Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

This is a yummy, quick, easy, delicious weeknight meal! I cut the original recipe in half but doubled the noodles, and added peanuts and edamame.

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
3/8 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry cooking sherry
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 cooked and shredded chicken breast
8 oz. linguine or Chinese egg noodles, cooked to al dente and chilled
2 heads hearts-of-romaine lettuce, chopped or 1 head regular romaine, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large English cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
Pinch salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Handful peanuts
Handful of cooked edamame

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil and sherry in a bowl until smooth. Add soy sauce and Sriracha sauce, and stir to blend. 

Combine remaining ingredients with sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Original Recipe: Good Dinner Mom

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

Image courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

I made these this morning from a recipe I found on Pinterest. The butter topping was too buttery for our taste, so I modified the last batch to exclude the butter, which made for a much lighter doughnut. 

INGREDIENTS:

Doughnuts:
2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten (must be room temperature!)
1-1/4 cups whole milk (must be room temperature!)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray doughnut pans with cooking spray or grease lightly.

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Wisk together until well combined. In order to NOT make scrambled eggs, make sure your milk, butter, and eggs are about the same temperature. When you melt the butter, make sure it cools a bit, and bring your egg and milk to about room temperature. Otherwise you get a lumpy mess. 

Stir wet mixture into dry mixture until just combined. Don’t over mix.

Spoon batter into baking pans and fill each one to 3/4 full. Don't overfill.

Bake for 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out easily.

While doughnuts are baking, create the topping. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. 

Let cool for a minute to two, then place doughnuts on a cooling rack.

While doughnuts are still warm, dip them in the topping mix. If you let them cool completely before you dip, the cinnamon sugar won't stick to the doughnut.

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM: Redefined Mom

Crispy Pesto Gnocchi

This is a super quick weeknight meal! This can be a side dish or a main dish (if you eat a ton, like me!).

INGREDIENTS:

Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea Salt, to taste

Gnocchi:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (1 lb.) package potato gnocchi
3-4 cups baby spinach leaves
Freshly shredded Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Make Pesto:
Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add the cheese and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Make Gnocchi:
Cook the gnocchi according to package instructions. Drain completely. 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.  Turn the gnocchi and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 3 more minutes. 

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/3 cup of the pesto and the baby spinach. Toss together in the pan until the spinach just starts to wilt. You might have leftover pesto. Serve warm and garnish with Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, if desired. 

*A good leftover use of the pesto is the Chicken Pesto Spinach Pizza.

ORIGINAL RECIPE: Drop Dead Gorgeous

Chicken Pesto Spinach Pizza

Image courtesy of A Zesty Bite

I made this last night and Trip and I both really enjoyed it. We are definitely going to experiment with different toppings!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken:
1 large chicken breast
Seasoned salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
1/2 cup Tuscan Italian dressing

Pesto: 
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea Salt, to taste

Pizza:
Refrigerated Pizza Dough from Trader Joe's
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Handful fresh spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Make chicken ahead of time:
I do my trusty crockpot method: Sprinkle some onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt with a bit of water. Cook on low for about 4-6 hours. Then shred and pour some Italian dressing on the chicken and keep warm. This can be also be done the day before or the night before. 

Make pesto:
Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add the cheese and pulse until combined. Season with sea salt, to taste.

Make pizza:
Preheat the oven to 475.

Stretch the dough out into a circle and place on pizza baking sheet. Create a small crust by folding the ends up a bit. 

Using a brush, spread out the pesto onto the dough up til the edges of the crust. 
Place the chicken pieces and spinack on the pizza. Top with the mozzarella cheese (you can use more or less to preference).

Cook for 10 minutes until the cheese gets a bit brown on top and the crust is slightly brown. 

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

Wow, these are tasty. Like crazy delicious. I used frozen blueberries and just thawed them for a bit before I started making these, and they turned out fine. I also had to up the amount of time they bake to about 17 minutes (I think I need an oven thermometer!). 

I also only drizzled the lemon glaze on half of them. The glaze was a bit too lemony for me, but for others that tried it, they liked it. So I'm cutting the glaze ingredients by half. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• juice of half a lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, adjust the oven racks to the middle position and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the vanilla.

Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula, then stir in the oats and blueberries. Be careful not to break the blueberries while stirring.

Using 2 heaping tablespoons per cookie, roll the dough into balls and place them onto a cookie sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookie edges are just turning golden brown but the middles are still quite pale, about 15-17 minutes (original recipe says 12-14, so check them earlier and cook longer as needed).

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack.

Once cookies are cool, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together. Depending on your desired consistency, you can add more or less powdered sugar.

Drizzle glaze on top of cookies and let sit until glaze has hardened.

Store cookies in an airtight container.

Original Recipe: A Happy Food Dance

Meatloaf

This is a modification of the Pioneer Woman meatloaf recipe. I've made it probably a handful of times, and it's tasty (and I'm not usually a meatloaf fan). I make it without the bacon, and have found that it tastes exactly the same, just less greasy. I cut the recipe in half, since it's just the two of us. Also, it has always taken me WAY longer to cook it through than her recipe calls for, and I've made it in three different ovens. So here's my slightly modified version:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 3 slices White Bread
• 1 pound Ground Beef (make it close to room temperature)
• 1/2 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/8 teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 whole Eggs, Beaten

Sauce:

• 3/4 cup Ketchup
• 1/6 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. The reason for the close-to-room temperature beef is that otherwise your hands will FREEZE. Plus, it will lower the temperature in the oven and take longer to cook. Don't leave it out too long on the counter though, you don't want bacteria!

Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over the top of the meatloaf. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, then pour a bit of the sauce over the top. Slice and serve with remaining sauce. If the meatloaf is still pink inside, keep cooking til cooked through.

Original Recipe: The Pioneer Woman

Au Gratin Potatoes

Another Pinterest recipe keeper! I made these the other night, and they were amazing! The key is the super thin sliced potatoes, which I achieved using my food processor with the circular cutter in it. I think next time I'll change up the Jack cheese for Gruyere, since that's a favorite of mine.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick (keep them in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from turning pink!)
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. In a large bowl, toss the cheeses and cornstarch together until evenly coated.

In a large gratin dish (about a 2- to 3-quart dish), shingle half the potatoes, then sprinkle half the cheese mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on top. Top with the remaining potatoes, shingling them neatly and evenly. Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper evenly over the top.

Combine the cream and the broth in a large measuring cup and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Top with the remaining cheese mixture and bake until golden brown and a fork inserted into the center slides in easily with little resistance, 75 to 85 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Original Recipe: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie

I found this on Pinterest and had to make it, as I was having a serious peanut butter craving. Let me say, that this is so simple but SO DELICIOUS. I didn't use honey, and I don't think it needs it. It was a little more liquidy than I prefer (I like milkshake consistency), so the next time I made it, I used about a third of the milk. I also ran out of yogurt, and it was just as tasty. So here's my slimmed down version of the original:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of natural creamy peanut butter (you can use more or less to taste)
• 1 very ripe banana, sliced, and frozen (I always keep a bunch of cut up frozen bananas in the freezer)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put ingredients in blender in order given, and blend til smooth. 

Original Recipe: Sally's Baking Addiction

Berry Crumb Cake

This is another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I have made this using just blueberries (like the original recipe), as well as mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries). Both ways are scrumptuous!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 stick Butter, softened
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 cups Whole Milk
• 2 cups Fresh Blueberries (or a combo of berries)

  FOR THE TOPPING:

• 3/4 sticks Butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.

Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with butter. Pour in batter.

In a separate large bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using a fork or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown (mine took 42 minutes).

Original Recipe: The Pioneer Woman

Pulled Pork Tacos with Sweet Chili Slaw & Avocado Cream

I just made these last night, and they were wonderful! The sweet chili slaw added a nice zing to the taco, and the avocado cream was a good twist on the usual guacamole topping we do. These will now be in our regular dinner rotation.

