Italian Bean Soup

Photo from Yellow 
Bliss Road

I'm not really sure about this soup. All the ingredients are ingredients I love so it seems like I should love this soup, but it didn't hit quite right. 

Honestly, I think I'm so careful with salt now that this lacked salt. I added some to my bowl after and it wasn't exactly what was missing. At any rate, it was good enough for a meal and will be good enough for lunch tomorrow. 

Actually now that I think about it, I know the problem. I used ground beef instead of ground Italian sausage. That would have made all the difference. Why no Italian sausage you ask? Well, I didn't buy any. I'm really not sure how I missed it, but I did.

Italian Bean Soup

Recipe from Yellow Bliss Road

Serves 6

• Olive oil
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage sweet or spicy
• 1 c diced onion
• ½ c sliced carrots
• ½ c sliced celery
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp salt plus more to taste
• ½ tsp pepper plus more to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 15 ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
• 32 ounces beef broth
• 2-3 T fresh minced parsley
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional

Melt a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion and cook, stirring often, until sausage is fully cooked. Add carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning and bay leaf, tomato paste and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Pour in crushed tomatoes, beans and beef broth. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Discard bay leaf and stir in fresh parsley. Divide into bowls and service, garnished with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Carne Guisada (Braised Beef)

Photo from Closet Cooking

I've made Carne Guisada number of times. It's one of those recipes that I keep trying to find THE BEST version of. 

This one, was not. If you're interested in all the other ones I've made, here's the search. The Traditional Tejano Carne Guisada was my favorite.

I'm not really sure why this one wasn't so great, but it was just ok. I'm gonna stick with the other one when I want to make Carne Guisada. And/Or try new ones as they come up.

Carne Guisada (Braised Beef)

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 8

• 1 T oil (or lard or bacon grease)
• 3 pounds stewing beef (such as chuck), cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 1/4 c flour (optional) (rice flour for gluten-free)
• 1 onion, diced (~1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground
• 2 tsp cumin, ground
• 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped *
• 1 tomato, diced (~1 cup)
• 1 c beef broth (or water)
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt to taste

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

Toss the meat in the flour, add to the pan and brown on all sides before setting aside.

Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, pepper, cumin and chipotle chilies and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the tomatoes and cook until the start to release their juices and break down a bit, about 5 minutes.

Add the beef and broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2 hours, adding extra broth (or water) as needed OR transfer to a preheated 350F/180C oven and roast, covered, until the beef is tender, about 2-3 hours, OR transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.

Option: The flour is used to thicken the sauce and it can be omitted.

Option: Add diced bell peppers.

Option: Add diced potatoes.

Option: Add extra broth (or water) if you desire a more stew/soup like version!

Wendy’s Chili Copycat

Photo from Insanely Good Recipes

It's October Sunday dinner night. And I thought I'd bring bag "Frito Lollies" for dinner. I made these the "tradition" about 10 years ago and then somehow stopped. Mom made these EVERY Christmas Eve. So keeping with that tradition, but moved it to October. 

Chili is always a crowd pleaser. And on a nice fall day in October, it's warmth and comfort fits the bill. But, tonight, I thought I would try a new recipe instead of my chili recipe. Which, by the way, is not written down anywhere. I feel like chili is a lot like soups to me, it's really anything goes and a fairly simple recipe for me. 

But I digress. So I found this copycat recipe and thought I'd give it a try. It was better than my chili recipe. No lie. I don't think I've ever had Wendy's Chili, but I might have it now if it tastes like this chili did. 

The only odd thing, to me, about this recipe was adding celery to the chili. Honestly I don't think you could taste it at all by the time it cooked for several hours. I did not, of course, add the bell pepper in. Gross. When I make it again I won't add the celery. It seemed like a waste. 

Wendy’s Chili Copycat

Recipe from Insanely Good Recipes

Makes 10 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds ground beef

2 stalks celery

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 (1.25 ounce) packages chili seasoning

1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained

1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon white vinegar

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

Place the ground beef in the pot. Press the beef down to form one large patty. Let the bottom brown for 8 to 10 minutes, then use a spatula to break it into bite-size crumbles. Cook until no longer pink (about 5 more minutes).

