Granola Clusters (Low Carb)

I've not made too many granolas in my lifetime. Mostly because when I want granola I just buy it. But in an attempt to eat a little lower carb, I thought this recipe would be a good one to try.

Turns out it was a GREAT on to try. This recipe is so good. It's immediately going into the favorites!

This was an easy recipe to pull together. 

Two things I'd do differently next time I make it:

1. I'd use slightly less butter. 1/2 c was a bit too much butter taste and made it a little greasy

2. I'd keep out the coconut. I got the unsweetened coconut and while it's good, it didn't really add to the granola. 

WARNING: Put this away as soon as you can. The more you leave it out the more likely you are to eat it all while it's "cooling". 

Granola Clusters (Low Carb)

Recipe from All Day I Dream About Food

Serves 8

• 1 c pecan halves
• 1 c flaked coconut
• 1/2 c almonds
• 1/2 c pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c butter
• 1/4 c Swerve Brown
• 1/4 c powdered Swerve Sweetener
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or maple extract

Preheat the oven to 300F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine the pecans (1 c), coconut (1 c), almonds (1/2 c), pumpkin seeds (1/2 c), and salt(1/2 tsp). Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. A few larger pieces are okay.

In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the butter (1/2 c) and sweeteners (1/4 c brown and 1/2 c powdered). Whisk until the butter is melted and the sweeteners are mostly dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract (1/2 tsp).

Stir in the nut mixture into the butter mixture until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Top with waxed paper or parchment and press down firmly and evenly to a uniform thickness.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely, then break into large chunks with your hands.

Store on the counter in an airtight container for up to a week.

Cube Steak with Onion Gravy

Every October my mom and I would make chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn for dinner. We made it when dad went hunting for a week. It was a tradition that I still do today with the Crab Ladies. 

In that "recipe", Mom used to brown the cube steaks and put them in the oven, covered, with water for about an hour. It never really made sense to me why. Until tonight. 

Photo from Butter
Your Biscuits

Clearly it was to make the cube steaks more tender. I don't know why I never made the connection until tonight. I mean just because a cube steak is tenderized, does not mean it's gonna be tender. And let me tell you, the one's I made tonight were not. My jaw got an extra work out. 

Overall, this was a simple and delicious recipe. When/if I make it again, I'd brown the cube steaks and put them in the oven with water for an hour or so. THEN make the onion gravy. 

I did not use "Kitchen Bouquet" because I don't think it adds any flavor and only adds color. No need. 

Cube Steak with Onion Gravy

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuits

Serves 4

• 4 cube steaks (1 ½ pounds)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 T all purpose flour
• 3 T olive oil

FOR THE ONION GRAVY:

• 2 T butter
• 1 large yellow onion sliced into ½ inch slices
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 T all purpose flour
• 3 c beef stock
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Kitchen Bouquet

Place your steaks on the counter and let them come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

In a small bowl mix all your spices together.

Sprinkle all sides with the spice mixture and 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour evenly.

Heat a skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the pan is really hot place the steaks in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Then remove them to a plate and set them aside.

In the same pan lower the heat to medium and add the butter and sliced onions and let cook about 15-20 or until desired softness.

Add in the diced garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.

Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and cook another 30 seconds.

Pour in the beef stock and simmer just until thickened. Place steaks back into the gravy and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or white rice.

Low Carb Greek Yogurt Chicken

Let me first start by saying, I followed this recipe completely with zero deviations. And the end result? Not a fan. 

I'm really unsure what went wrong with this recipe, but the chicken was flavorless. I expected more out of the Greek yogurt and parmesan - I mean - who wouldn't? 

Bottom line, I won't be remaking this one, despite it sounding so good. 

Low Carb Greek Yogurt Chicken

Recipe from What's In the Pan

Serves 4

• oil spray
• 5 oz. plain Greek yogurt 
• 2 T mayonnaise
• ½ c grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1.5 lb. chicken tenders (whole) or chicken breasts (cut in quarters)
• Parsley (chopped, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 12 inch oven proof pan or 9×9 baking dish with nonstick oil spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Add chicken into the bowl with yogurt mixture and coat the mixture all over the chicken.

