Rosemary Salt

 This is our favorite recipe for steak. It's great on lots of things. 

• 7 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs sage
• 1/2 c + 2T kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lemon of zest

Blend in a processor and done!

Monster Cookies

- 1 c white sugar

- 1 c brown sugar

- 3 eggs

- 1.5 t vanilla

- 1.5 t karo

- 1/2 c butter

- 1.5 c peanut butter

- 2 t baking soda

- 1/4 lb small choc chips

- 1/4 lb small m&m candies

- 4.5 c oatmeal

Cream sugar, butter, and peanut butter well. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla, karo, mix well. Add oatmeal, choc chips, m&m candies. 

Drop by lg Tablespoon on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. 

Easy Fish Tacos

Frozen fish sticks can be cooked in the oven for a quick fish taco night. Here are some favorite sauces and slaws: 

Overall ingredients: 

- corn tortillas (spray and fry in a hot pan)

- breaded fish sticks (1 per taco) or fish fillet (1 fish fillet will create 2 tacos)

- avocado, cilantro, chopped tomatoes

- sauces (green and fish taco recipes below)

- slaw (recipe below) 

- cheese maybe? but we don't use any

Green sauce

I make up a batch of this with chicken and rice, and then we use it all week long as a dip, on fish tacos, anything. 

-1/2 c sour cream

-1/2 jalapeno

-1 garlic clove

-1 c chopped cilantro

-1/4 t salt

-1 T lime juice

Mix up in blender. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Fish taco sauce

1/2 c sour cream

1/3 c mayonnaise

2 T lime juice

1.5 t garlic powder

2 t sriracha

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t salt

Whisk together all ingredients. Chill for at least 2 hours before using. 

Red Cabbage Slaw

1/4 c lime juice

1/4 c olive oil

1-2 T maple syrup

1/2 t salt

6 ish cups thinly sliced purple cabbage

1/2 c roughly chopped cilantro

Mix and chill. 

Blueberry Banana Bran Muffins

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 egg

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/3 c canola oil

1 c + 2T buttermilk

2 ripe large bananas, mashed

1/2 t vanilla extract

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1.5 c wheat bran  (cereal All Bran original)

1/2 c oat bran (you can use 1/2 c rolled oats or blend my own oats into flour)

2 T flaxseed meal

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 t cinnamon

1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

* carrots or other dried fruit

1. Preheat oven to 400 and either grease 12 muffin cups or line with liners (they're even more moist if you use muffin liners).

2. Mix buttermilk and wheat bran and set aside to soak. In another medium bowl, mix together all the remaining dry ingredients. 

3. In a large bowl add egg, sugar, oil, banana and vanilla and mix until well combined. Gently stir the dry mixture and buttermilk mixture into the egg mixture and mix until just combined and a few lumps remain. Fold in the blueberries being careful not to overmix. 

4. Pour into prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out a crumbs clinging to it. Cool 5 minutes in tins and then turn out onto rack to cool completely. 

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding

1/2 c sugar

3/4 c vegetable oil

3/4 c water

3 eggs

1 c sour cream

1 c semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients. Remove all large lumps. Add next 4 ingredients and stir until smooth. 

Pour into greased bundt pan (really greased). Sprinkle chocolate chips across the top. 

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan, remove onto wire rack, cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Mini Meatloaves

1 lb ground beef

1 c cheese grated (I like feta, but cheddar works great too)

3/4 c oatmeal

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 egg

1/2 chopped onion

(for topping):

1 c ketchup

1/2 c brown sugar

2 T dry mustard

Directions

Mix together ground beef, cheese, oatmeal, onion soup mix, egg, onion, and some salt. 

Form into mini loaves and place in a 9x13 pan (8 smaller loaves or 6 larger ones).

Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon sauce over each loaf. 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

Cauliflower Tacos

Prep: 10 minutes or less

Cook: 15 minutes

Serves: 6

So easy and great leftovers!

Ingredients

- 1 bag cauliflower (Costco-size) (or 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets)

- 2 T olive oil

- 1 T chili powder

- 2 t cumin

- 1/2 t salt

- 1/2 t pepper

- 1-2 garlic cloves or sub garlic powder

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

- 1/4 c greek yogurt

- 1/4 c sour cream

- 1/4 c fresh cilantro

- 1 clove garlic minced

- juice of 1 lime

- salt and pepper to taste

Assembly

- 8 small flour tortillas

- 1 avocado dices

- 1 cup red cabbage

- 1/4 c cilantro

- optional 1 jalapeno

- creamy cilantro sauce

Instructions

- Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients for the caulflower on a sheet and roast for 20 minutes until lightly charred and cooked through. 

- Whisk the creamy sauce ingredients. 

- Warm tortillas and assemble. 

Lemon or Key Lime Pie

 Graham cracker crust

1.5 c (13 squares) graham cracker crumbs

1/3 c sugar

6 T butter melted

Preheat oven to 375. Mix crackers and sugar in food processor; pour in melted butter and mix. It'll resemble wet sand. Press into a pie plate. Bake 7 minutes. Cool for 30. 