Stir in the celery, onion, and green bell pepper, and cook until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).

Pour in the stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Break up any large pieces of stewed tomatoes, then stir in chili seasoning.

Add in the kidney beans and pinto beans. Salt and pepper to your desired taste.

Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir the vinegar into chili. Serve and enjoy!

Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Eating lower calorie and less sugar is easy for me for lunch and dinner. Breakfast, not so much. I need a lot of protein at breakfast and I'm not a fan of eggs. Therefore, I'm constantly looking for something different. 

I've made some Keto chocolate chip muffins before that were, dense, but delicious. They fit what I was looking for. 

I stumbled onto these on Ambitious Kitchen's blog and knew I had to try them. I whipped up a batch this morning and had one for lunch. Y'all, these are (also dense) but so dag-gum delicious. The banana and peanut butter together. Yummy! 

What I didn't do: I didn't put in mini chips, but swapped them out for sugar free chocolate chips. You really can't tell the difference. 

What I did do: 

• I added about a tablespoon sugar replacement (I use Swerve). I didn't have pure maple syrup but only the Wholesome Yum Sugar free maple syrup and I thought I might need some more sweet. It added exactly the right amount of sweet. 
• I also used sugar free peanut butter (Jiff) instead of what she has in her recipe.

Make these muffins. You won't regret it. I'm freezing some, handing some over to Janet and Sherrie and keeping a couple out for me for breakfast tomorrow.

Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Recipe from Ambitious Kitchen

Makes 12

Wet ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium ripe bananas)
• ¾ cup (192g) natural creamy or crunchy drippy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup (78g) pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon dairy free milk of choice (I like almond milk)

Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup (92g) gluten free oat flour (you can make your own -- see the full blog psot)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup (60g) mini chocolate chips (dairy free, if desired, plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line a 12-cup muffin liner with muffin liners and spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray to prevent muffins from sticking to liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, peanut butter, eggs, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract and milk of choice until smooth.

Next stir in the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter into muffin liners.

Bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer muffins to wire rack to cool and enjoy! Makes 12 muffins.

Beef Barley Soup

It was a beautiful autumn day here in Seattle. The sun was out, it was crisp and it seemed like a perfect day to make soup. This time of year I try to make soup at least once a week. I love making soups and they make a great leftover.

I had some pearl barely from a recipe I made some weeks ago and I wanted to use them up. Note, I have not used them up. A little goes a long way with barely. The recipe calls for a cup of barely. I did not put in a full cup, I put in about 1/2 c. And that was enough for me. If you like a barely heavy soup, use 1 c. 

What I didn't do: 

• Oddly, I forgot to put the garlic in. Not sure I missed it because there were a lot of flavors here that were good. 
• I also left out the bay leaves. I'm not convinced they do squat to soups and stews. They're expensive and I really don't think they are necessary. 
• I didn't put in the potatoes. I felt like this was already carb heavy with the barley and the beans. 
• I didn't dredge the beef in flour either. I don't need the extra carbs and I am not convinced it would have made any difference. I like my soups more brothy than stew-y. 

What I did do:

• Beans you say. What beans? Yah, so my brain had it that this recipe called for a can of navy beans. I had dumped them in before I realized they didn't belong. They were yummy in this recipe though. 

This was a good recipe. I'd make it again for sure. It's pretty simple and is really your basic beef, veggie soup. The barely was a nice add to it. Hearty. 

Beef Barley Soup

Recipe from Insanely Good Recipes

Serves 6

• 1.5 pounds beef chuck or stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (optional, for browning)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8 cups beef broth or stock 
• 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional for depth of flavor)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup diced potatoes (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Pat the beef chunks dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the beef and set it aside. For a richer flavor, you can dredge the beef in flour before browning for a thicker texture in the soup.

In the same pot, add a little more olive oil if needed. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms (if using). Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic, thyme, oregano, and tomato paste, cooking for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Pour in 1/2 cup of beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits (this adds great flavor to the soup).

Return the browned beef to the pot. Stir in the barley, remaining beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (optional), bay leaves, and potatoes (if using).

Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot partially with the lid and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the beef is tender and the barley is cooked through. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Check the seasoning of the soup and adjust salt and pepper to taste. If the broth reduces too much, add more beef broth or water to thin it out to your preferred consistency.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread or crackers on the side. Enjoy!

French Onion Beef and Noodles

Photo from Insanely Good
Recipes

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite comfort foods. This recipe resembles it pretty well. A few different things to it, but it was pretty close. 

What I didn't like: 

• The Gruyere cheese in it. Blech. I like Gruyere as a cheese to eat, but it really put an off taste to this dish to me. 
• The onions basically dissolved in the sauce. I suspect I sliced them too thin for a stew that sits for 1.5 hours. There were only "bits" of onion in it by the time I served it. 

What I liked: 

• The noodles. Egg noodles are one of my favorite type of noodles. Though oddly enough I don't use them when I make my stroganoff. 
• The cream cheese added a nice tang to it along with the sour cream.

The reality is, while a good recipe, I doubt I'd make it again. I'd stick to my usual stroganoff recipe should the craving come up. 

French Onion Beef and Noodles

Recipe from Insanely Good Recipes

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• Crispy fried onions, for topping

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. Add to the pot and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the beef and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter to the pot. Once melted, add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the red wine and simmer until mostly evaporated, scraping up any browned bits.

Stir in the condensed French onion soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Return the beef to the pot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Stir the uncooked egg noodles into the pot. Simmer, uncovered, until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Stir in the shredded Gruyère.

Serve hot, topped with crispy fried onions. Enjoy!

Brazilian Steak with a Garlic Herb Marinade

I've not made anything "Brazilian" before, I don't think. I've made chimichurri sauces so that's the closest I've ever gotten. 

This recipe is basically marinading the steak in a chimichurris sauce. Bottom line, this was delicious. I wouldn't recommend marinating longer than 30 minutes as it suggests. I did about an hour and I think the lime juice caused the meat to have a weird texture. 

Brazilian Steak with a Garlic Herb Marinade

Recipe from Hey Grill Hey

Serves 4

• 2 pounds sirloin steak
• ¼ c fresh parsley
• ¼ c fresh cilantro
• ¼ c avocado oil
• ¼ c water
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 T freshly minced garlic
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Marinade the steak. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the sirloin steak in a large gallon zip-top bag, reserving 2 Tablespoons of the marinade for later use. Allow the steaks to marinate on the counter for 30 minutes while they come to room temperature.

Preheat the grill. While the steaks are marinating, fire up the grill. Preheat the grill and assemble your rotisserie attachment. If you aren't using a rotisserie, prepare your grill for 2-zone cooking with a high heat side and a low heat side.

Prep the steak. Remove the steak from the marinade and shake off any excess. If you are using kebabs, dice the steak into cubes and thread onto the skewers.

Grill to your desired doneness. Use a basting brush to coat the steak with the reserved marinade. 

Remove the steaks from the grill and allow to rest for several minutes before slicing from the skewers to serve.

Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (Low Carb)

Photo from Wholesome
Yum

This recipe I had such high hopes for. The ingredients, the blogger, the photo, all of it. Made me really want to like this recipe. 

It was not great. The first part was the weird part of mixing coconut oil and cream cheese together. Melting it together rather. Turned out I didn't have coconut oil so I used regular veg oil. In hindsight I wish I would have used melted butter. 

Almond flour is never going to win me over. Janet told me at book club about an almond CAKE flour she uses that she really likes. I'm going to check that out and maybe that would make this better. I really want to like this recipe. The texture was very much pumpkin pie esk and I think that was part of what I didn't like.

Healthy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (Low Carb)

Recipe from WholesomeYum

Makes 16 bars

• 1 c Pumpkin puree
• 1/4 c Coconut oil
• 2 oz Cream cheese
• 2 large Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 c Blanched almond flour
• 2/3 c Besti Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend
• 2 tsp Gluten-free baking powder
• 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 6 oz Cream cheese (softened, cubed)
• 1/2 c Powdered erythritol
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 T Heavy cream (optional, for easier frosting)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a 9x9 in (23x23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper.