Move chicken to a baking dish (or oven proof pan). Chicken should be thinly coated with the yogurt mixture. Don't put too much or any additional mixture leftover.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn the oven to broil and place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Pink Sauce

What feels like a thousand years ago (really around 2000 ish) Sherrie and I lived together. She had some German sausage from Odessa in the freezer and she wanted to use it up. While she was cooking her dinner, I was making packaged Parma Rosa from Knorr. 

We had a "Your chocolate is in my peanut butter" moment where we put the German sausage into the Parma Rosa sauce and our favorite pasta dish was born. 

We made that meal so many times. It was cheap and easy and made leftovers for us. Back when I ate more leftovers. 

To this day, whenever I see a pink sauce - which is basically what Parma Rosa is - I have to put sausage in it. While I didn't have German sausage tonight, I did have a pack of Polish Sausage in the freezer. 

BAM! 

This was a good pink sauce. Flavorful and full of the flavor I want with a creamy tomato sauce.

Pink Sauce

Recipe from To Simply Inspire

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 15 ounces tomato sauce 1 can
• 1 ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
• ¼ cup parmesan
• Pasta of choice

Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Then add the diced onion and sauté until tender and translucent.

Next, add the tomatoes, water, paprika, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce to heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid reduces.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta per the package directions to just al dente.

Stir in heavy cream and the fresh basil leaves and simmer for another five minutes. [ Jenn Pro tip: Heat your heavy cream before adding it. If you add it cold it may curdle with the tomato sauce.}

Remove the pan from the heat and add the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.

Drain the pasta into a colander in the sink and then add it to the sauce and toss gently to coat the pasta in the sauce.

Serve immediately and garnish with extra parmesan and fresh basil.

Beef Stroganoff Recipe (Crock Pot)

Photo from The Food
Charlatan

It snowed here in Seattle. Not a lot, just a dusting, but enough to make me feel like I need comfort food. Stroganoff is perfect for this type of weather.

The was an amazing recipe. Using a chuck roast and a slow cooker really made this delicious. The addition of red wine - which I almost skipped - put it over the top in flavortown. Sherrie was over to scrapbook and we ate this for dinner. We were silent for the first couple of bites. It was THAT good. 

Here's what I did different:

1. Sherrie's GF so I didn't want to use pasta. Instead I put this over mashed potatoes. And Y'all this might be my new way to eat stroganoff. 
2. I shredded my beef and then put it back into the sauce. 
3. I added about 1/2 c sour cream to the stroganoff instead of a dollop on top like they suggest. It needs to be in the sauce for me. 

Make this meal. It's delicious. And I'm adding it to my 2025 Favorites. 

Beef Stroganoff Recipe (Crock Pot)

Recipe from The Food Charlatan

Serves 6

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast, chopped into 2 inch chunks
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, I used light olive oil
• generous salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter, (half stick)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 to 12 ounces mushrooms, quartered
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
• 1 to 2 cups sour cream, to add after cooking
• 12-16 ounces pappardelle pasta, plus water and salt
• fresh parsley, to garnish
• fresh chives, to garnish

Cut the chuck roast into 2 inch chunks and dry them all over with paper towels.

Salt and pepper the pieces. Be generous. I used at least 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat.

Place about 1/3 of the pieces of beef into the pan, one by one. Leave at least an inch or two of space in between. Let the meat sear for about 1-2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each piece. When you see nice brown edges on both sides, transfer the meat to your slow cooker.

Continue searing the rest of the beef in one or two more batches, depending on space. Remove all the meat to the slow cooker, but don’t clean out that pan. We need all those gorgeous brown bits.

Turn the heat off if you need to take a moment to chop your onion and slice your mushrooms if you haven’t already.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in the pan you seared the meat in. When it’s melted, add the chopped onion and quartered mushrooms. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 1 tablespoon dried parsley. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, until onions and mushrooms are soft.

Add 1 tablespoon smashed and minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons tomato paste.

Add 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base. Let the mixture come to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for another 5-7 minutes until it has reduced a bit.

Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker , adding in every last drop. Stir it together with the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

Add some pasta to a serving plate. Top with beef stroganoff. The chunks of beef may be big, but it’s so fork tender your guests can take care of it themselves at the table.

Add a big dollop of sour cream to each plate. Top with fresh parsley and fresh chives.

Cowboy Soup

Soups! Soups! Soups! I cannot get enough soups during the fall and winter. Every single time I make soup I think of my dad who loved soup. He'd eat soup any chance he got. 

