They are Baaaackkk!!!

You know you loved the last recipe that helped you figure out what to do with that oh so dreaded brussel sprout well they are back in an awesome new recipe my mom discovered while watching food network and passed my way. This recipe is great and you dont even have to buy the expensive ingredient if you dont want to you can make it with or without a few things and it is amazing and sure to become one you will make again and again.
This recipe can be found on foodnetwork.com

Brussel Sprouts Supreme


Ingredient:

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
• 2 morita or pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped ( we found these at no frills in the hispanic food section)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts( Have made 2 times once with and once without both were great)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir until coated with the butter, 1 minute. Add the broth, cover, and simmer until the Brussels sprouts are tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer until all of the broth has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a medium bowl.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan. Add the green onions, chiles, and pine nuts. Saute until the nuts are toasted and the chiles are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, return the Brussels sprouts to the pan, and toss to coat them with the cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Rating-5 out of 5

Look- It doesn't look super appetizing but you wont care once you taste it

Difficulty- Alot of steps but only basic cooking knowledge to complete

Review- This dish was great and very complex The Morita peppers are smoky and hot and the cream mellows them out and then add the brussel sprouts to all of that and you have a winning dish.

Sorry for no pic I completely forgot to take one before we ended up eating the whole pan. These are a little spicy for kids but if you get the peppers out they are fine and definitely tolerable for them.

Scrumptious Juicy Chicken in a FLASH!!

I recently purchased 4 Family size packs of chickens (8 breasts a piece) @ Walmart due to the fact that we eat alot of chicken, own a deep freeze and it was .78/lb (DIRT CHEAP). So of course I am trying to think of things to do with chicken. I was planning on making chicken cordon bleu the other night but that fell through cause I couldnt find any toothpicks and didnt want all of my filling dripping out. So I came up with this recipe on the fly. I had to bake it because I was going to get it in the oven before I went to get daddy.


So here it is:
Crispy moist Germy :D chicken  
2 lrg. chicken breast (boneless skinless)
1 c. wheat germ
1T. fresh rosemary leaves diced
1t. italian seasoning 
1/2 t. salt
1/2t. pepper


Directions
Pour all dry ingredients  in a medium bowl. Cut two large chicken breasts into 4 smaller portions. Coat with wheat germ mixture place into  a shallow baking dish coated in cooking spray and then spray the chicken also. This makes it very crunchy without any extra calories. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 375 or until golden brown and juices run clear.


I also made Rosemary oven roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus. 

Rosemary oven roasted Potatoes
8-16 baby yukon golds cut into cubes (depending on how many people you are feeding you be the judge)
2-3 T fresh rosemary leaves diced
1T. italian seasoning
1/2t salt 
1/2t pepper
4 cloves garlic(pressed or minced)
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1t. for cookie sheet.


Instructions:
Pour 1t. of EVOO on a cookie sheet and put in a 375 degree oven( this technique makes the potatoes really crisp up and not stick) Cube your baby yukons( you can find these cheap at aldi otherwise they are alittle pricey) place all other ingredients in bottom of a medium size bowl. Pour in cubed potatoes and toss by hand.  Remove hot cookie sheet from the oven and pour on your potatoes shake to evenly spread and place back in oven for 30-45 minutes flip 2-3 times  and enjoy!


Roasted asparagus


1 bunch of asparagus
4 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)
2t. EVOO 
1/2t salt 
1/2 t pepper


Place all ingredients in bottom of medium bowl while prepping your asparagus. The easiest way to do this is just to break the tough ends off where they break when bent. no knife necessary. place asparagus in bowl and toss. Lay asparagus flat on a cookie sheet and put in a 375 degree oven for 10-20 min depending on how done you like it.