Using a bowl in the microwave or a double boiler on the stove, melt together the cream cheese and coconut oil, until you can stir them together easily.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, melted coconut oil/cream cheese mixture, eggs and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer at medium speed, until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Beat with the hand mixer at low speed, until just combined.

Transfer the batter to the lined baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

To make the frosting, use a hand mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sweetener, and vanilla, until smooth. (You can thin it out with a little milk or cream if you'd like.) Let the bars cool completely before frosting and cutting.

Jalapeño Pepper Jack Chicken Burger

Ground chicken is not something I cook with often. For some reason it "scares" me. Burgers especially are challenging because they always seem to fall apart on the grill. 

Be that as it may, these burgers were delicious. I ate them without a full bun, used a grilled piece of bread on the bottom. What it needed was some type of sauce. I realize the recipe says serve with guac, but I'm not a fan. A cilantro, lime may would have been great on it. 

I'd eat this again. It was full of flavor. I wouldn't use 1 tsp of salt next time. Seemed too salt to me.

Jalapeño Pepper Jack Chicken Burger

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 8

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers seeded and finely diced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• vegetable or olive oil
• 8 slices of cheese optional I use American or white cheddar
• 8 hamburger Buns

In a small bowl, mix roasted garlic and mayo together until combined. Add salt and pepper and mix. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat grill to a medium-high heat

In a mixing bowl add the ground chicken and the remaining ingredients and gently mix together.

Divide the chicken mixture into 8 patties.

Put a little vegetable oil on a paper towel and run it over the grill grate to coat lightly.

Grill burgers covered over direct heat for 8 minutes on each side or until it reaches 165 degrees. Right before the patties are done add a piece of cheese if desired.

Serve on toasted buns with your favorite toppings. 

Shish Tawook

Photo from Chelsea's
Messy Apron

I've made shish tawook recipes before. My favorite one is slightly different in that it includes cumin. I'm not a fan of cumin so this one is spot on for me. It was delicious. And that "delicious" should be in all caps. 

I grilled my chicken kebab style. That's how I roll and this was the right choice for these cubes of goodness. I marinated the chicken for 5 hours. That seems to be the sweet spot for me with marinades. 

I served the chicken cubes in a pita with tzatziki. Store bought. While this recipe includes a recipe for tzatziki, I decided I needed to just buy it. 

Make this recipe. You won't be disappointed.

Shish Tawook

Recipe from Chelseasmessyapron.com

Serves 4

Chicken

1 large juicy lemon (1/4 cup juice)

1/4 c olive oil (or vegetable oil)

3/4 c plain full fat yogurt

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 T tomato paste

1/2 T red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground paprika

1/4 tsp ground allspice

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even 2 inch pieces

Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

MARINATE CHICKEN: Prepare the chicken breasts by patting dry with paper towel, cutting into even 2-inch pieces and placing in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients: 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup yogurt, 5 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, salt and pepper (to taste; about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Whisk until combined and then pour over the chicken. Stir to generously coat the chicken, cover, and chill. Marinate for 2-24 hours.

TZATZIKI: After making the chicken marinade, make this sauce so it can chill and flavors can develop before serving. Grate a cucumber with the large holes of a cheese grater. Line a small bowl with a few paper towels (or clean kitchen towel) and place the grated cucumber on top. Squeeze as much extra moisture from the cucumber as you can (to keep the sauce from being watery). Once it's drained, place in a medium-sized bowl. Add in the Greek yogurt, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper). Place in the fridge until ready to serve. Whisk with a fork right before serving.

COOK CHICKEN: Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill for medium-high heat (400-450 degrees F on an outdoor grill) and generously oil the grates. Thread the chicken onto metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers). Cook on preheated grill until the chicken is golden and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side.

PITA CHIPS AND TOMATO/CUCUMBER: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking pan with Silpat liner or parchment paper. Cut each pita into 8 triangles and arrange evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the triangles and then use a pastry brush to spread the oil evenly onto the pita bread. Flip the bread and repeat. Sprinkle with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon). Bake for 10 minutes, flipping the pita bread on the other side halfway through bake time. Serve warm with the chicken. For the tomato/cucumber salad, add the halved tomatoes and thinly sliced cucumbers halves to a bowl. Drizzle on a little olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper (to taste).