This was a pretty good soup. It felt lacking of something to me but I can't pin point what. It's a hearty soup that really does hit all the right notes for me. 

I couldn't find Ranch Style beans at my grocery store so I used pinto beans. I suspect there may be something in the ranch style beans that would have added to the flavor and maybe that's what was missing.

Cowboy Soup

Recipe from Insanely Good Recipes

Serves 6

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 (15-ounce) cans Ranch Style beans, undrained
• 2 (14-1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 (15-ounce) can mixed vegetables, drained
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the ground beef and onions, and stir continuously. Be sure to break the beef into smaller crumbles while cooking it. When the meat browns, add the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

Drain the grease from the Dutch oven. Leave the meat and onions inside.

Add all of the remaining ingredients. Pay special attention to the directions about which cans need to be drained and which don’t. Stir.

Allow the soup to come to a boil. Then, reduce the heat so that it gently simmers. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and allow the soup to simmer for another 10-15 minutes. (The potatoes should be tender enough to cut with a fork.)

Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowls. Enjoy!

Grilled Korean Chicken

To go along side the marinated cucumbers I made this grilled Korean Chicken. This was a good marinade. It had all the right flavors I come to expect with a Korean recipe. 

I used chicken breast - no bone - it's just easier. I'm not a fan of a whole chicken. I don't like dark meat so it's a waste on me. 

I marinated the chicken for 5hours. My go to amount of time. 

I'd make this recipe again for sure. 

Grilled Korean Chicken

Recipe from Dinner Then Dessert

Serves 8

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Korean chili paste , recommended: Kochi Chang
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 6 cloves garlic , chopped
• 1 green onion , thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• coarse ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 3 pound chicken , butterflied, cut into parts

Whisk together the soy, vinegar, honey, chili paste, ginger and garlic in a bowl.

Divide the mixture in half. Add 1 half to a large baking dish, then add the chicken, turning to coat.

Cover and let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. The longer the better!

Add the green onions, sesame oil, black pepper and sesame seeds to the remaining half of the mixture. Reserve it as a dipping sauce for the finished chicken.

Light a grill, making sure to include a zone of indirect heat.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it over the charcoal, skin side down.

Grill until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Move the chicken to the indirect heat zone, lower the cover, and grill until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the grill to a cutting board and carve.

Asian Pickled Cucumber

Photo from Cooking
with Lei

I am all in with the viral cucumber recipes going around Instagram. Well, I'm probably a little behind, but I'm now all in. These recipes make eating cucumbers fun and delicious. 

I've made a couple randomly, but none of them were that fantastic. THIS one is though. So good. 

I wasn't sure what 800 g of cucumber was, so I used 4 small Persian cucumbers. I peeled mine and cut them into big 1 inch chunks. 

I did not do the salting thing. I didn't have time and I really didn't think it would matter much. I did let these bad boys sit of an hour in that marinade though. Worth it. 

I also swapped out sugar with an allulose substitute. Low carb and all. 

Finally, for the fresh chili, I used gochujang.

Asian Pickled Cucumber

Recipe from Cooking with Lei

Makes 2 servings

• 800 g cucumber
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 5 clove garlic (adjust it to your liking)
• 3-5 fresh chilli (adjust it to your liking)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon salt

Preparing the Cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers into strips and remove the seed part.

Marinating with Salt: Mix the salt with the cucumbers and let them marinate for one hour. Then wash the salt off the cucumbers and squeeze out any excess water.

Flavorful Finish: Mix in sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili, garlic and your pickled cucumbers are ready to eat. Store some in a container in the fridge for later enjoyment.

Chicken Stroganoff

Stroganoff is a favorite of mine. I don't make it with chicken too often so I thought this would be a good recipe to try. I've only made Chicken Stroganoff once before and it was just ok. 

This was a good recipe. It was weird that it didn't also include mushrooms in the recipe, but that was just one less item to slice.

This recipe comes together easily and doesn't call for any canned soup. It has you create your own base sauce, which is easy and way more delicious. 

Chicken Stroganoff

Recipe from The Country Cook

Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided use
• 1 pound small-diced boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 small sweet onion, small diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• cooked egg noodles, for serving
• fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter.

Add the chicken to the skillet and brown it, stirring occasionally. You may need to do this in batches (depending on how large your skillet is) so the chicken will brown evenly, about 5 minutes per batch. Place the chicken on a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add the onions to the pan. Cook the onions until softened and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes; scrape off any browned bits from the chicken from the bottom of the pan while cooking the onions.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add the flour and stir it in until fully mixed in; cook for 1 minute.