If you notice I try to stay with the same flavors throughout my meal so you dont feel like you are eating just random stuff thrown on a plate together. I am not going to rate or review any of these because they are all my original recipes and I just dont like doing that. But definitely try all of them you wont be sorry :D

Broccoli Beef

Who doesnt like take-out? You know you do but it can be alittle pricey to feed a whole family on take-out so why not make your own with this recipe. Then you also know what is going in and you can up the veg or meat according to your liking. It is great to be the creator. So get in the kitchen and create this dish.

recipe found on allrecipes.com

Broccoli Beef
1 teaspoon cornstarch

• • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3/4 pound round steak, cut into strips
  • 6 cups water
  • 5 cubes beef bouillon(cooked rice according to pkg)
  • 4 ounces linguine pasta, uncooked(used boil in a bag rice)
  • 1/2 cup fat free beef broth
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced(did not use these)
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion
  • 1 pound broccoli, separated into florets(Did two heads of brocolli, next time will do 4)
  • I also added a splash of orange juice to the meat marinade
  
  
  
  

Directions

1. In a shallow glass dish or bowl, stir together the soy sauce, Italian dressing, cornstarch, garlic and ginger. Place steak strips in the mixture to marinate for 15 minutes.
2. While the beef is marinating, combine the bouillon cubes in water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and add pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove beef from marinade with a slotted spoon, and place in the hot skillet. Discard marinade. Cook beef, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mostly browned. Stir in the beef broth, mushrooms and green onions, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove lid, add broccoli, and cook until broccoli is bright green and tender but still crisp. Add drained linguine, toss, and serve

Rating- 4 out of 5
Look- The broccoli was a bright green color but otherwise nothing amazing to look at  
Difficulty- easy just basic cooking skill to complete this meal 
Review-Overall I thought this meal was good. The flavor was pretty spot on to something you would get at a chinese takeout place the only thing I would change in that aspect is I would probably half the amount of ginger it called for. It was just slightly overpowering. My only complaint was that the meat was alittle tough. I would say you could rectify by either marinating for longer or Maybe slow cooking for a long time in a crock pot. Besides that it was an all around good recipe.

The kids and my husband all loved this. The broccoli was the favorite by far and we even caught parker sneaking some of daddy's off his plate while he was up getting himself a drink :D I told you we love our veggies!! 

Try this recipe tell me what you think and what alterations you made.

Shepards Pie

Well here it is I am finally putting it down on paper :D The recipe that I get asked about anytime that someone tries it. This is a recipe I learned from my mom and my kids will probably learn from me. And now everyone that shows up when they know I am making this can make it themselves :P
Ingredients
1 lb of ground beef
1 pkg frozen corn ( or fresh cut of the cob )
1-2 C. Cheese any kind of cheddar or mixed cheese will work
1 beef bouillon cube
3/4-1 c water
1/2 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
2-4T. flour
7-8 potatoes peeled and cubed
2 T butter
1/2 c. half and half
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper


Directions:
Cook potatoes in boiling water till soft. Beat them with butter, half and half, salt and pepper. Until light and fluffy. In a frying pan brown hamburger with onion and garlic until there is no pink left. While this is cooking combine water, bouillon and flour in a small bowl. When hanmburger is browned add water, flour and bouillon mixture let thicken. While this is thickening microwave your corn. When corn is warm start assembling you pie.In a casserole dish put a thin layer of meat followed by a layer of potatoes, meat, corn, meat, corn, potatoes and then top with cheese and place in oven for 40 minutes. 15 minutes before it is done take a butter knife and stab the middle a couple times. When it is done it will be bubbly and brown.

Difficulty- Alittle harder and takes some prep. It is nothing an intermediate cook couldnt handle with ease.
Look- Looks like comfort food

Review- This recipe is one that will be used again and again. The ingredients are cheap and usually standbys in any household. This is a recession proof dish and feeds alot of mouths for cheap but not leaving them unsatisfied. This would be a good dish to eat before hunting or building snow forts with the kids. Warms you from the inside out.

Like I said this is an original recipe one that until now was only in my family. We like it and hope that you do too :D Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Roasted Veggies!!!

We love roasted vegetables and this is an easy way to use almost any veggies in your house.  I had some zuchinni that was about to go bad and needed a side dish to go with a meal I was making so this was a good option.

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper
2 zuchinni
1 bunch of asparagus
5 cloves of garlic (pressed or minced)
2T Extra virgin olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

preheat oven to 425
Combine garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in the bottom of large bowl. Break ends of aspargus off and cut in 2 inch sections. Cut zuchinni in 1/2 inch disks. Quarter and seed bell pepper and then thinly slice. Add all veggies to the bowl and toss with hands/spoon ( if your a goof :D Come on get your hands in there it
is fun to play with your food even though your mom told you that you shouldn't) Spread veggies on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes :D or until they are as tender as you like. Serve and enjoy. This also works awesome on the grill and it gives it a ton of smokey flavor.