ASSEMBLE: With the back of a spoon, spread hummus on the base of 4 large plates. Divide the cooked quinoa evenly among the plates. Divide chicken skewers evenly among the plates. Top with tomato/cucumber, and finally drizzle even parts of tzatiki sauce (or serve on the side) over plates. Divide up the pita chips. Season individual plates with salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Bolognese

I love Spaghetti Bolognese. It's the menu item I order at any new Italian restaurant to "gage" how good the restaurant is. 

I have a recipe I've used for years. It's modified, slightly, from Tyler Florence's Ultimate Bolognese. I only use ground beef in mine and rarely remember to put red wine in. Still, I love my recipe and make it a couple times a year. 

This recipe seemed the closest to my recipe so I thought I'd give it a try. I had a couple of issues with it. 

First, it had a very metallic, tomato flavor to it. Too tomato-y. I tried to counter it with sugar and brown sugar (even though I already added their brown sugar she recommends).  I was using sugar substitute and brown sugar substitute (low carb) and I wondered if that made a difference. 

Secondly, I'm not a fan of Italian sausage in Bolognese. Truthfully, I'm not a huge fan of Italian sausage at all. Small quantities and I'm fine. I think it gave it a nice enough flavor, but I could still taste it. 

Finally, the bacon threw me off. I've never had a Bolognese where bacon is used. It does give it a smokey flavor, but that's not what I'm looking for in Bolognese. I'll keep my bacon in my carbonara thankyouverymuch.

Oh, and this recipe doesn't have any cream in it. Bolognese recipes that I love have heavy cream, half and half, or ricotta added to them. 

Overall, this recipe was "ok". Not worth changing my recipe. If you don't have a favorite Bolognese recipe this one would be fine. 

Spaghetti Bolognese

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 6 

• 6 slices smoky bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 carrots finely diced
• 2 celery stalks finely diced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
• 2- 28 oz tomato sauce
• 1- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 T brown sugar *see notes
• 2 large Bay Leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh Basil

Heat a large pot on medium high heat and add bacon, cook just until crispy. remove and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.

Add onions, carrots and celery and cook just until tender about 5 minutes.

Add in ground beef, sausage and garlic and cook until browned. Drain the fat if needed.

Add in the rest of the ingredients except and bring to a boil, cover then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

Add the spaghetti to the Bolognese sauce and toss until well coated. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Stovetop Beef and Guinness Stew

Photo from Homemade
Hooplah

Ireland has been on my mind lately and I thought a good batch of Guinness stew might help my longing to go back to Ireland.

I've made a couple of Guinness stews and really they all taste the same. The previous ones didn't have celery in them and I have to say, I'm not a fan of celery in stew. 

Overall, this was a good recipe. Perfect for a fall night. 

Stovetop Beef and Guinness Stew

Recipe from Homemade Hooplah

Serves 6

• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 pound beef chuck, (or type of your choice) cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pinch salt, or to taste
• 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
• 2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
• 15 ounce Guinness, or other dark beer
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 4 springs fresh thyme
• 3 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 pound baby potatoes, about 4-6 potatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, (optional)

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon for 3-4 minutes or until bacon begins to brown. Scoop out bacon and transfer to a 6 quart stockpot Leave bacon grease in the skillet.

Season cut beef with salt and pepper (to taste) then add beef to the skillet. Brown beef for about 5 minutes, making sure to sear all sides. Scoop out beef and transfer to the pot with the bacon. Continue to leave grease in the skillet.

Reduce heat to medium and add onions to skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic to skillet and cook for 1 minute.

Add beer to skillet and stir until combined with the grease, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour onion & beer mixture into the pot with the bacon and beef. Add carrots, celery, tomato paste, thyme, sugar, and chicken stock, then stir.

Bring stew to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook stew for 1 hour. Remove lid and add potatoes to pot. Cook stew for 1 more hour, uncovered.

If you'd like a thicker stew, add in 1 tablespoon of flour to the broth and stir thoroughly. Let stew cook for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered.