Slowly stream in the chicken stock, followed by the heavy cream, while whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with any juices from it and stir it into the sauce.

Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened and the chicken is cooked through.

Take off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve over cooked egg noodles with a garnish of fresh parsley if desired.

White Bean and Ham Soup

Its cold here in Seattle. I wouldn't say record breaking, but frigid comes to mind. Perfect for a soup night. I had just about everything for this soup so I figured it'd be a good one to try. I happen to love white bean and ham soups so I was excited to make this one. 

Its not off much, if at all, from the other ones I've made, so it feels weird calling it a new recipe, but I'm doing it anyhow. My blog. My rules. 

This recipe doesn't have celery and has paprika. 

This recipe has potatoes, parsley and hot sauce.

Close enough. The only think I didn't put in this recipe was the bay leaf. I have yet to be shown just what that adds to a soup. They're expensive and so I don't bother. 

White Bean and Ham Soup

Recipe from To Simply Inspire

Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup onion diced
• ½ cup celery diced
• ½ cup carrots diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cans Cannellini white beans drained and rinsed (15.5 ounce cans)
• 2 cups cooked ham diced
• 1 bay leaf

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat

Then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally until they are tender.

Add the chicken stock, beans, diced ham, and the bay leaf.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes until warmed through.

Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Moroccan Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Wow, was this delicious! Spicy, but delicious. The 1/4 tsp cayenne was a little too much for me, but it sure was tasty over all.

I think it's amusing that for almost every instance I do marinated chicken I cube the chicken and make it a kebab. Then when I have a recipe that actually is a kebab I don't. 

I'd make this again for sure. For my taste I'd cut down on the cayenne but otherwise, so good. I marinated it for 3 hours and it seemed to be the right amount for this. 

I'm also addicted to this Roasted Frozen Broccoli now. It's so easy and so good. Tonight I drizzled with olive oil and then put lemon pepper and salt on it. So good. 

Moroccan Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 4

• 1 pound boneless-skinless chicken, cut into small pieces
• 2 T lemon juice (~1/2 lemon)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin, toasted and ground
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Marinate the chicken in the mixture of the remaining ingredients for at least 20 minutes to overnight.

Skewer the chicken and grill over medium-high heat until cooked, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Bistec Encebollado (Puerto Rican Steak and Onions)

I spent a semester in Mexico and the family I lived with made a recipe similar. The mom of the family, Ariana, was an amazing cook. I learned a lot from her and simple cooking of Mexican food. 

This was a good recipe. I didn't use sofrito because I'm not a fan. I think that was a mistake. It would have added more flavor to this. Without it, it was still good, but it might be better with it. 

I also didn't read the instructions thoroughly. I was sure it was fry in a shallow pan and voila. Apparently I was supposed to boil it for 30-40 minutes. That just seems odd. I fried up the onions a little at first. Took them out and then fried up the steaks. Tossed the onions back and and served it. 

Whether you follow the recipe instructions or not, this was a decent meal. 

Bistec Encebollado (Puerto Rican Steak and Onions)

Recipe from The Noshery

Serves 4

• 2 pounds cube steak, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• dash dried oregano leaves
• 2 large white onions, sliced in rings
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sofrito
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a gallon-size plastic bag and turn so that all the ingredients mix together. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or a couple of days (or freeze for later use).

Place the contents of the bag in a heavy skillet and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Smoked Salmon Spread

Photo from Food.com

Last night was Sunday dinner. It was a Scottish Burns Supper. If you need to know what that is, check this out. 

My job was to bring a Scottish appetizer. Turns out Scotland is not the land of interesting appetizers. Soup. Soup seems to be the main starter. They also like Smoked Salmon! 

This was a great recipe. I accidentally didn't buy enough smoked salmon and frankly, I think it was better with only 4 oz of salmon. I'm not a huge fan of the smokey flavor in salmon so it worked for me. 

Burns Supper attendees enjoyed it and gave great praise.

Smoked Salmon Spread

Recipe from Food.com

Makes 2 cups

• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 6 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced 
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained 
• 8 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped 
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill
• fresh ground black pepper
• fresh dill, for garnish 
• crackers or breadstick, for serving

Puree the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and tabasco in a food processor.

