Taco Hand Pies (122 of 150)

I am a sucker for an empanada. They aren't easy to find locally and of the ones I've found they haven't been great. I've made "hand pies" before and I had forgotten 1) how good they are and 2) how easy they are.

The recipe says this will make 12. I really don't know how that's possible. She recommends in her blog post to cut the dough in 5" circles. I did that and I only got 8 out of the two pie crusts. And if this is a meal, a serving seems around 2 - 3 per person. So, I would not assume you'd get 12 out of it, unless you made them smaller. 

I'm going to add these to my favorites for this year. They were very tasty. I put hot sauce / salsa over them and had a side of sour cream to dip them in. 

Taco Hand Pies

Recipe from Everyday Made Fresh

Serves 12

1 box Pilsbury refrigerated Pie Crust you will need both from the box

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 c shredded cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Remove the pie dough from the fridge and follow the directions on the box before using. (It says something about allowing to sit at room temp)

While you are waiting, cook your ground beef, drain the grease, and stir in the taco seasoning. Set aside, and allow to cool completely before using.

Unroll your pie crusts, and cut into 5 inch round circles. I found that a ramekin was the exact size I needed, and used that as my guide. You should be able to get 6 circles from one crust. You will cut three, and then lightly flour your surface, and roll out, with a rolling pin, and you'll be able to get 3 more.

Place the dough on the parchment lined baking pans. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the taco meat. Top with about 2 teaspoons of cheese. Fold the sides together, to create a half-circle, and using a fork, firmly seal the edges. Repeat until you have 12 Taco Hand Pies ready to bake.

You can spray the dough with non-stick cooking spray or you can use one beaten egg to brush on the tops to create a nice golden brown color. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is browned.

Swiss Steak with Tomato Gravy (121 of 150)

Swiss steak is a curiosity to me. It has all the ingredients I like (minus sun dried tomatoes), but where does it come from? I never had it as a kid - though it very much feels like a 70's type of meal. 

So I sent to the interwebs and I found this: 

"The recipe for Swiss steak first appeared in print in England in 1915. Sylvia Lovegren's book, “Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads,” notes the recipe appeared in print in the United States in 1924. It wasn't until the 1940s that the recipe appeared in multiple cookbooks."

and this

"Tough cuts of beef, like bottom round, top round, and chuck, go through a mechanical tenderizer, or a swissing machine, and come out the other end with cube-shaped indentations (hence it's other name, cube steak)."

and then finally this: 

"Swiss steak is a dish of meat, usually beef, that is swissed by rolling or pounding before being braised in a cooking pot of stewed vegetables and seasonings. It is often served with gravy. It is made either on a stove or in an oven, and does not get its name from Switzerland, as the name suggests, but the technique of tenderizing by pounding or rolling called "swissing".

 I guess at the end of the day it's just a way to serve really tough meat. Got it. 

This recipe was delicious! It had a nice tomato-y flavor, but not overly so. The braising really makes the meat so tender (I used cube steak for this - because that's what I had in the freezer.)

I'd make this again. It'd be a nice cool fall or winter day.

Swiss Steak with Tomato Gravy

Recipe from Cook's Country

Serves 6

1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless top blade roast (see note)

Salt and pepper

2 T vegetable oil

1 onion, halved and sliced thin

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp dried thyme

2 T tomato paste

1 T all-purpose flour

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 ½ c low-sodium chicken broth

1 T sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rinsed, patted dry, and minced

1 T finely chopped fresh parsley

BUTCHER ROAST Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut roast crosswise into quarters and remove line of gristle to yield 8 steaks.

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat just until smoking. Brown 4 steaks, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining oil and steaks.

Add onion to empty pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, tomato paste, and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in diced tomatoes and broth and bring to boil.

Return steaks and any accumulated juices to pan. Transfer to oven and braise, covered, until steaks are fork-tender, about 2 hours. Transfer steaks to platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Skim fat from sauce. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over steaks. Serve.