I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5-2 lbs. pork tenderloin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces low sodium chicken broth
• Tortillas, for serving
• Cheese for topping (I had jack cheese on hand)

SWEET CHILI SLAW:

• 2 cups sliced green cabbage
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced

AVOCADO CREAM: 

• 1 ripe avocado, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons greek yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mix on the pork til it's totally covered. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Make sure the skillet is really hot before adding the pork (should immediately sizzle). Sear the pork on all sides just until it is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the pork and place it in the crockpot. 

Pour the chicken broth into the hot pan and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the seared pork deliciousness into the broth. Then pour over the pork in the crockpot. Cook for 6-8 hours on Low (Mine was super tender and done at 6 hours).

After the pork is done, remove the top and pull the pork apart with two forks. Toss it well with the broth and then cover it and let it cook for another 15 minutes or so. Taste the pork and season it additionally if desired.

To make the slaw, add the cabbage to a medium bowl. Toss it with the sweet chili sauce and the lime juice, adding in a pinch of salt. You can make this a few hours ahead of time and keep it in the fridge if desired.

To make the avocado cream, add the avocado, lime juice, and greek yogurt to a medium bowl and blend with a fork until creamy.

Assemble the tacos by adding some pork to each tortilla and covering it with a drizzle of the avocado cream. Add the slaw on top and sprinkle on a bit of cheese.

Original Recipe: How Sweet It Is

Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl

This is similar to the Peanut Ginger Quinoa recipe I blogged about last month, but just different enough that it warrants another blog post. Instead of a very strong peanut flavor, it has a bit of kick to it with the addition of the sweet chili sauce. I doubled the recipe, and made some minor adjustments to the original. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 chicken breast
• large handful shredded carrots
• 2/3 cup shelled edamame
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

SAUCE: 

• 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook chicken breast. I put a chicken breast in my small crockpot, covered it with garlic powder, onion powder, sweet chili sauce, and some water to cover the bottom of the crockpot, and cooked on low for 5 hours (or until you can easily shred it). 

Prepare quinoa according to directions. I used low-sodium chicken broth, and it was so much more flavorful than water, so use it if you have it. 

While quinoa is cooking, combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. 

Once quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, mix quinoa in the large sauce bowl and toss well to coat. 

Add in dry ingredients to the large bowl and mix well. 

Original Recipe: How Sweet It Is

Spicy Sausage Pasta

I made the recipe a couple weeks ago, and we both liked it. I cooked the pasta too much, so I'm decreasing the cook time, but other than that, it was delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage
• 1.5 cups diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. 

Makes 4 servings.

Original Recipe:  Kevin and Amanda

Malted Hazelnut & Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just made these this weekend....sooooo good. No need to deviate from the original recipe (though I'm adjusting instructions since I don't have an electric mixer, boo).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup malted milk powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, such as nutella
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, skinned and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. 

Whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended in a medium-sized bowl.

Cream together the butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Add the hazelnut chocolate spread and mix until combined. Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until incorporated. 

Add 1/2 the flour mixture and stir then add the other 1/2 and stir until just combined. Don't overmix.

Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts until evenly distributed (a couple stirs). Take tablespoons of dough and drop them onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them out about 2 inches from each other, until the sheets are full.

Bake in the oven for 13 minutes for a softer cookie, and 15 minutes for a crisper cookie. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Kept in an airtight container at room temperature, the cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days.

Original Recipe: Adventures in Cooking

Easy Pad Thai

This isn't an authentic Pad Thai dish, but it's a quick and tasty weeknight meal. I double the amount of sauce from the original recipe, as the first time I made it, it was quite dry. I also add chicken, because Trip doesn't consider it dinner unless there's meat in it. And of course, I take out the cilantro. :)

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN:

• 1 chicken breast
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• kosher salt
• black pepper

SAUCE:

• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (optional)

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 large eggs, light beaten (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

Cook chicken as preferred. I either bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or stick it in the crockpot if I remember. Sprinkle some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper on it before cooking. 

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.

Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.

Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with peanuts.

Original Recipe: Brownies for Dinner

Adventures in Cooking

This blog is a GREAT cooking resource! Not only are there delicious recipes and very useful tips and tricks, but the photography is outstanding. Makes me want to reach right through the screen to eat the pictures. 