Difficulty- Easy this dish takes barely anytime to prepare. Basic cutting and that is about it.
Look- vibrant
Review- Roasting brings out the natural flavors in the vegetables. The versatility of this and what veggies you can use is endless.

Tell me about your creations :D lets see how creative you can get. Dont forget anything goes in the kitchen.

Sausage Pepper linguine (spaghetti)

I have made this recipe many times! It is a favorite in our house. We had pictures the night that I made this so I had to make something quick so that we could leave on time, which of course didn't happen but not due to the food! This has a ton of flavor and easy to prepare. I got this recipe out of a book in the library originally but it is a Martha Stewart recipe and you can find it on marthastewart.com

Linguine with Turkey Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

1 pound linguine
1 pound turkey sausage (casings removed)
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 yellow (or red) bell peppers, thinly slice
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons arugula, torn( did not add this because I can never find it anywhere)
Coarse salt and ground pepper, for seasoning


Directions


1.Cook linguine. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta water; return pasta to pot.
2.Meanwhile, cook sausage and 2 tablespoons water in a large covered nonstick skillet over medium until fat renders, 5 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium-high. Brown sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, 7 minutes.
3.Add garlic, bell peppers, and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water; cook until peppers soften, 6 minutes. Add 3/4 cup pasta water and butter; swirl to combine.
4.Transfer to pot. Add arugula; season with salt and pepper. Toss; add more pasta water as desired. Serve.



Rating -5 out of 5
look - gorgeous I just wish I had a orange pepper to go into it too because it would have made it even that much prettier
difficulty - very easy to follow instruction. the hardest part is chopping all the peppers and making sure to follow the instructions
review- This is a quick and easy dish. The recipe is simple but the flavor is so complex the sausage and all its juices really come together when you add the butter and pasta water. I made this with spaghetti but it sticks better to a flatter pasta.

                                                             sorry about the pic it was from my 
                                                                                  phone!




I would tell anyone that likes peppers  to try this dish you will not be sorry :D It may just be a new family favorite.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Well tonights recipe was completely experimental. Also it saves alot of money compared to buying these packaged in the frozen section. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com 

Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed ( I used red beans thought I had a can of black but I didnt)
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic (I drained this in a napkin it had alot of juice). Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side. ( I cooked on a pan in the oven)

Rating- 5 out of 5

Look- Looked alittle dry but turned out to be as moist as I had hoped

Difficulty- This took no knife skills at all and very little prep - very easy even for a beginner cook

Review- This recipe was easy affordable and tasted great even with my slight adjustment. The flavor was great and didn't even need any salt. Plus it is low cal @ 198 cal per burger. You cant beat that!

I loved this recipe and so did my family including all THREE kids. My husband actually told me it was my best find yet. And that is pretty amazing considering he usually raves about anything I cook. The prep was near nothing and the end result was awesome. This would also be easy to double, triple quadruple whatever you fancy. I would say you could easily freeze these and then cook them later. A quick easy low calorie lunch or dinner in 20 minutes or less.

Buffalo Chicken Strips

This is a regular in our household due to the fact the my husband LOVES them :D. I leave the kids naked (without sauce) as they call it. These can be either baked or fried. There are really so many options it is just learning the technique and then getting creative. This time I used corn flakes. 


Buffalo Chicken Strips


2 chicken breast (cut into small strips)
1 c. Flour
1 lrg. Egg
3 c. Corn flakes (crushed in a gallon size bag)
3/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. Margerine/Butter
1/2c. Hot sauce
1/8 t. garlic salt
1/2 T. Parmesan cheese 
dash pepper 


Add 1/4 t cayenne to flour. Crack egg beat it with a splash of water/milk.  Coat Chicken strips in flour, knock of the excess. dunk in egg mixture and then drop in Corn flakes shake bag to coat add about 8 at a time. make sure all sides are coated well. Put coated chicken on a baking sheet Spray tops with cooking spray and put in a 375 degree oven for 12-18 minutes. While chicken is cooking melt butter in microwave, add hot sauce, garlic salt, remaining cayenne, parmesan, and a dash of pepper. Add strips to sauce and toss together drain of excess sauce and ENJOY :D


look- They look just like anything you would buy commercially 
difficult - easy, once you learn this technique you can do tons with it
review-  These are quick and much cheaper than going out to a restaurant where they charge you an arm and a leg.