Mexican Street Tacos (120 of 150)

Here we are again with another recipe for street tacos. They really are among my favorite-est of foods. And I am definitely not interested in apologizing for so many street tacos recipes. 

I only got to marinade the flank steak for about 2.5 hours. I wish I would have remembered at lunch time to set up the marinade, but alas, I forgot.  If you make this, think about a much longer marinating time. The more you leave it, the more flavor. 

I grilled the steak because I just can't fry steak for tacos. The piece of flank steak I bought was rather fatty and grilled up real juicy like. I grilled/heated my street taco tortillas while the steak was resting. I did not burn a single one, surprisingly. 

I served this with my favorite toppings of white onion diced, jalapeno diced, cilantro and lime juice. It's pretty traditional for toppings. 

Mexican Street Tacos

Recipe from Life-in-the-lofthouse.com

Serves 4

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 3 T fresh lime juice
• 3 T soy sauce (I use low-sodium soy sauce)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
• 2 pounds flank steak or skirt steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 12 street taco size OR mini corn or flour tortillas

TOPPINGS:

• freshly chopped cilantro
• freshly diced red onion
• fresh limes cut into wedges

Pour vegetable oil, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano into a large bowl. Whisk to combine everything together.

Place steak pieces into the marinade mixture; stir and toss to coat all the steak in the marinade. Cover bowl with a lid and place in refrigerator. Let steak marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

(Cook steak in two separate batches to prevent over-crowding the skillet.)

Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the steak from the marinade. Place steak pieces in hot skillet. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes or until steak reaches your desired temperature.

Place cooked steak onto a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Cook remaining batch of steak the same way. Discard marinade.

Serve warm steak in warmed tortillas and top with desired amount of fresh cilantro, red onion and lime juice. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Sunday Stew (119 of 150)

This wasn't a great recipe. I really can't figure out why either. It lacked flavor to me and the jalapenos gave it a weird flavor. 

I forgot to get potatoes so we didn't have potatoes - maybe that would have made it better. Hard to say. 

I will chalk this one up an experience and file it into the "no need to make again". 

Slow Cooker Sunday Stew

Recipe from Food Network

Serves 6

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium onions, cut into quarters, keeping the root end intact
• One 10-ounce container plain white button mushrooms, wiped clean
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 medium red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, halved and partially seeded
• 1 c beer
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• About 2 cups beef broth
• 2 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles, recipe follows, for serving
• 2 T fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
• Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles:
• 1 pound pasta (fettuccine, linguine, angel hair)
• 4 T (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside. Pour off any excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet.

Put the flour and some salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag and add the beef. Toss to coat the beef thoroughly. Heat the bacon grease in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the skillet in 2 batches and brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Set aside.

Put the onions in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the beef, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, garlic and jalapeno. Season with a big pinch of salt and some black pepper. Cut the bacon into large pieces and sprinkle them over the top.

Pour the beer into a pitcher, whisk in the tomato paste and Worcestershire and then pour it over the vegetables. Add enough beef broth to just cover the meat and top with the parsley and rosemary sprigs. 

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Bacon Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes (118 of 150)

The niece and her wife are in town so I thought I'd make them my famous ribs. To go along with the ribs I usually make Mom's Mac Salad, but this time I thought I'd make something different. 

Found this recipe on FB and knew it was the right recipe for this meal. I love twice baked potatoes and never make them for myself. This one has all the trimmings too and that's going to make it yummy!

When I make these again, I'd cut the butter in half and not use the milk. They were a little "loose". Delicious all the same. 

Bacon Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 6

3 large russet potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup butter melted

1/4 cup milk warm

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature

3 jalapenos finely diced

8 pieces cooked bacon chopped

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar plus more for garnish

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack plus more for garnish

Kosher salt/pepper

sour cream

green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Scrub potatoes clean and then poke each potato with a fork several times, and place on a baking sheet. Rub the olive oil on the potatoes and salt generously with kosher salt. Bake 1 hour or until fork-tender.