Add the scallions, capers, salmon, chopped dill and pepper, and pulse to blend.

Garnish with the dill and serve chilled or at room temperature with crackers.

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Photo from Skinny Taste

It was book club night. And as I try to do with the ladies is serve something that's different. I've had this recipe for some time and wasn't sure when I'd have a chance to make it. Tonight was the night.

I originally planned to put them in the crock pot, but forgot and so did the stove top method. 

I changed absolutely nothing with this recipe and y'all, one of the best recipes. Oh wait, I did change something. I dropped about 1/4 c heavy cream into the gravy at the end of cooking. Made it glorious. 

This will be the first recipe to the Favorites this year. It was that good. 

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Recipe from Skinny Taste

Serves 4

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 c minced onions
• 1/2 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/3 c whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 T tomato paste, divided
• kosher salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 5 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1 1/4 c reduced sodium beef broth
• chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Finely chop 1 oz of the mushrooms into small pieces and set aside. Heat the Instant Pot on sauté (or a large nonstick pot on medium-high) and add 1 tsp oil and onions and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Divide onions in two.

In a large bowl, combine half of the sautéed onions with the ground beef, ground turkey, chopped mushroom, bread crumbs, egg, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1/4 cup of the beef broth, 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl, blend flour and 1 cup broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, remaining 1 tbsp tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.

Gently shape into 20 small meatballs.

Stove Top Method:

Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat, add the remaining teaspoon of oil and brown the meatballs, in batches as needed, about 2 minutes until no longer sticks (if it sticks, it's not ready to turn yet). Flip and brown an additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper and pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover and cook low heat for 25 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Slow Cooker Method:

Sauté meatballs in a skillet with the remaining teaspoon of oil, then transfer to slow cooker with mushrooms, salt and pepper and pour sauce over. Cover and cook low 6 to 8 hours, until tender.

Instant Pot Method (see note below)

Heat the Instant Pot on sauté, add remaining teaspoon of oil and brown the meatballs (in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot) about 2 minutes until no longer sticks (if it doesn't turn, it's not ready yet), turn and brown an additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper and pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover and cook on high pressure 10 minutes. Quick or natural release. Garnish with parsley.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

So one day at the grocery store I bought some bananas. They were greenier than I like so I let them sit to ripen.

I blinked and then I had these bananas. 

I'm not a fan of bananas that are this ripe. Dad loved them this ripe. The browner the better. And as I'm watching my sugars these aren't the best to eat for that purpose. 

So naturally, I need to make banana bread. Which I know the logic is missing there, but what's a girl to do? I wasn't going to throw them out. And if I put them in the freezer I'd forget about them I'm sure. 

I didn't want to make my normal banana bread and thought this would be an opportunity to try a new recipe. 

I made three small changes to this recipe. 

1. I swapped the sugar out with allulose (low carb sugar)

2. I swapped the chocolate chips out for sugar free chocolate chips

3. I didn't have Greek yogurt so I used sour cream

All minor changes. These were good muffins. In all honesty, chocolate muffins are really chocolate cake to me. So they are more for after dinner treat than breakfast. 

I gave 4 away to Janet and Kathy and will freeze the rest and take them out as I want them.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Recipe from Love From the Oven

Makes 12

• 1/4 c butter softened
• 1/2 c vanilla Greek yogurt
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 1/3 c  all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour if desired
• 2/3 c dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 c milk
• 1/2 c chocolate chips semi-sweet recommended, but milk or dark chocolate also work well

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Puree, mix or blend bananas until smooth. Add in butter and yogurt and mix until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla, mixing until well combined. Stir in sugar until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix white whole wheat flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine wet and dry ingredients, add in milk and stir until just combined, do not overmix.

Scoop into a muffin pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store loosely covered or in refrigerator.

Chicken & Hummus Meal Prep

Meal prep is the name of the game. If I want to eat healthy successfully, prepping is the answer for me. These simple prep meals means my lunches become "Grab n Go". It means my choices are made ahead of time when I'm feeling "healthy" and not when I'm starving. 

My main change for this meal was the hummus. Really any hummus you like works. I'm not a fan of red peppers, thus not a fan of red pepper hummus. 

And my cherry tomatoes had seen better days, so I subbed in kalamata olives and a Cutie. I realize it's not a straight one for one, but it did the trick. 