Give these a try and let me know what you think. Mix it up alittle and let me know your ideas. Sorry no pic had to give the kids a bath :D I will take one next time.

Friday night= pizza Night

Friday night in our house is pizza night. The kids like to make there own pizza and I like to let them get creative with there toppings! It also makes them want to eat all the veggies that they put on it if they make it themselves. I have made this recipe many times I would say atleast 6. It takes some time but I would definitely say that it is worth it. I got this recipe off of the family fun website.

Pizza Pie:

DOUGH

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

Big pinch of sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 1/4 to 31/2 cups unbleached flour

Instructions

Pour 1/3 cup of the warm water into a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Now proof the yeast by stirring the sugar into it with a fork and letting it set for 5 to 8 minutes to see if the liquid turns frothy. If it does, you know it's active; if not, you'll need to start again with a fresh package of yeast.

 Combine the dissolved yeast with the remaining water, the olive oil, and the salt in a large bowl. Stir well. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat well by hand for 100 strokes. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.

 Add the remaining flour 1/3 cup at a time, beating well each time. When the dough can no longer be stirred and is firm enough to knead, turn it out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, knead the dough for 7 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Put the dough in a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl, turning it once to coat both sides. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm, draft-free spot until the dough doubles in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

 Punch down the dough several times to deflate it, then knead it again on a lightly floured surface for 1 minute. Divide the dough in half. Knead each half into a ball and set them aside on the floured surface, covered with plastic wrap, to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly oil 1 very large or 2 medium-large baking sheets. Dust the sheets lightly with cornmeal.

 Once the dough has rested, roll or pat each ball into a large circle. The dough should be quite thin, about 1/4 inch, but not paper-thin. If the dough springs back as you work with it, let it rest for 2 minutes before trying again.

Carefully lift each dough circle onto a baking sheet. If you're baking both on a single sheet, be sure to leave some room between them. Loosely cover the crusts with plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 425°.

Brush the edge of each crust with olive oil. Next, divide the tomato sauce evenly between the crusts, spreading it nearly up to the edge. Sprinkle half of the Cheddar cheese onto the pizzas. Add your choice of toppings, as thickly or as sparingly as you like, then top with the rest of the Cheddar cheese and all of the mozzarella.

Put the baking sheet on the center oven rack. If you're using 2 sheets, stagger them on separate shelves so they aren't directly lined up with each other. Switch the positions halfway through baking. Bake the pizzas until the cheese bubbles and the edges are golden brown, about 18 to 22 minutes.

Slide the pizzas onto large wire racks and let them cool for 5 to 8 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes 12 medium slices, or 4 to 6 servings.

Rating- 5 out of 5

Look- This looks amazing and cheesy and bubbly when you take it out of the oven

Difficulty- This recipe takes alot of time. Most of it is just waiting for the dough to rise and proof. The instructions are easy to follow though and nothing that anyone wouldn't be able to handle

Review- I would recommend this recipe to anyone and everyone. The dough is perfect and soft. And you can add any number of toppings.

Try this Recipe. I dare you not to love it and make it again and again. Let me know what toppings you put on :D I am always up for new ideas!

Cauliflower Onion Linguine (spaghetti)

Tonights dinner was off of http://www.foodnetwork.com. I was missing a couple of the ingredients so left some out and substituted for others. I will let you know what I did in the parenthesis throughout the recipe.  

Cauliflower Onion Linguine

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces linguine ( used spaghetti )
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup panko ( I toasted up an english muffin and zapped it in my ninja)
• 1/2 cup fried onions, chopped
• 4 cups cauliflower florets, roughly chopped ( I roughly chopped mine and I would say to make the pieces no bigger that 1 by 1 inch)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (did not have this was going to buy day of cause it is expensive and goes bad fast)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts ( very expensive and they do not sell these at walmart so forgot to pick up elsewhere)
• I added 1T of heavy cream

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return to the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the panko and fried onions and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate; wipe out the skillet.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook until the edges brown, about 4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and toast 30 seconds. Add the reserved pasta water and cook until the liquid is reduced by half and the cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 1 more minute.