Remove potatoes from oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees

When the potatoes are fully cooked, slice each potato in half, scoop out the inside, and place it into a bowl. Add butter, milk, cream cheese, jalapenos, and bacon ( leave some out for garnish) and mix together until combined. Mix in cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the potato mixture back into the potato skins, add diced bacon on top and sprinkle with some additional cheese. Place bake into the oven for 15 minutes to let the cheese melt.

Top with sour cream, bacon, and green onions...Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato and Cucumber Salad (117 of 150)

Photo from Spicy
Southern Kitchen

I often look for a salad I can make that isn't lettuce. It's hard for me since there's a lot of side salads
without lettuce that I don't like. Thankfully I like tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Janet's tomato  plants are delivering a LOT of tomatoes this season. Perfect opportunity to make this salad. It's light and a delicious side salad for the summer. 

Creamy Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 6

• 1/3 c sour cream
• 2 T mayonnaise
• 1 T cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
• 1 medium cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 1 sweet or red onion, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and dill.

Add cucumber, tomato, and onion. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

Copycat Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger (116 of 150)

Red Robin is one of the places that I think has good burgers. When I go I either order the Bacon Burger with Cheese or the Whisky River BBQ Burger. Though, every time I order it, they get my order wrong. 

See, I don't like veggies on my burgers. So I ask to hold the lettuce and tomato. For some reason that translates to the kitchen staff to also leave off the BBQ sauce. It happens more often then getting my order right. 

This burger I controlled what went on my burger. It had all the hallmarks of the WR BBQ Burger...beef, American cheese, fried onions and BBQ sauce. I cheated though and bought BBQ sauce. 

Copycat Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger

Recipe from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Serves 6

• 2 lbs. 80/20 ground beef
• Oil, for brushing on burgers
• 6 seeded hamburger buns
• 12 T mayonnaise
• Onion Rings - Thin & Crispy
• Bourbon Whiskey BBQ Sauce
• 6 slices Cheddar cheese
• 12 slices tomato
• 2 c chopped lettuce

While the grill preheats, divide and shape the ground beef into 6 patties. Brush the burgers lightly with oil.

Grill the burgers until browned and slightly charred on the first side (about 3-4 minutes). Flip the burgers over and continue to cook until desired doneness - about 4 minutes for medium-rare, longer for a more done burger. Drizzle burgers with Bourbon Whiskey BBQ Sauce and place one slice of cheese on each burger. Cook an additional minute or until the cheese just begins to melt. Remove from the heat and set aside while you assemble the burgers.

To assemble the burger, spread the cut side of both parts of the bun with 1 tbsp. mayonnaise on each half. Place Onion Rings on top of the cut side of the bottom bun portion. Add the burger with sauce and cheese. Top with tomatoes and lettuce. Replace the top bun over the top of the sandwich. Serve!

No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (115 of 150)

Photo from Food52

I'm very into making ice cream this year. Its so easy to do and yet I have not been able to master it in
any way. I've tried several failed low carb versions. I've tried some so-so low carb ones too. THIS recipe is not low carb, but it could be. 

I have another recipe to make low carb sweetened condensed milk. It takes time and patience and we all know how much patience I have. 

In the spirit of just trying a new recipe, I decided to make this one. I did NOT follow the directions because I have an ice cream maker and I decided to use that instead of the directions. I think, in the end, the results are the same. 

I'd make this again in a heart beat. Super easy and I can think of so many variants to this. Nutella, Swap kahlua with Irish cream; add peanut butter (using another liquor  of course)

No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream

Recipe from Food52

Serves 4 to 6

• 3/4 c sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 c liqueur of choice (see author notes)
• 1/3 c plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 c heavy cream, super cold

Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, liqueur, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Gently fold all the whipped cream in the cocoa mixture. Pour the mixture in a container and let it freeze overnight. Serve it as soon as you pull it out of the freezer—it will be nice and scoopable. Bonus points if you serve it in a frozen bowl. Don’t let it sit at room temperature for too long, it will start melting fast.