Serve stew immediately.

Healthy Coconut Curry Chicken

Many moons ago I started following this blogger who had a little blog called Can You Stay for Dinner. Her blog with recipes, coupled with her weight loss journey, was one of the firsts back in the day. I read her blog religiously and have made a ton of her recipes. 

Her blog changed a little and so many other options became available so I don't read it as often now. 

When this recipe came up in the rotation I KNEW I had to try it. Everything about it was calling to me. And it did not disappoint. I am in love with this recipe. So delicious. 

The curry, garlic and ginger have such a wonderful flavor combination that when you add the coconut milk you just push it over the top. I'll be making this one again for sure. AND it's going into the favorites.

Healthy Coconut Curry Chicken

Recipe from Can You Stay For Dinner

Serves 4

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

½ tsp salt 

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 

2 T extra-virgin olive oil 

1 medium onion, thinly sliced 

3 garlic cloves, minced 

1 T finely chopped fresh ginger 

2 jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped 

1 T curry powder 

½ tsp turmeric 

1 c chicken broth 

1 c light coconut milk 

¼ c packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. In a large frying pan set over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. 

Add the chicken thighs and cook, undisturbed, until crisp and browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for 3 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and return the pan to the heat. 

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but still crisp, about 3 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Add the curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. 

Stir in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits in the pan. 

Return the chicken to the pan and bring the broth to a boil. 

Reduce the heat and let the broth simmer for 5 minutes. 

Add the coconut milk and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Slow Cooker Carne Adobada

So far I've loved every recipe I've made from Hola Jalapeno's blog. This one, however, fell a short for me. It might have been the adobo paste. I may not like that flavor. That's the only thing I can think of that made this taste funky.

I  had to go to a Latin shop to get it and then I realized it's a lot like chipotles in adobo. I could have just gotten the adobo sauce. Adobo paste was smokey and had a slightly sweet flavor and then a spicy kick from the chiles. 

This won't be a repeat for me. It was good once, but that's it.

Slow Cooker Carne Adobada

Recipe from Hola Jalapeno

Serves 8

• 1/2 c packed adobo paste
• 3 large tomatillos, husks removed and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 c fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 1/4 c chicken broth, divided
• 4 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 large white onions, sliced
• 2 jalapeños, sliced

Blend sauce. Combine adobo paste, tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, salt, and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a blender. Blend on high until smooth.

Season beef. Generously season beef on all sides with salt and pepper.

Brown beef. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once shimmering add beef and brown about 4 minutes a side (you might need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan).

Add veggies to slow cooker. Meanwhile, place onions and jalapeños on the bottom of the slow cooker.

Deglaze pan. Once beef is browned transfer to the slow cooker. Pour off any fat from the frying pan into a heatproof bowl. Return pan to heat and add 1 cup of the broth to the frying pan. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, then pour broth into the slow cooker.

Combine in slow cooker and cook. Add adobo mixture and remaining 1 cup of broth to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

Serve! Beef should be fall-apart tender when done. Shred meat and serve as tacos, enchilada filling, on top of a rice bowl, or straight from the pot with a fork. Add more salt as needed.

Grilled Steak Burgers

Burgers. I love them. The messier, the better. But eating a little healthier means a big no on having buns with it. That leaves me to find interesting ways to eat burgers. 

This particular recipe is going into the favorites for 2024, it's that good. What makes these so amazing is the steak sauce you make for them. 

You do have to plan a little ahead because you add melted butter (slightly cooled) to the ground beef so plan accordingly. 

The beef mixture was amazing. The combo of melted butter, onion powder and garlic really does a lot of plain old burger. 

Now, for the steak sauce. OMG...it was amazing. Although I need to add that I did not put raisins in it because - well - I forgot to get raisins. I like my steak sauces a little tangier so I don't think I missed anything there. Next time I'll use raisins. 

I also slathered the burgers in the sauce as I cooked them. I think that added to the flavor as well. I used a little on the side for dipping sauce - good choice that's for sure. 

Make this meal. You won't regret it. 