Lemon or lime filling

28 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c light sour cream

3/4 c lemon or lime juice

zest from 2 regular limes (4 key limes) or 2 regular lemons

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together all ingredients. Pour into cooled crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool, then cover loosely and chill for at least 3 hours. 

Whipped Cream topping

1 c heavy whipping cream

1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 t vanila

Beat heavy cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form. Mix in the vanilla. Spread on top of chilled pie. Garnish with raspberries and mint. 

 

Flank Steak Family Recipe

 1/2 c. water

1/3 c. lemon juice

1 t. celery seed

2 t. Worcestershire sauce

2/3 c. ketchup

1 bay leaf

1/2 t. crushed basil

Dash tabasco

1. Mix

2. Simmer and cool. 

3. Score the flank steak, put it in a gallon baggie, and pour cooled sauce. Marinate for several hours up to a day. 

Nana's Spaghetti Sauce

Our favorite, Nana, and her easy, tasty spaghetti sauce. 

1 stick celery

1/2 onion

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. basil

1/4 t. dry parsley

1/4 t. black pepper

dash cayenne

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

salt to taste

2 T Schillings spaghetti sauce mix

1 can bouillon (interpreted as 1 beef broth?)

1-2 cans tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 package mushrooms (or 1 can mushroom pieces)

1-1.5 lbs. ground beef

Brown onion, celery, and bell. Add to browned meat. Add all other ingredients and simmer 3 hours. Add water when needed.  Love you, Anne

Blue Cheese Burger

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (16-20% fat)

1 pound ground beef (16-20%)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves minced garlic

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

1 egg

1 Tbsp water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix and mix – don’t be lazy. Then form into burgers and grill.

Favorite Dinner Salad

Found this recipe on gimmesomeoven.com. The super-simple vinaigrette compliments any dinner well. 

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 head red-leaf lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

half of a small red onion, peeled and thinly-sliced

2 (14 ounce) jars quartered artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1 batch zesty red wine vinaigrette

optional garnish: extra freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

ZESTY RED WINE VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

TO MAKE THE SALAD:

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl, and toss until evenly combined.  Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE:

Add all ingredients together in a mason jar, and shake until combined. Use immediately.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole

To be honest, I have no idea what real posole should taste like, but I made this up yesterday and we scarfed it down, so I'll make it again. I especially loved it with the sliced radishes, a squeeze of lemon, fresh cilantro, and avocado.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 small yellow onion peeled and diced (I forgot to put this in, and it was great)

2 poblano peppers chopped into small pieces

6 cups chicken broth (or somewhere in between with water)

1 can Rotel

2 or 3 7-oz cans diced green chiles (fire-roasted gives even more depth)

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 can hominy (25oz?) drained and rinsed
garnishes: sliced radishes, limes, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, cheese (monterey jack, cotija, whatever you have on hand)

Instructions

1. Throw all of the ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low 6-7 hours, or high 3-4 hours. 

2. 30 minutes before serving, shred the chicken and add the hominy.

3. Serve with sliced radishes, limes, fresh cilantro, avocado, and cheese (we used monterey jack or cotija)

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (add an additional ½ cup for a fluffier cookie or for altitude)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In a stand alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (can use hand held too), cream together butter and granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time and mix, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Mixture may look clumpy.
4. With the mixer on low-speed, slowly add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix just until dough comes together, it may be a little crumbly which is totally fine! You do not want to over mix the dough, otherwise the cookies can flatten when baked.
5. Lastly mix in chocolate chips. Place dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to firm up. Dough will be pretty firm already, but I find that cooled dough bakes better. If the dough is too warm or sticky, the cookies may flatten out.
6. Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheet. Mine were about 3-4 tablespoons each.
7. Bake for 9-12 minutes (baking time will depend on oven) until edges are golden. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes than transfer to cooling rack.

Notes

It's common for chocolate chip cookies to turn out flat. Here are few helpful tips. Do not over mix the dough, just mix enough for it to come together and stir the chocolate chips in by hand. Chill cookie dough so that's it's very cold - you can even put it in the freezer to chill even further - if the dough is room temperature or warm, it will spread faster when baked. You may have under measured the flour a bit - add a few tablespoons more if needed. Lastly, do not put cookie dough on a warm cookie sheet - make sure that the cookie sheet has cooled or use a new one for the second batch. With all this said, the flavor of the cookies will not change even if the cookies spread! I make these all the time and they don't flatten out on me, but I follow all the tips above to prevent flat cookies.