Tomorrow I'm going to add another ounce of chicken. I only did 2 oz today and I don't think that was quite enough. I was worried I'd be hungry but I really wasn't. The meds I'm on help with that for sure. 

Chicken & Hummus Meal Prep

Recipe from Feel Good Foodie

Makes 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon oregano

½ cup red pepper hummus

12 slices mini naan breads

1 English cucumber sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Prepare the marinade by whisking the olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano in a large bowl.

Add the chicken into the bowl and toss to combine and evenly coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat. Place chicken on the grill for 5-7 minutes. Flip over and cook until golden brown and the juices run dry, approximately 5-7 more minutes.

Remove chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and divide in the meal prep containers

Divide the hummus, naan, cucumbers and tomatoes between the meal prep containers.

Easy Teriyaki Salmon Bowls

Salmon is on the list of things to eat more of this year.  I like salmon, but often don't think to cook it. So I have a little game I'm playing to try to remind myself to eat more salmon (and fish in general). 

I know this recipe says "bowl" but I didn't want (or care for) much of what's on the list to put in said bowl. In fact, as I look at the list, I used none of what's on the list. I had this zucchini to use up so I went ahead and baked it with the salmon. The salad had some carrots in it, so that counts. AND I had cucumbers for lunch. 

Ahem. 

At any rate, this was a good teriyaki sauce. If you're not a fan of sesame oil, don't use the full teaspoon. It was a little overwhelming for my liking. 

Easy Teriyaki Salmon Bowls

Recipe from Averie Cooks 

Serves 4

TERIYAKI SAUCE

• ½ cup soy sauce, lite or reduced sodium recommended
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, plus more to taste if desired
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, or 1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or taste (I prefer more for a bit more spiciness)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

SALMON

• 1 ½ pounds salmon, skin removed and cut into 1-inch cubes (read blog post FAQs for more salmon info)

BOWL INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice, or your favorite rice
• 1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
• 1 cup English cucumber, sliced (peeled if desired if using regular cucumber)
• 1 cup carrots, julienned (use bagged shredded carrots to save time)
• 1 medium ripe Hass avocado, sliced or cubed
• 1 to 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, for garnishing and to taste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, for garnishing and to taste

Teriyaki Sauce – Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside momentarily.

Cube the salmon into 1-inch chunks, place them into a large bowl, and drizzle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the teriyaki sauce, mix well with a spoon or clean hands, cover, and refrigerate to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. Reserve the rest of the teriyaki sauce for simmering. 

Preheat your oven to 400F while the salmon marinates (if marinating longer than 30 minutes, you don't need to preheat your oven until you're ready to bake the salmon of course).

Bake the salmon for about 9-12 minutes, or as needed (perhaps up to 15 minutes). Baking Tips – It depends on the exact size of the pieces of salmon, your oven's heat output, and how well done you like your salmon. These are small, bite-sized pieces of fish which cook quickly. It could take longer (even up to 15-ish minutes) but cook until done, whatever that means for you, in your oven. Allow salmon to rest on the baking sheet until it's ready to be placed in the bowls.

Simmer the Reserved Teriyaki Sauce – To a small pan, add the remaining teriyaki sauce. Separately in a small bowl or cup, add the cornstarch + water and stir to dissolve and combine and now add the slurry to the pan with the teriyaki sauce, heat over medium or medium-high, whisking nearly constantly for about 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. 

Tips – Sauce will always appear more runny and thin when it's in a hot pan than when it's cooled. So even if it doesn't look particularly thick at 3 minutes, simmer for another couple minutes, and that should be plenty. You can keep the sauce in the pan, off the heat, while the salmon bakes and you get to work on the bowl ingredients.

Bowl Ingredients – Important Tip – While the salmon is marinating and then baking, you must work on preparing these ingredients or things won't finish at the same time.

If you're cooking rice from scratch, do it now. However…Tip – I am a huge fan of precooked rice in packets that require just 90 seconds in the microwave because they save so much time and energy. (see link above). Cook your rice how you like it best, and use whatever type of rice you'd like, of course.

Boil the edamame and drain it. Tip – I put frozen shelled edamame straight from the freezer into a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, top with water, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave it for about 5 minutes on high, or until done, then drain or just fish out with a slotted spoon. You can boil it on the stovetop but I find the microwave method much faster and easier.