Beef and Noodles (114 of 150)

Janet was over to go over our Portugal trip and I promised to make dinner. In hindsight I should have made something Portuguese. Ah well.

Beef and Noodles recipes usually use a packet of Brown Gravy. I think that stuff tastes weird and so I rarely make those recipes. THIS recipe however, will go into the favorite box. 

This recipe is basically a stroganoff, but my god was it good. The cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic made this recipe. Where has that been all my life? 

The instructions say to add a dollop of sour cream on the meal before serving. I added about 3/4 c into the mixture with the noodles and beef. I'm glad I did. It was delicious. 

Beef and Noodles

Recipe from The Southern Lady Cooks

Serves 8

• 1 2 lb beef chuck roast
• 2 10.5 ounce cans of cream of mushroom with roasted garlic undiluted
• 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
• 1 12 ounce package of egg noodles
• Sour cream to garnish

Place beef chuck roast, cream of mushroom with roasted garlic and dry onion mix in a slow cooker. 

Cook on high for 5 hours or low 7-8 hours. 

Shred beef. 

Make egg noodles according to package, drain and then add to roast and gravy. Mix well. Serve garnished with a little sour cream

Birria De Res Con Consommé (113 of 150)

Birria...so yummy. I've made Birria a couple of times and each time I'm reminded at how yummy it is. 

I'll admit though, while I'm posting this as a new recipe, I've gotta say I made significant changes to it because my planning for the ingredients wasn't like it should have been. 

First, the spices. I'm not inclined to buy the "seeds" and then grind them myself. I used already ground seasoning for cumin, coriander and pepper.

Second, I thought I had ancho chilis, but apparently used them and didn't restock them. So I swapped those for pasilla. I prefer pasilla anyhow, so it was ok. 

Finally, I did the slow cooker  and I completely missed adding the vinegar. Oh well. At the end of the day, it was still delicious and I'd make it again. Though I doubt I'd need a recipe at this point. I've made birria enough now that it's like making beef stew for me...I know what goes into it and "ingredients" and amounts are really guidelines.

Birria De Res Con Consommé

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 6

• 2 dried guajillo chilies
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 2 dried chipotle chilies
• 1 c water, just boiled
• 1 T cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1/4 stick cinnamon
• 1 T oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato puree
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 c cider vinegar
• 1 T oil
• 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• salt and pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 c beef broth (or chicken broth)
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 2 c Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 c beef from Birria de Res Con Consome, drained from broth and shredded, warm
• 2 c broth from Birria de Res Con Consome, warm

Lightly toast the chilies in a heavy bottomed skillet for 30 seconds per side before soaking in the just boiled water until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon, in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, before grinding in a spice grinder.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and the spices from step 2 and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the tomato puree, oregano, paprika, allspice and vinegar, bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Remove the stems and seeds from the soaked chilies and puree them, along with the soaking water and the sauce from the pan, in a food processor until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, season the beef with salt and pepper and brown on all sides.

Add the pureed chilli sauce to the pan with the beef along with the bay leaves and broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2 hours.

Slow Cooker: Implement steps 1-7, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours.

Option: Skim any fat off of the top after cooking. If you place the pot in the fridge overnight, the fat will solidify on the top and you can more easily remove it!

Option: Use more or less broth depending on how thick or thin you desire the broth to be.

Option: Season with salt, honey and vinegar to taste, balancing out the spicy, salty, sweet and sour.

Working in batches, place the tortillas into a heavy bottom skillet, over medium heat, sprinkle on some cheese followed by beef.

When the cheese has melted gently fold in half and continue to cook until both sides are crispy golden brown!

Enjoy with warm broth from Birria de Res Con Consome on the side for dipping the tacos into!

Sliced-Tomato Salad with Dill Pickle Relish Vinaigrette (112 of 150)

It's tomato season. I've been dying to get a tomato that actually tastes like a tomato and isn't all gross inside. I have yet to find one. 