Grilled Steak Burgers

Recipe from Cook's Country

Servers 4

BURGERS

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 ½ pounds 90 percent lean ground sirloin
• 4 hamburger buns

STEAK SAUCE

• 2 Tablespoons  tomato paste
• ⅔ c beef broth
• ⅓ c raisins
• 2 Tablespoons  soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons  Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce

For the burgers: Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, onion powder, pepper, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour all but 1 tablespoon butter mixture into bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

For the steak sauce: Meanwhile, add tomato paste to skillet and cook over medium heat until paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, raisins, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire and simmer until raisins plump, about 5 minutes. Process sauce in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to bowl.

Add 5 tablespoons cooled butter mixture and soy sauce to ground beef and gently knead until well combined. Shape into four ¾-inch-thick patties and press shallow divot in center of each. Brush each patty all over with 1 tablespoon steak sauce. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons cooled butter mixture with 2 tablespoons steak sauce; set aside.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave burners on high.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill burgers until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 3 to 4 minutes per side, or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Brush cut side of buns with butter–steak sauce mixture. Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Place burgers on buns. Serve with remaining steak sauce.

Hamburger Soup

Photo from Melissa's 
Southern Style Kitchen

It's soup season! Yipee! I love soups and I especially love vegetable types of soups. 

This is a solid recipe. Easy to throw together and most of the ingredients you may already have. I didn't use a couple of the options they have in the ingredient list because well, you'll see. 

Garlic - I forgot to add it. 

Corn with bell peppers - Nope. Not gonna happen. I just used regular frozen corn. 

Potatoes - for some reason, I wasn't interested in adding the potatoes to the soup. 

Overall, I'd make this again. It was yummy.

Hamburger Soup

Recipe from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen

Serves 8

• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 1 rib celery thinly sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (Chili ready OR Italian seasoned)
• 1 14 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1 11 oz can corn with bell peppers well drained
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen petite peas
• 1 cup cut green beans
• 6 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce (Or 1/2 cup ketchup)
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt OR table salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 large bay leaf
• 4 medium russet potatoes bite size cubes
• chopped celery leaves or Italian parsley

In a 6 quart Dutch oven or similar heavy bottomed pot, cook onion and celery in a couple of drizzles of olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add garlic cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

To the pot add ground beef. Cook until no pink remains, then drain excess fat from pan.

To the pot add tomatoes, beans, corn, carrots, peas, green beans, beef broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, pepper, chili powder, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Mix until fully combined.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium high and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

Add potatoes. Mix well. Cover with lid slightly offset and simmer on medium low for 20 minutes or just until potatoes are fork tender.

Remove bay leaf add chopped celery leaf or parsley and serve immediately. (Cool and freeze for up to 2 months.)

Quick and Easy Meatloaf

 Meatloaf was not a common meal in our house growing up. I've heard so many friends tell me stories about how meatloaf was their "Tuesday night" dinner, almost every week. My only recollection of meatloaf was a "Mexican" meatloaf that mom made. She hated it, where as Dad and I loved it. We never had it a second time. In fact, Mom said she lost the recipe. It was only after she died I found the recipe in her gray tin box. 

I am a big fan of meatballs, so I figured meatloaf was kinda the same thing, just in a loaf. And I am correct in thinking that. This recipe was good. I'm not sure I'm a fan of oats as the "bread" part of meatloaf. It gave it a weird texture, but it wasn't horrible. 

I think the "weird" texture was me over working the meat when mixing it. 

I also HIGHLE recommend the recommendation to not cook this in a loaf pan. I did and she's not wrong about all the grease coming to the top. And that weird gray hamburger gunk that sometimes shows up. I moved it to a wire rack over a cookie sheet about half way through. 

Because I moved it, I lost almost all the "bbq" topping. So I just whipped out the sweet baby rays and put it on top. 

Quick and Easy Meatloaf

Recipe from Harbour Breeze Home

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup oatmeal
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the sauce:
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons mustard
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Mix all meatloaf ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Use a large spoon for mixing, and if you aren’t too squeamish, wash your hands well and mix it together well with your hands.

Press meatloaf mixture firmly into a loaf pan.

