Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta (128 of 150)

Chicken marsala is one of my favorite chicken dishes. The sweet flavor of the marsala wine really is delicious. I've made a couple versions of chicken marsala and pasta. This one is right up there with all of them. Delicious is putting it mildly. This was so very yummy that I am going to add it to my favorites list. 

I should also mention that I didn't make it in one pot like the recipe says. I'm not a fan of that at all and so I cooked the pasta separately and added it to the sauce. I adjusted the liquid so it would cook down and not be too soupy. 

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 pound chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces)
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 pound white mushrooms (quartered or sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 c marsala wine
• 3 c chicken broth (low sodium)
• 2 c heavy cream
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 c Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• 1 T parsley (for garnish)

Cook the chicken. Pat the chicken thigh pieces dry with a paper towel. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Cook the onion and mushrooms. In the same Dutch oven add the mushrooms and onion and cook until the onions are soft and translucent and the mushrooms have browned. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until aromatic.

Deglaze with Marsala wine. Add the Marsala wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Transfer the chicken back to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until the wine starts to reduce a little.

Add remaining ingredients. Add the pasta, chicken broth, heavy cream to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the Dutch oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked al dente.

Finish the dish. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cook for another minute. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Favorite Grilled Pork Chops (127 of 150)

I don't have too many pork marinades. I tend to over cook pork so a marinade helps keep the pork moist. This recipe was delicious. It has all the ingredients of so many other marinades I have that I love and this one was no different. 

I marinaded it for 10 hours and think that's the key to the flavor. And I didn't overcook them - shocking I know. 

I'm going to keep this one around. I think it would do well with beef and chicken. 

Favorite Grilled Pork Chops

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 4

• ½ c Worcestershire Sauce
• ¼ c balsamic vinegar
• ¼ c soy sauce
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork chops

Whisk together Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Place pork chops in a gallon ziplock bag and our marinade over pork chops.

Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.

Remove pork chops from marinade and grill until done, approximately 8 to 12 minutes.

Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Stacks (126 of 150)

Photo from Savory Sweet Life Blog

Tomorrow is book club and its my turn to bring a dessert. I usually like to find something different, but this time I just ran out of time. Traveling and this !@#$%^ cold made me lose time for planning. Instead I found this simple "recipe" - its simple and meets the number one criteria...its gluten free. 

I put "recipe" in quotes because it doesn't feel like a recipe with only three ingredients. I tossed in a tab of butter with this too. Not sure why, but it felt right. We'll see if they stand up now. 

Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Stacks

Recipe from Savory Sweet Life

Makes 12

1 ½ c chocolate chips

½ c natural creamy peanut butter

3 c Corn Flakes cereal

Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat this until the chocolate chips are smooth. Add peanut butter and stir until well combined. 

Fold in Corn Flakes until the flakes are evenly coated. 

Drop the mix by the tablespoons on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

Allow mounds to cool and harden in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Or if you're experiencing snow (like we are in Seattle) and your refrigerator is packed (like mine), stick them in your car.

Chicken Gloria (125 of 150)

Photo from Salt and Lavender

I have never had Chicken Gloria before and I think I've been missing out. 

This was a delicious, hearty and easy meal. I recommend that you get all your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. It moves pretty fast once you start making the sauce and if you don't have your stuff ready to go, you may burn the roux for the gravy. 

Chicken Gloria

Recipe from Salt and Lavender

Serves 4

• 3 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 T olive oil
• 4 T butter (1/2 stick) divided
• 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Flour for dredging + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 c sherry dry
• 1.5 c heavy/whipping cream
• 6 slices Muenster cheese see note

Preheat your oven to 375F and position the rack in the top third of the oven.

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you've got 6 thinner cutlets. Generously season both sides of each piece with salt & pepper and coat each piece in flour. Shake off any excess flour.

Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes. Cook the chicken in two batches, lightly browning each piece of chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side (don't cook them completely or they'll overcook in the oven). Transfer the chicken to a 9x13 casserole dish as you finish browning each batch. You will likely need to add a splash more olive oil (about a tablespoon or less) to the second batch if the pan is dry.