This week I decided to go ahead and spend the $$ for heirloom tomatoes. I found a veggie stand not that far from my house a couple of weeks ago and bought my heirlooms from them. And surprisingly not as expensive as I thought. 

This is a refreshing recipe. It's delicious. The brine from the dill pickle relish really makes the dish. It's just dill enough without being too dill. 

I served this along Steak Fingers that you can find the recipe for here. 

Sliced-Tomato Salad with Dill Pickle Relish Vinaigrette

Recipe from Real Simple

Serves 4

• ¼ c olive oil
• ⅓ c  dill pickle relish
• 1 T fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ pounds heirloom tomatoes, cored and sliced (about 2 large)
• 1 c thinly sliced English cucumber 
• ⅓ c roughly torn mixed tender herbs (such as basil and dill)
• flaky sea salt (optional)

Whisk together olive oil, relish, lemon juice, honey, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Arrange tomato and cucumber slices on a platter. 

Drizzle vinaigrette over tomatoes and cucumbers; sprinkle with herbs and, if desired, sea salt.

Steak Fingers (111 of 150)

Pretty much anything fried I'm on board for. That's how I've kept my girlish figure. Though lately, trying to eat "healthier", fried foods aren't really something I make (or try to eat). In fact, I'm horrible at frying foods. I usually have my oil too hot. 

Tonight I made these "Steak Fingers". I actually fried them successfully. I kept my oil temp nice and even so I didn't burn everything. 

This was an ok recipe. Not a hard recipe and is barely a recipe. I added season salt to the flour and completely missed adding lemon pepper. I thought I had some, but did not. So sad. 

I don't see any reason to make this again. It's a good recipe, but one I can just say I've done. So many more recipes to try.

I served this along side a tomato salad that I'll make again for sure. Read all about it here.

Steak Fingers

Recipe from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Serves 4

1 pound boneless beef top round steak, tenderized

1 tsp tsp salt

1/2 c buttermilk

1 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c vegetable oil

Place the steak between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to ¼-inch thickness.

Cut the steak into strips. Season with lemon pepper and salt.

Drip the strips into the buttermilk and dredge in the flour.

Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil on a skillet over medium heat. Add half of the strips and brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining strips.

Serve hot.

Beef Enchiladas (110 of 150)

Anyone who knows me, knows that Mexican food is my favorite. I could eat tacos almost every day. The days I wouldn't eat tacos, I'd eat enchiladas. 

For years, the ONLY enchilada recipe I'd make was my mom's. It's still the best for me for sentimental reasons - and they're pretty darn good. 

I've since made these AMAZING cheese enchiladas a couple of times. And tonight, I'm trying my hand at some beef enchiladas.

What struck me immediately about this recipe was adding diced green chilis and pinto beans to the enchilada filling. That sounded amazing. 

What didn't I do?

1. I didn't use flour tortillas. I really dislike enchiladas made of flour tortillas. I feel like they get mushy and the texture gets weird. So I used corn and made them flexible by running them through hot oil to soften them up (Mom did it, so I do it).

2. I just read in the instructions about putting enchilada sauce INSIDE the enchilada. I've never seen that before and missed it in the recipe so didn't do it. Honestly I think it's a waste. 

3. I seasoned my beef with chili powder because - well that's what I always do. Again, Mom did it so I do it.

I served mine with some sour cream on top and ate nothing else with them. You're gonna want to make these. They were amazing.

Beef Enchiladas

Recipe from Gimme some Oven

Serves 8

Enchilada sauce (You could also just buy canned. But why? This is so easy)

• 2 T avocado oil or olive oil
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c chili powder (see note below)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 c chicken or vegetable stock
• fine sea salt, to taste

Enchilada Meat

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

8 large flour tortillas*

3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese

toppings: fresh cilantro, chopped red onions, diced avocado, sour cream, and/or crumbled cotija cheese

Enchilada Sauce

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 more minute, whisking constantly.