Add the pasta, onion mixture and parmesan to the skillet and toss (I added about a tablespoon of heavy cream here noticing that it was sticking together and not very moist). Season with salt. Top with the basil, pine nuts and more parmesan.

Rating- 4 out of 5

look- all one color so not super appealing to the eye

difficulty-  directions were pretty easy to follow although there are alot of steps 

review- The overall taste of this recipe was very good. But it was very dry. I left out the pine nuts and basil as noted above and I do think that both of these would add alot. It would be helpful to dump this into a serving dish because all of the cauliflower and onion mixture fell to the bottom. 

My kids and husband all loved it including Parker. Although he did say that he didnt like the Cauliflower but when I gave him a bit with the cauliflower in it there was nothing about not liking it. I think that is just a kid thing or maybe just a BOY thing lol. He was trying to push mommy's buttons. I would say next time I am going to probably make a cream sauce to go with this I would just add probably like 1/2 a cup of heavy cream in the pan along with the reserved pasta water and let it simmer for awhile and then pour it all together. That is what I will be trying next time. Let me know what you think if you try this recipe. And if there are any other recipes that you would like me to try and write a review about feel free to send it my way. My family thanks you ahead of time for all the good ideas.

Eeek Brussel Sprouts!!

The plan for dinner tonight was to just eat leftovers of the dishes I made earlier this week. When I opened my fridge I noticed the ginormous bag of brussel sprouts in my crisper drawer. My mom bought me a bag because they were a very good price and have not gone on sale many times this year. So we jumped on it. It has been sitting in there awhile so I decided to cook half of them up before they go bad. I made one of my normal recipes that reheats very well. Asked the kids what they wanted for dinner and they said "salad" Yes salad lol!! My kids are kind of weird. Anyways I was still planning on eating leftovers but then cooked up my brussels and couldnt resist I literally had a bowl of brussel sprouts for dinner as my kids came up one by one for theres. This is after they ate there entire salads :D Anyways on with it .Most people think of brussel sprouts as gross. Things that only old people enjoy! Well I am here to change your mind with this recipe all my own. Simple ingredients come together with this much despised vegetable to make one side dish your family will love and want again and again!! As yo gabba gabba would say "try it, you'll like it". Also a great tidbit for you brussel sprouts may be able to protect you against cancer they have something in them called indole which is a phytochemical. Yet another reason to try this recipe


without further ado:


Teriyaki Brussels 


1lb brussel sprouts
2T olive oil
3T soy sauce
1/8 t. ground ginger
3 cloves fresh garlic (pressed or minced)
pinch of pepper 
pinch of cayenne


Cut you brussels. Cut the hard end off about 1/8 of and inch up. Pull any loose leaves off.  Cut in half. Put 1T olive oil and pressed/minced garlic in a frying pan on med/high heat. Cook garlic for 30-45 seconds or until starting to sizzle. Add in your brussels and 1 T of soy sauce (poured over the entire pan) Let cook about 15 minutes or until you take one of the larger halfs out and it seems alittle crisp but not bitter Make sure you flip a couple times during this time but not too often because you want them to get some good caramelization. Pour in the last 2 T of soy sauce and the other Tablespoon of Olive oil Cook another 5-7 depending on how well done you like them then enjoy


Look- Very Rustic and welcoming
Taste- Good Flavor and a nice nuttyness in the background
Difficulty- Easy not many ingredients and it mostly just does its own thing in the pan for almost the entire cooking time. 
Review- I like this recipe alot and it is one of the many that I do often in the winter in our house


I am not going to rate my own recipes cause that just seems weird lol.  My family really likes this recipe and before my husband had my brussel sprouts he did not like them. Now he LOVES them. Another way to cook this is in the oven in a foil pouch. Put all the ingredients in the foil brussel sprouts first. Then fold two sides together and scrunch then roll the other two sides up place in a baking dish and roast at 375 for atleast 20 minutes. 

The top picture is a brussel sprout plant thought it was super interesting and that I should share also sorry about the pic of the dish it is from my phone :/