Easy Pound Cake

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla, almond, or lemon extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs

1. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Blend in milk and extract. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Beat till smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into a well greased and floured loaf pan. (Mine is about 9x5".) Bake at 300° for about 90 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Roasting Vegetables

Here are some recipes I like for roasting vegetables:

Kale chips
- 1 bunch of kale

1. Preheat oven to 350. Take stem out of kale. No need to chop up.
2. Place kale in large ziplock. Pour in maybe 1/4 c olive oil, some parmesan and bread crumbs if you're feeling fancy. Give it a good shake and knead.
3. Pour out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt (you could also put this into the bag, but sometimes I put too much salt in).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp.

Roasted brussels sprouts, potatoes, and carrots
- 1 red onion
- 3 carrots
- 14 oz yukon gold potatoes
- 3/4 lb brussels sprouts
- 1 bunch thyme

1. Preheat oven to 475. Cut off and discard the stem ends of brussels sprouts; cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Medium-dice potatoes.
3. Peel carrots and cut into bite-size pieces.
4. Pick the thyme leaves off the stems.
5. Place all veggies on sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
6. Arrange in a single, even layer. Roast 25-27 minutes or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork.

Also try, parsnips, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, etc.

Arugula-Pear Salad & Lemon Vinaigrette

This is one of our favorite salads!

3 oz arugula

1 lemon

1 pear thinly sliced

1 shallot minced

a pinch of grated pecorino cheese for garnish

Combine the juice of the lemon, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, the shallot and 2 T olive oil. Just before serving, toss with the sliced pear and arugula. That easy!

Fall Vegetable and Goat Cheese Quiche with Arugula-Pear Salad and Lemon Vinaigrette

4 eggs
1 pie crust
4 oz goat cheese
3/4 c milk
5 oz brussels sprouts
1 leek
1/3 c grated pecorino cheese

Recipe Arugula-Pear Salad & Lemon Vinaigrette

1. Preheat oven to 425. Discar root end and upper, dark-green leaves of leek and wash thoroughly. Medium dice leek. Cut off and discard the stem ends of the brussels sprouts. Pick off and reserve the brussels sprouts leaves until you reach the lighter cores; discard the cores. Crumble the goat cheese.

2. In a medium non-stick pan, heat 1 T olive oil on medium until hot. Add leek, salt, pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2-4 minutes or until softened. Add brussels sprouts and 1 T water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1-2 minutes, or until sprouts are bright green and slightly softened. Remove from heat.

3. While the vegetables cook, this is a great time to make the lemon vinaigrette fro the Arugula-Pear Salad. Crack the eggs into a large bowl; beat until smooth. Whisk in the milk and all but a big pinch of the pecorino cheese; season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked vegetables and whisk to thoroughly combine.

4. Place the pie crust on a sheet pan. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Evenly top with goat cheese; season with s&p.

5. Place quicke in oven and bake 26-28 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is cooked through and slightly crispy on top. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

6. Toss the sale and serve with the quiche.

Butternut Squash and Kale Rigatoni with Crispy Rosemary and Butter Lettuce Apple-Salad

We've been trying out Blue Apron meals around here. It's been great, but not completely for what you think. The fresh ingredients are great and remeasured (but not pre-cut, which I like), but the meat is so-so. I like it because I don't have to plan, shop, or pre-measure. I especially like that Jared hops right in and starts cooking. It's made me so happy. And I have at least 2 meals for the week that I know will be filling and - let's be honest - there on the table. Here's one of the recipes that was solid. 

3/4 lb mezze rigatoni pasta

3 cloves garlic

1 bunch Lacinato kale

1 butternut squash

1 apple

1 head butter lettuce

1 bunch rosemary

4 T butter

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T whole grain dijon

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1. Prep ingredients. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling. Small dice squash, pick rosemary leaves off stems, mince the garlic, roughly chop the kale, cut the apple into matchsticks and toss with 1/4 of the vinegar. 

2. Fry the rosemary in a thin layer of oil on medium-high heat about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel. 

3. Cook pasta and vegetables. Add pasta and cook 9-11 minutes, al dente. Reserve 1/2 c cooking water. Heat the pan used for the rosemary on med-high until hot. Add squash, salt, pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally 8-10 min. Add garlic and kale, salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes until kale is wilted. Transfer to a bowl. 

4. Add the butter to the pan used for the veggies. Cook 15-30 seconds until butter foams. Then continue cooking swirling the pan 2-3 more minutes until deep golden brown and nuttily fragrant. 

5. Add the pasta, veggies, half of the reserved cooking water to the browned butter. Stir frequently 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. 

6. In a small bowl, make the vinaigrette. Combine remaining vinegar, mustard, salt and paper and 2 T olive oil. Combine vinaigrette with the lettuce and apple. Garnish with the rosemary and cheese. 

20-minute Chicken Noodle Soup

My friend, Brittany, gave me this recipe. I have a few soups in my arsenal that are fast, but this is a really really fast recipe!

46 oz chicken broth

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts -bite size (2 breasts)

1 1/2 cups uncooked med egg noodles

1 cup sliced carrot

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup sliced celery

1tsp. dill weed

1/4 black pepper

In a large saucepan, over medium high heat, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until chicken and noodles are cooked. Yum