Gradually pour in the stock, whisking constantly to combine until no lumps remain.  Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer (the sauce should continue lightly bubbling) for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Check for seasoning; adjust as needed. Use immediately in your favorite recipe and enjoy!

Enchilada Filling:

Sauté the beef filling. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground beef and cumin and sauté for 5 minutes or until completely browned, crumbling the beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Stir in the beans and green chiles until combined. Season the mixture with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.

Prep oven and baking dish. Heat oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly along the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Assemble the enchiladas. 

To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beef filling, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla. Add a generous spoonful of the beef filling in a line down the center of the tortilla, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the prepared baking dish. Assemble the remaining enchiladas. Spread any remaining sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, followed by any extra cheese.

Bake. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the enchiladas are cooked through and the tortillas are slightly crispy on the outside. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack.

Serve. Serve the enchiladas immediately while they’re nice and hot, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Tomato Chicken Pasta (109 of 250)

This recipe had such promise. Tomato base pasta sauces are my jam. But something wasn't quite right. 

I'd change a couple things up if I made this again. 

1) didn't need to dredge chicken in flour. I never so. I know it's used to thicken the sauce, but it's one place to cut back on carbs (I know...I'm eating spaghetti)

2) I'd deglaze with the wine and follow that step, but I wouldn't add the tomato paste. I'd add the cream first. Adding cream to a tomato based sauce tends to cause the cream to curdle. And it did this time too. I even took the sauce off the heat and let it cool a little before adding the cream. Still got grainy and curdle. 

3) DO NOT add the parmesan cheese while the sauce is hot. The heat will definitely separate the cheese. I was lucky this time, but it's a good reminder. And for God's said, buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself when adding to a sauce. It' makes it taste better and melts better.  

I also completely missed the seasonings to be added. They were listed "below the fold" and I missed them. Which makes why it tasted not so great before I added my own seasonings (which weren't too far off on these.)

Tomato Chicken Pasta

Recipe from The Cozy Cook

Serves 4

Chicken

• 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt/Pepper
• 1/3 c flour
• 1-2 T olive oil

Pasta/Sauce

• ½ c dry white wine, see notes
• 3 T butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T tomato paste
• ¾ c chicken broth
• 1 ¼ c half and half, (half cream, half milk)
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• ¾ c grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ lb. linguine

Seasonings

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder

Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Season each side and dredge it in flour. Sear in olive oil. Set aside and let it rest for 10 minutes, then cut into strips.

Add white wine, butter, and garlic to the same skillet. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the pan and let the liquid bubble gently and reduce by half.

Add tomato paste, followed by chicken broth, half and half, honey, hot sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low while you cook the pasta.

Gradually stir Parmesan cheese into the sauce just before adding the pasta.

Add the drained pasta along with the cooked chicken and toss to combine and heat through. Serve!

Chocolate Keto Frosty Low Carb Shake (108 of 150)

Its still hot here in Seattle. I needed a treat that was cold and not full of calories. I realized that I didn't exactly follow the recipe when I made this. I'm not sure why, maybe I assumed. 

I mixed all the ingredients together in a Bullet blender. I find that helps break down the cocoa powder and the sugar so it's not gritty. 

After I zipped it, I put it in an ice cream maker. I bought a single server ice cream maker and it really does the trick. After running it for 20 minutes, the texture was like a frosty. 

I added a tablespoon of Kahlua to it too so it wouldn't freeze rock solid and gave it a little flavor.

Chocolate Keto Frosty Low Carb Shake

Recipe from Low Carb Yum

Serves 1

• 6 T heavy whipping cream
• 5 T unsweetened almond milk
• ⅛ tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp Truvia or 2 T equivalent sugar substitute

Start whipping cream with mixer until soft peaks form.

Slowly add remaining ingredients.

Continue beating until stiffer peaks form.

Put mixture in freezer.