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. One it melts, add the mushrooms and cook them until they're seared and their water is released and cooked off (about 5 minutes). Take the skillet off the heat and transfer the mushrooms to the casserole dish (add them around and on top of the chicken as desired).

In the same skillet, over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once it melts, add the flour and garlic. Cook for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly.

Pour in the sherry and then slowly whisk in the cream until the flour has dissolved and you've got a smooth sauce (and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan). Cook it for a few minutes (continue whisking) so it thickens up a bit (don't let it get too thick because it'll reduce more in the oven). Add in a bit of salt & pepper to the sauce.

Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and mushrooms.

Top the chicken with the cheese slices.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. [ JW note: I didn't cover it. I just let it be and then didn't need to do the broiling thing]

Take the foil off and broil for a few minutes until the cheese has browned (watch it carefully).

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then serve.

Easy Swiss Steak (124 of 150)

I'm back from Portugal and ready to cook. I didn't have much in the house, but scrounging the pantry and freezer I found I had exactly what I needed to make this Easy Swiss Steak. 

I've made Swiss Steak on other time and it turned out good, so why not try it again?

This recipe was easy and it was also delicious. The tangy tomato sauce would make anyone happy. I had this over rice, but think mashed potatoes and/or pasta would be good too. 

Photo from JoCooks.com

Easy Swiss Steak

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

• 2 pounds bottom round roast (Cut into 1/2" thick slices)
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• ½ c flour (all-purpose)
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 onion (sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 T tomato paste
• 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes (1 can)
• 2 c beef broth (low sodium)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T parsley (freshly chopped)

Swiss the steak: Use a meat tenderizer mallet to poke holes into each slice of steak on both sides. You can also do with a fork or pairing knife.

Dredge through flour: Generously salt the beef slices with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow bowl. Dredge each piece of beef well in the flour.

Sear the steak: Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dredged beef to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until seared and well browned. Remove the beef from the skillet and set aside.

Sauté onion: Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil to the skillet along with the onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until they soften and get translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic.

Add the rest of ingredients: Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the diced tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together well.

Braise: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the beef back to the skillet and make sure it's fully submerged. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until the sauce has reduced to your liking and the beef is tender. Stir occasionally.

Finish & serve: Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Yakisoba (123 of 150)

Yakisoba is not something I eat very often. I'm not really sure why, I mean it has all the things I like. 

What I didn't like about this recipe was the Worcestershire sauce. I like W sauce but this had too much. 3 T is a lot of W sauce. 

I didn't want to buy a head of cabbage for just a small amount so this yakisoba doesn't have it, and I gotta say, I missed it. I used celery (because I had it), carrot, onion and mushrooms.

Overall, this recipe was good, just not my favorite.

Yakisoba

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

Yakisoba Sauce

• 3 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T oyster sauce
• 2 T ketchup
• 2 T soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 T brown sugar (packed)

Yakisoba

• 1 pound yakisoba noodles (rinsed and drained)
• 1 T peanut oil
• 1 pound chicken breast (boneless skinless, cut into small thin strips)
• 1 small onion (sliced)
• 1 medium carrot (cut into thin strips)
• 4 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
• ½ small cabbage (cut into bite size pieces)
• 2 green onions (cut into 1 inch strips)

Make the sauce: In a bowl combine all the Yakisoba sauce ingredients together. Set aside.

Prep the noodles: Remove the noodles from their package, and place in a colander. Rinse well and drain. While rinsing you will have to separate the noodles with your hands.

Stir fry the chicken and veggies: In a large wok or skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink. Add the sliced onion and carrots and cook for another 2 minutes until the onion softens. Add the mushrooms, cabbage and green onions. Toss everything together and cook for another minute.

Finish the dish: Add the Yakisoba noodles to the wok then pour the sauce over everything. Toss everything together using tongs. Cook for another 2 minutes until the noodles heat through.

Serve: Serve immediately with sriracha sauce if preferred.

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!