Bowl Assembly – Evenly divide the cooked rice, cooked and drained edamame, cucumbers, carrots, and avocado between 4 bowls (or meal prep containers).

Evenly divide the cooked salmon to each bowl, evenly garnish with green onions and sesame seeds to taste, and evenly drizzle the simmered teriyaki sauce, and serve.

Muffuletta Pizza

This is one of those recipes where I think I left out more than I left in. I'm still claiming it as a new recipe though. 

Let's start with Muffulettas. My favorite of all time. First tried one in New Orleans and I was hooked. It's hard to find them here in Seattle, and trust me I try. There was a food truck that used to visit the parking lot at work that served them. Oh man, were those good. 

I like pizza and I like muffulettas, so this recipe made sense to me. 

What I skipped:

1. artichoke hearts. Gross. I could not find any good reason to add those to the olive spread.

2. roasted red peppers. Gross. I used green olives with pimientos in them to get that briny "pepper" flavor without the peppers. 

3. Mortadella. Not a fan. It wasn't too missed with the other meats on this pizza. I didn't do prosciutto (too expensive) instead did capicola, ham and Italian dry salami

What I added:

Red sauce. I couldn't imagine a pizza without pizza sauce. I think it made the pizza better. 

I'd make this again for sure. I love the olive salad part of this. 

Muffuletta Pizza

Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 4

OLIVE SALAD

• 1/2 cup mixed chopped olives
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

PIZZA

• 1 pound fresh pizza dough
• 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella
• 3 slices Provolone cheese, cut into strips
• 3 slices salami, cut into strips
• 3 slices Mortadella, cut into strips
• 3 slices Capicolla, Prosciutto, or smoked ham, cut into strips

Mix all ingredients for olive salad. Refrigerate until needed.

Spread about 1/4 cup of olive mixture on pizza dough, being sure to get as much of the liquid as possible. It will flavor the dough and take the place of a sauce.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella on top. Scatter sliced provolone cheese and meat on top.

Finish with about another 1/4 cup olive salad sprinkled on top.

Transfer to preheated oven and cook until cheese is melted and crust is brown, about 5 -10 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'll be forever on the search of a low carb cookie that actually tastes like a real carb cookie. I should give up this search I think. 

These are just ok. I was worried they'd be too eggy (which is gross to me) but they didn't. They aren't crisp and, in fact, the author of the recipe says that they are supposed to be cakey. I like a crisp cookie for the most part. 

I used Lily's Dark Chocolate Low Carb chips. These are my favorite. They're spendy, but worth it. 

If you're looking for something sweet and want to keep it low sugar / low carb, this might be a treat for you. 

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from The Big Man's World

Makes 12 cookies

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar I used a brown sugar substitute
• 1/3 cup butter salted and melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup chocolate chips of choice optional

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold through the chocolate chips.

Using your hands, form 12 small balls of dough and place on the lined sheet. Press each ball into a cookie shape and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges looks slightly golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 15 minutes, or until the cookies can be moved easily. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Top 10 Favorites for 2024

Here we are at the end of 2024. Quite the year when it comes to trying new recipes. I hit my goal of 170 new recipes. That's a CRAP ton of new recipes. 

As I continue to try new recipes one thing becomes crystal clear to me, all the recipes I try are almost always close to one I tried in the past - only with slight variations. I have a "style" in my cooking and it's pretty clear. 

This years saw some amazing recipes and some not so amazing. Here's my list of my top 10 favorites this year. 

You can see the full list of my favorites here. 

Top 10 Favorites for 2024

#10 Korean Meatballs

#9 Creamed Broccoli

#8 Chili Lime Chicken Lettuce Wraps

#7 Spanish Garlic Green Beans

#6 Hamburger Macaroni Skillet

#5 Shish Tawook

#4 Cucumber Hummus Bites

#3 Marry Me Chicken Soup

#2 Wendy’s Chili Copycat

#1 Shepherd’s Pie

And if you're interested in stats like I am (or is it that I'm just a data nerd), here are the stats for this year. 

Month over month looks like I maintain a pretty good average. May was the month I traveled for a couple of weeks, so that explains the low number of recipes. December is clearly the most I've made, and that's primarily because I was focused on hitting my annual goal. 

Year over Year you can tell when I truly started tracking and cooking like a crazy person. Covid got me cooking and I never looked back.