After 20 minutes, remove from freezer and stir with fork to break up frozen areas around edges.

Keep checking mix every 20 minutes and stir until it’s cold enough and the right consistency.

Korean Style Pork Chops (107 of 150)

It's hot here. Like hot hot. So I am not going to turn on my stove or oven for any reason. I grilled
these chops instead of baking them. First, I'm not a fan of baking meats when I can grill them. And second, it's too damn hot to have the oven on for any length of time. 

These were good. I think they need to marinade more than what this recipe says. I marinaded the chops for about an hour and it needed to be longer still. The marinade is really flavorful and I wish there was more in the chop. 

Also, since I grilled them, I should have kept some of the marinade aside to dip the chop in or baste the chop in. 

At the end of the day, it was a good recipe. 

Korean Style Pork Chops

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

• 4 pork chops (boneless)
• 1 T olive oil
• ¼ c soy sauce
• 2 T honey
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ginger (minced)
• 2 tsp gochujang (red chili paste) or sriracha
• black pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

In a medium size bowl whisk together the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and gochujang. Pour over pork chops and let marinade for about 20 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet for medium high heat. Add pork chops, without marinade, and cook for about 5 minutes for the first side, or until it gets a nice brownish color. Flip the pork chops and pour the remaining marinade over them. Cook another 5 min on this side.

Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking them. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until pork chops are completely cooked through.

Best Ever Baked Beans (106 of 150)

Photo from Dance
Around the Kitchen

Again with the "best ever". I tell ya, if you put that in front of any recipe, it had better bring it. 

Tonight was Sunday dinner. We had a small group so I opted to forego the theme (Peruvian) and do ribs instead. Ribs are much easier in a small group (and less expensive). I did my famous ribs for the crew and as usual they loved them. The only time this family seems to be silent is when we're eating ribs. All you hear is "mmmmm". 

Along side ribs, I usually do Mom's Mac Salad and buy canned baked beans. This time, I opted for this broccoli salad and these "Best Ever" Baked beans. 

Let's start with what went wrong. 

I, um, didn't get burger. So these beans didn't get the burger in them. Honestly, I didn't miss them. Bakes beans don't get burger to me. 

What went right? These reminded me of the beans my mom used to make! I'd make these again (without burger) again in a heart beat. Super easy to make. 

I did mine in a slow cooker since I had the oven taken over by ribs. 

Best Ever Baked Beans

Recipe from Dance Around the Kitchen

Serves 18 (so I cut this bad boy in half)

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 slices bacon
• One 28 ounce can pork and beans drained
• One 8 ounce can homestyle pork and beans
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Brown the ground beef, drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon until crispy in the oven or in a skillet. Let cool then crumble or chop into small pieces.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the slow cooker), combine the beans, ground beef, bacon, onions, sugar, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and vinegar.

Cook the beans:

In a slow cooker on high for 1 hour (stirring occasionally) or low for 2-3 hours OR

In a saucepan on medium-low heat for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) OR

In a baking dish in a 350°F oven for 1 hour

Barbequed Steaks (105 of 150)

I was not sure how this was going to turn out. The ingredients for the BBQ marinade were such an odd combination for me. I think what threw me off was the two types of BBQ sauce. 

That aside, this was a delicious recipe. I marinaded it for 5 hours and then grilled it on low. The BBQ sauce was really tangy and had a whole lot going on. I think a little hot sauce would have put it over the top for sure. Next time. 

Barbequed Steaks

Recipe from South Your Mouth

Serves 4

• 6-8 thinly sliced inexpensive steaks (see above)
• 1 c mustard based barbeque sauce
• 1 c traditional red (ketchup based) barbeque sauce
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T molasses
• 1 T honey
• 2 T A.1. steak sauce
• Salt & pepper

Combine barbeque sauces, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, honey and steak sauce in a large sealable container or zip-top bag. Add steaks and marinate overnight or for at least 8-10 hours.

Remove steaks from marinade then season with salt and pepper. Reserve marinade.