Turn formed meatloaf onto a parchment paper lined baking pan with sides. Rather than baking meatloaf in a loaf pan (where the grease sits in a pool on the top ~ Yuck!), try this trick: Flip the packed meatloaf from the loaf pan onto a large pan with sides which has been lined with parchment paper.

(“Whack it!” firmly on the bottom, til it slides out of the loaf pan.)

With this method, the grease will then run out onto the pan as it bakes. It works like a charm!

Mix the barbecue sauce ingredients together in another bowl and pour over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until completely done (and not pink) in the center.

Greek Meatballs

Photo from Gimme
Some Oven

I like meatballs and rarely make them. I've been purposely picking some of those recipes because I think they are a good solid protein meal. 

These were good. I wouldn't use as much Panko breadcrumbs as this asks for. It was a little too much bread for me in my meatball. 

I didn't change anything in this recipe and I think it turned out great. I'd make it again. 

Greek Meatballs

Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Makes 30 meatballs

• 1 c Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/3 c milk
• 2 pounds ground beef or lamb (or a 50/50 mix of both)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 2 scallions (both white and green parts), minced
• 1/3 c fresh mint or cilantro
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• zest of 1 lemon

TAHINI YOGURT SAUCE:

• 1 c full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 c tahini
• 1/4 c freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Make the panade. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Panko and milk until combined. Set the mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.

Mix the meatballs. Once the Panko mixture has finished soaking, add the ground beef (or lamb), garlic, eggs, scallions and mint to the bowl. Sprinkle the oregano, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and lemon zest evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until evenly combined, being careful not to overwork the mixture.

Prep the oven and baking sheet. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Form the meatballs. Form the mixture into 1.5-tablespoon balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the meatballs from sticking.)

Bake. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown and cooked through. Remove pan from the oven.

Make the yogurt sauce. While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the yogurt sauce ingredients until combined. If you prefer a thinner sauce, whisk in a few tablespoons of water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Serve. Serve the meatballs warm with the yogurt sauce however you please and enjoy!

Sour Cream & Dill Cucumbers

Photo from Just a Pinch

I bought a bag of Persian cucumbers. It's a big bag. It was a great deal and I couldn't resist. I then had to figure out how to eat all of them.

This recipe was perfect for this. I paired it with Greek Meatballs. I'll be making this recipe again for sure. 

Sour Cream & Dill Cucumbers

Recipe from Just a Pinch

Serves 6-8

• 4 large cucumbers
• cold water
• 1 sm onion, grated
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/4 c real mayo
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 - 3 Tbsp dill
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• cayenne pepper

Peel and slice cucumbers.

In a bowl, sprinkle cucumbers with salt and pour in cold water until cucumbers are just covered. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While cucumbers are chilling, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl; mix well.

After 30 minutes, drain cucumbers very well. Carefully combine cucumbers and sour cream mixture. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Overnight Oats

Overnight oats have been all the rage for a couple of years now. I never much cared to even try them because, well, I wasn't really watching what I was eating. Now, I am and figured I might as well try it. 

I put out on FB to my friends to send me their favorite recipes. I got several, but decided to try this one first. 

I think I'm not a fan. I think I like my oats warm not cold. I'm not done with this idea yet though. I have a few more recipes to try. But this recipe is not for me.

Overnight Oats

Recipe from Once Upon a Chef

Makes 1

FOR THE OATS:

• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup milk (any kind except coconut milk)
• 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1½ teaspoons chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch salt

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Fresh or dried fruit
• Nuts/seeds
• Granola
• Shredded or toasted coconut
• Nut butter
• Apple butter or pumpkin butter
• Honey or maple syrup
• Cinnamon or nutmeg

In a small jar or airtight container, add the oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds (if using), maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.

Stir well to ensure everything is mixed evenly.

Seal the jar/container and place it in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 4 hours, to allow the oats to soak up the liquid and soften.

In the morning, stir the mixture. If it seems too thick, add a splash of milk to reach your desired consistency. Top with your favorite optional toppings and enjoy.

MAKE-AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS

The overnight oats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Go ahead and make a big batch so you’ve got a delicious make-ahead breakfast on hand.