Friday Night Dinner

Tonight I made two more recipes I had ear marked in Cooking Light.  Blake liked them both, they were right up his alley.  I thought they were both okay.  I'm pretty picky about mashed potatoes, and really only like them with noodles, so I'm biased.  The meat with sauce was good, but very rich.  So if you like rich sauces, meats and potatoes, this recipe is for you! Not to mention it is actually pretty low-cal and low-fat for such a filling dish.

Beef with Rosemary Mushroom Sauce

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound boneless top sirloin steak (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consommé
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

Combine the presliced mushrooms, wine, and steak in a large zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove the steak from bag, reserving marinade. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook for 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning after 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Combine the onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, rosemary, and remaining ingredients. Add onion mixture and reserved marinade to pan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.

Cut the beef diagonally across grain into thin slices. Place beef on a serving platter. Spoon the mushroom sauce over beef. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Rosemary-Roasted Mashed Potatoes

8 cups baking potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 Cooking spray
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; toss well to coat. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until tender.

Combine water and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; add potato mixture. Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

What out Chipotle!

Who doesn't love a ginormous burrito, or a bowl full of burrito filling?  If you are a fan of Chipotle - then you will LOVE this recipe.  I gotta say it is just as good, if not better than the real thing.  If you've never had Chipotle, then make this and let me know what you think.

I like the burrito bowl, which is basically a naked burrito.  Feel free to make actual burritos with these fillings if you prefer. 

First I shall introduce you to the main characters...

Cilantro Lime Rice

Black Beans

Barbacoa (yummy beef!)

Supporting Roles...

Cilantro Lime Rice

Basmati Rice (or any you like)

1 lime

cilantro (as much or little as you like)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

Add olive oil to sauce pan, add rice, salt and the juice of one lime.  Add water as directed depending on what your rice calls for.  After cooking, fluff the rice and add the cilantro.

Black Beans

1 can of black beans

Open can, put beans in bowl, cover bowl, microwave for a few minutes.  : )

Barbacoa

5 lb chuck roast

8 cloves garlic, minced (I used a food processor)

1/4 cup ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp black pepper

3 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

Place roast in crock pot, mix all other ingedients together and the pore over the meat.  Cook on high for 6 hours.

Now, layer up all the goodies and toppings you'd like in a bowl and Voila!

Stuff it!

I'm not a fan of raw peppers, but I really like them cooked.  I had basically everything to make these on hand, and they were pretty good.  Very easy to assemble ahead of time and bake just before dinner. 

Stuffed Green Peppers

2 medium green bell peppers

1/2 pound ground bee

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided

1/4 cup uncooked instant rice (I used brown rice)

3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten

Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside. In a bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, rice, 2 tablespoons of cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and egg; mix well. Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and peppers are tender. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.               

Ma! the Meatloaf!!!

If there is anything better than cooking a yummy dinner, it is watching a funny movie.  If you don't understand the title of this blog, then you must go watch the movie Wedding Crashers before you can proceed with reading.

Ok, good, now that we're all on the same page, I shall commence with the meatloaf!

I've never been a big fan of meat in loaf form.  Or really anything that isn't bread, in loaf form.  But Blake requested meatloaf, so being the gracious non-breadwinner of the relationship, I will cook just about anything asked of me.

Alongside the meatloaf, I roasted some haricot verts and mushrooms in the oven.  I also reached in the Betty Crocker's bag-o-tricks and made some instant "loaded" mashed potatoes by tossing some crumpled bacon and shredded cheddar on top.

Ma! the Meatloaf!

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

6 slices white bread, cut into cubes

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons yellow mustard, divided

1/2 cup ketchup, divided

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in bread, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/4 cup ketchup.

Press the meat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, stir together remaining mustard, ketchup and brown sugar; pour on top of the meat loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.

recipe from Allrecipes.com

Hi, I'm Crista and I'm a Ranch-a-holic.

I love grilling out in the summer.  However, since Blake and I both arrived home in the midst of a monsoon, the grill was off limits tonight.

Did that stop the awesomeness that are the burgers that Blake makes?  Of course not!  When I walked in to the kitchen he was already pattying the ground beef that had been mixed with the secret ingredient.

Dry Ranch Dressing powder.  It's like a piece of heaven in dehydrated powdered form.

This recipe is quite simple.

2 TBS of dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1 lb of ground beef

Mix.  Grill.  Eat.  Yummmm!

Trader Joe's...oh how I love thee...

I can't take credit for finding this recipe. My dear friend Sara introduced me to this delicious dish last week, and I couldn't wait to make it myself!

The beauty of this dish is that it only requires 4 ingredients! All of which should be purchased from Trader Joe's for maximum yumminess. I will never use another pie crust again! This one is amazing!!!!

This will rival any great deep dish pizza, I promise!