Grill steaks over medium to medium-high heat until cooked through (approximately 10 minutes on each side). Baste with reserved marinade half way through cooking time. You can't cook these too hot or the marinade will burn (there's a lot of sugar in bbq sauce).

Carne Asada Tacos (104 of 150)

I've made several carne asada street tacos in my day. To date, this has been my favorite. It's lead ends today! 

That's right, this recipe was so delicious that I swear it came from a restaurant. The key, thin skirt steak! I specifically asked the butcher for thin skirt steak this time. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I noted that restaurant carne asada is always thin. Thinner than flank steak, which is what most carne asada recipes use. 

When I saw skirt steak on this ingredient list, I figured why not as for it to be thin. I literally told the butcher I was making carne asada when he asked "how thin?" and he cut it perfectly. (BTW, befriend the butcher in your favorite grocery store. They can usually give you inside scoop on cuts and are always happy to cut something special.)

I served this along side the traditional onion, cilantro, lime salsa. I'll be burping onions all night, but it was worth every bite.

I marinaded it for 6 hours. The steak can take it and I think that's the reason this one was so damn yummy.

Carne Asada Tacos

Recipe from Baking Mischief

Serves 4

Carne Asada Marinade

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds skirt, flank, or flap steak
• 1/2 c orange juice bottled is fine
• 1/2 c soy sauce low-sodium is fine
• 1/4 c lemon juice bottled is fine
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 T lime juice bottled is fine
• 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chili pepper OR 1 tsp finely chopped canned chipotle pepper, optional
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped about 3/4 cup very loosely packed

Tacos

• 1/2 red onion sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (do not separate the layers)
• 1 medium avocado sliced
• 8 taco-size tortillas flour or corn are fine
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro for topping
• 2 limes quartered, optional for topping

Carne Asada Marinade

Place steak in a gallon plastic bag or shallow container for marinating. In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, stir together all marinade ingredients and pour marinade over the steak. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, flipping the meat halfway through.

Carne Asada and Onions

Adjust the top rack in your oven so it’s about 4 inches from the broiler and heat broiler on high. Transfer meat to a foil-lined heavy-duty baking sheet or broiler pan. Place onion rounds around the meat on the baking tray wherever they will fit.

Broil for 4 to 6 minutes per side (flip both the meat and the onion rounds), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak reads 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium.

If onions have not yet reached your desired level of doneness, you can transfer the meat to a cutting board and return onions to the oven. Once onions are done, slice the rounds in half, separate the slices, and toss them in the pan juices. Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain into strips.

Assemble Tacos

Gently warm tortillas by placing them on a plate and covering the stack with a damp paper towel. Microwave until heated through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Top warmed tortillas with sliced carne asada, onions, sliced avocado and cilantro. If desired, add a squeeze of lime juice, and enjoy!

Chocolate Toffee No-Bake Cookies (103 of 150)

Photo from Food Network

Happy Sunday everyone. I recently did an inventory of my pantry to see what's in there and what needs
to go. I found an entire canister of oats! I don't even remember buying them so figured the HAD to get used.

I thought briefly about Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies, but didn't really want to turn the oven on. So no bake cookies were my next choice. 

I didn't at all follow their instructions. I think it's weird to put everything in the pan at once and let things melt from there. So everything went in the pan except the oats and toffee bits. Once everything was melted I added the oats, stirred well, THEN added the toffee bits. I wanted the toffee bits to stay harder than the rest. 

Chocolate Toffee No-Bake Cookies

Recipe from Food Network

Makes 12-14 cookies

3 c quick-cooking oats

1 c peanut butter

1/2 c bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 c toffee bits, plus more for sprinkling

2 T softened unsalted butter

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Combine the oats, peanut butter, bitter and semisweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate chips melt, 3 to 5 minutes.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet and sprinkle each cookie with extra toffee bits. Freeze for 15 minutes before serving. The cookies can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 1 week.