no different. I got a little heavy handed with the salt again, but otherwise it was delicious. 

Beef and Guinness Stew

Recipe from Café Delights

Serves 8

• 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast , trimmed and cut into thick 1 1/2-inch pieces
• salt and pepper to season
• 4 T olive oil (plus more if needed)
• 2 medium-sized brown onions , chopped
• 1 T minced garlic
• 3 large carrots , peeled and chopped into thick slices
• 2 celery stalks , chopped into thick pieces
• 4 large potatoes , quartered
• 1/4 c plain flour
• 1 1/2 c Guinness Beer
• 3 T tomato paste
• 1 T brown sugar (optional)
• 4 c beef broth (beef stock)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Extra salt and pepper to season , to your tastes
• 2 T fresh parsley , chopped

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Season beef generously with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in Dutch oven or a heavy based, oven-proof pot over medium-high heat. Sear beef in batches of three or four until browned all over. (Use more oil where needed.) Transfer to a warm plate.

Add onion and garlic to the pan juices; sauté until soft and transparent. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir the flour into the vegetables in the pan, coating them evenly. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 2 minutes.

Pour in the Guinness; mix well to dissolve flour, then add the tomato paste, brown sugar, chicken broth and thyme, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, (about 5 minutes).

Add the beef back into the pot along with any juices released.

Partially cover the pot; transfer to the oven and bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours (stir stew twice through cooking). JW Note: I cooked it for an hour with the lid on and then 1.5 hours with the lid off).

Carefully remove from the oven, and season with salt and pepper, if desired, to your tastes. Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.

2022 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.