Trader Joe's Calzone Pie

1 package TJ's frozen pie crust (thawed)

1 package TJ's frozen fully cooked meat balls (thawed)
1 cup TJ's Tomato Basil Marinara

1 cup TJ's Quattro Fromagio shredded cheese

Thaw and follow directions on pie crust. Thaw and quarter meatballs. Put 2 tbsp of sauce on the pie crust and spread to cover. Add Meatballs and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Continue rest of pie directions for baking, for approx. 15-20 mins at 450 degrees or until top is golden.

Source: Sara Burns

Best. Chili. Ever.

I love this chili. It definitely isn't a quick meal, but if you have the time, it will pay off. Things go a lot faster if you have a food processor, but if not you will get a chance to work on your knife skills. This recipe will serve a large crowd, or keep you happy all winter with lots of frozen chili in your freezer.

Hoosier Mama Chili

2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 pound hot bulk sausage
3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans in medium heat sauce, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 7 oz. can diced green chili peppers
1/4 cup real bacon bits
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 12 oz. beer (I used Fat Tire)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (I used Vampfire)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar


Brown beef and sausage in a skillet, drain fat. Add meat to a pre-heated crock-pot. (A big crock pot!!!) Add everything else listed and stir. Let the chili simmer on low for 4-6 hours (or longer).

Serve with fritos, cheese, sour cream, onions...or anything else your heart desires. If you don't want to use a crock pot, you can easily make this in a pot on the stove, just let it simmer as long as you can, the longer the better.



source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Happy St. Patty's Day...Again!

With the gigantic pile of corned beef left over from yesterday's post, I decided to throw together one of my favorite sandwiches for dinner.

Reuben Sandwich

2 slices Marbled Rye bread
Corned Beef Brisket
2 slices swiss cheese
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing
Butter

Butter bread slices. On the other side of each piece of bread spread thousand island dressing and top with swiss cheese slices. Add corned beef and sauerkraut to one slice and press sandwich together. Grill over medium heat on both sides until golden brown.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I couldn't pass up a chance to make a Irish themed dinner! I love Ruben Sandwiches, so I had already put that on this week's menu, and thought why not make my own corned beef the day before. I found this very highly rated recipe and loved that it used a crock pot.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

1 medium onion, cut into wedges
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound baby carrots
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over the vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Source: allrecipes.com

The Ol' Switcheroo!

Wow. I love lasagna as much as Garfield, but I try not to eat a lot of pasta. I'd always heard you could substitute zucchini slices for lasagna noodles, but was a bit skeptical. Not anymore! I may never make "normal" lasagna again! This is awesome. Feel free to use any lasagna recipe you like, and just substitute the pasta with zucchini.

Zucchini Lasagna

2 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 3 medium)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes, cut up

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook zucchini until tender, drain and set aside. Fry meat and onions until meat is brown and onions are tender; drain fat. Add next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered 10 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups. In small bowl slightly beat egg. Add cottage cheese, and half of shredded cheese. In (2-qt.) baking pan arrange half of the meat mixture. Top with half of the zucchini and all the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining meat and zucchini. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com

Baby It's Cold Outside!

It was a cold and rainy day, perfect for some stew! I made a big pot of this stew to pack for lunch the rest of the week.

Beef & Vegetable Stew

1 lb lean beef for stew
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 (15 ounce) cans beef broth
8 ounces fresh green beans
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced
1/4 cup frozen corn
bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
2 Tablespoons corn starch

In a medium to large pot, heat 1/2 tsp olive oil; brown beef, onion and garlic. Add broth, tomatoes, veggies and seasonings. Bring to a boil; simmer, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Mix corn starch with small amount of cold water and add to pot. Let boil for a few minutes until thickened. Discard bay leaf, serve.

Quick Quiche

This recipe was very easy and tasty. Reheated well!

Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche

1 lb. very lean hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 slices crisp-cooked bacon, chopped in bits
3 eggs1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup half-n-half
8 oz. shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese
garlic powder to taste (optional)
white pepper

Brown hamburger in skillet with onion. Remove and mix in bowl with bacon pieces, breaking up any larger clumps with a fork or pastry mixer until you have a fine mix. Drain well of any excess grease and press into the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine remaining ingredients in mixer bowl and whip well. Pour mixture over beef "crust" and bake 40-45 minutes until top is browned and "set". Cool 15-20 minutes before slicing. This can be packaged in Ziplocs or plastic containers for meals quickly microwaved over the next 3-5 days. (Does not freeze well, though.)

Source: lowcarb-recipes.com

Ooey Gooey Goodness

Since I was going to be doing some baking today, I figured I might as well make something for dinner that utilized the oven. After searching for a good baked pasta dish, I found this recipe that sounded really good and cheesy, and it turned out great. It made a TON so I guess we'll be eating this for a few days.



Baked Ziti

1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Source: Allrecipes.com