Adventures in Cooking

I will definitely be trying some of her recipes soon! One that I MUST make soon is this one:

Malted Hazelnut Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Image Courtesy of Hungry Hannah

My neighbor Jessica made this, and it was so good I asked for the recipe. It's a bit time consuming, but worth it. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced 
• 1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced 
• 1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced 
• 1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/3 cup good olive oil 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 pound orzo 

For the dressing: 

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 
• 1/3 cup good olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

To assemble: 

• 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts) 
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 
• 3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled) 
• 15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula. 

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. 

Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl. 

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature. 

Original Recipe:  Barefoot Contessa

Grilled Balsamic Flank Steak

Here is another great flank steak recipe. This one is also super easy and delicious. The recipe serves four, so this is a great weekend meal with friends. We often pair it with the grilled corn feta salad recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. flank steak
• ¼ c. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper

Combine balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic in a large ziplock bag. 

Add steak, turn to coat; marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature (or 4 hours in the refrigerator, if making ahead of time). 

Grill until desired doneness. We do ours about 4-6 minutes per side depending on how hot our grill is.

Remove from grill and let stand, covered loosely with foil for 10 minutes.

Cut meat in thin strips against the grain.

Original Recipe: Point-less Meals

Beef with Snow Peas

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe that I tried when I first started to learn how to cook. I loved her website because she showed how the food was supposed to look at each stage of the process (something very valuable for a newbie cook like myself!). 

This recipe is very quick...the longest process is cooking the rice. The sauce is delicious, and you can substitute the snow peas for any vegetable (peppers, broccoli, onions). When I first made the dish, I had a Teflon pan, and burnt the Teflon off because the recipe said to make the skillet HOT. Oops. I still don't have a cast iron skillet, just stainless steel pans, so I don't get it super hot, just hot enough. :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Flank Steak
• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry Or Cooking Sherry
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 6 ounces, weight Fresh Snow Peas, Ends Trimmed
• 5 whole Scallions, Cut Into Haf-inch Pieces On The Diagonal
•  Salt As Needed (use Sparingly)
• 3 Tablespoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
• 1 cup Jasmine Rice

Cook rice according to package directions.

Trim as much of the fat off the steak as you can. Then slice it very thin against the grain in long strips.

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Pour half the liquid over the sliced meat in a bowl and toss with hands. Reserve the other half of the liquid. Set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.

Allow pan to get hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

Serve immediately over rice. 

Original Recipe: The Pioneer Woman

Bacon, Mushroom, and Spinach Risotto

This recipe is heavenly. So creamy and flavorful, Trip and I ate the entire amount in one sitting. I made some slight adjustments to the original recipe: I used 8oz. of cremini mushrooms, not 12 oz of three different kinds. I also used store bought low sodium chicken stock, not homemade. I also took out some of the bacon grease, since it seemed like too much (I used another brand of bacon the second time around and there wasn't as much grease, so I guess it depends which brand you have). Finally, I didn't have asiago cheese, so I used parmesan. You'll definitely get an arm workout stirring this for 30 minutes straight, but it's so worth it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 cup chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups baby spinach (a couple large handfuls)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Asiago cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, flipping occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. If there is too much grease (should just cover the bottom of the pan), remove. Cut up bacon into bite size pieces.

Add shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in mushrooms; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

Stir in sherry; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. 

Stir in 1 cup stock; cook 4 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. 

Add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). 

Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute. 

Remove from heat; stir in bacon, cheese, salt, and pepper. Devour.

Original Recipe:  My Recipes

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Trip LOVES when I make this, and it's so easy! The original recipe calls for Hidden Valley dry ranch mix, but I make my own, since the Hidden Valley mix uses MSG. Double the recipe if you're feeding more than 3.

• 1 lb chicken breasts (3 big breasts)
• 4 oz.Italian dressing (I like Annie's Tuscan Italian Dressing)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon dried chives
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours or until chicken is done. Shred with fork and serve with warm tortillas and all your favorite fixings (lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole, cheese, etc.). 

Original Recipe: Chef in Training