Shredded Beef for Tacos

2.3# beef round roast
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 small cans green chilies
1/2 white onion, chopped*
2-3 t cumin
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can beef broth**

Roast at 275F for 5+ hours***

And since this was just one of those "attempts" here are a few notes for next time:
*That's all I had, otherwise it would have been a whole onion.
**I would use additional fluid [water or beef broth], it was slightly dry, but still tasty.
***Though it was tender enough, if i had added more fluid, it could have cooked for another 45 minutes and been even more tender without being overdone.

To complete the taco add:
black beans
colby jack cheese
guacamole
salsa
lime juice
cilantro

Among the many things I love, I love shredded beef tacos. Pure Goodness.

Curried Butternut Soup

I found this recipe on THIS WEBSITE and decided to give it a try. I loved it. My family, not so much. But if you love curry, squash, or ginger you might like it too. I did tweak it a little bit.

Here are the ingredients:

1 large or two small butternut squash. Peeled and diced. Enough to make 6-8 cups.

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 Tb. fresh grated ginger root

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

4 teaspoons yellow curry powder

olive oil

salt to taste

chopped cilantro and sour cream for garnish

1. Cut both ends off the squash and peel it with a vegetable peeler. I was skeptical that this would work, but it was actually really easy. Half the squash and scoop out the "guts" with a spoon. Then dice the squash into small cubes.

2. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a fry pan and cook the cubed squash in batches over medium high heat. You want them to brown, but not burn. Stir away until the pieces are tender. Salt to taste, then set aside.

*Just a side note: If I took nothing else from this recipe, I would be happy in knowing a new way to cook butternut squash. These panfried pieces were SO yummy. I kept sneaking pieces. I'll probably never bake squash again.

3. Now add a little move olive oil to a thick bottomed stock pot. Heat it up and add:

the chopped onion

the minced ginger

curry powder

mustard powder

Stir those around until the onions are nice and brown. (Oops. Forgot to take a picture.)

4. Now add your chicken broth and the cooked squash pieces into the stock pot. Pull out your immersion blender.

You have one don't you? NO?!? Well you should! Let me know if you don't and I'll buy you one for Christmas.

Just kidding. But seriously, you really should have an immersion blender in the kitchen. We got one for our wedding and I never used it until about two years ago because I didn't know what it was for. Now I use it weekly if not daily. How on Earth did I survive without it? Once you have one, you'll never go back. Trust me.

If you don't have one you can use a regular blender and just pour it in small batches. Messy though.

ANYWAY, assuming you have an immersion blender, immerse it in your soup and blend away until the entire thing is smooth as... well... something smooth. It will look like baby food. Don't be afraid though. It's very yummy.

It's even better if you put a dollop of sour cream and some chopped cilantro on top.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I think I want to have some more right now.

Good thing, because no one else seems to be eating it....

*sigh*

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to experiment in the kitchen at all.

Oh well. Looks like I'll be eating curried butternut soup all week long.

Cake-Mix Cookies

I got this recipe from a friend who, I was convinced, spent hours and hours making a variety of delicious delicacies.  The recipe ratted her out.

In her words:

Girl - those are the easiest cookies in the world to make. Take a cake mix - any kind. The yellow ones with the chocolate chips were a yellow cake mix with half a bag of mini chocolate chips added. The sprinkle ones were "funfetti" cake mix cookies. You take the cake mix, add in 1/3 c. oil and 2 eggs. Form small balls (the size of a walnut or a little bigger), put them on an ungreased pan and flatten them just a bit. Throw them in a preheated oven (375) for 6 to 8 minutes. Done. Lemon cake mixes make good ones too.

Since then, I have tried these with a variety of cake mix flavors and have been impressed every time.  My son's stuffed crayon (named John) turns 4 today (was just informed that) so I might make these in milk chocolate later.  (Alas, I unleashed a monster on Sunday when the same son's monkey [also named John] and bear had a birthday.  I tried to say that in celebrating their birthdays with brownies and ice cream, we were in essence celebrating the birthdays of All Stuffed Animals Everywhere, but that obviously didn't work when I was told a few minutes ago, "Mom, it's John the Crayon's birthday today.  We have to make him something!")  If I do end up making them, I'll try to remember to post a picture.

Highly recommended:  Carrot cake and lemon cake flavors, as well as the yellow cake with mini chocolate chips that my friend made.

Nana's Banana Nut Bread

This was my great-grandma's banana bread recipe and it's pretty much all I've known. I've tried a recipe here or there since being out of college, but I always come back to this one. It's so moist and full of flavor. I think adding the chocolate chips (and peanut butter chips on occasion) really helps. Yum. I love it!

1/2 c. shortening (I use either room temperature butter or softened butter most of the time, but shortening works just fine if I'm out of butter, which I seldom am, but it happens!)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. mashed bananas

1 c. sugar (I usually do 1/2 c. white and a 1/2 c. brown sugar, but you can use whatever you prefer)

1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

2 eggs

1-2 cups chocolate chips (Guittard are the best!)

*today I added peanut butter chips as well. It compliments the banana so well

Mix shortening (or butter) and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas, and flour that's been sifted with the soda and salt. Add nuts. Bake in a moderate oven (350 ) for 40-60 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf.

Praline Chicken

This is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken, and that's hard to say because I love chicken in almost every way. The kick of the creole combines with the sweetness of the syrup to make taste buds explode in your mouth. It's so wonderful. This does contain a large amount of nuts, but if you don't like them, you can still make the sauce and I'm sure it would still be tasty. I love nuts, however, so for me, the more the merrier! Enjoy. I do.

Prep time: 5 min. Cook time:15 min.

2 tsp. Creole seasoning

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/3 c. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans, toasted

Sprinkle seasoning on both sides of chicken. Cook chicken in butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat 5 minutes on each side or until done (I cook longer because I like my chicken browned and a little bit crispy on the edges).

Remove on each side or until done. Remove chicken, reserving drippings in skillet. Place chicken on a serving platter; keep warm. Add syrup and sugar to drippings in a skillet; bring to a boil.
Stir in pecans; cook 1 minute or until heated. Spoon mixture over chicken.

Yield: 6 servings

I made the chicken, the green bean-garlic toss and the rosemary potatoes all together. The flavors compliment each other well.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 40 min.

2 lbs. round red potatoes (I used russet, since that was all I had), unpeeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (you can use dried rosemary as well)

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top freezer bag. Seal bag, and shake well to coat. Arrange potatoes in a well-greased 13x9 in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 40 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Yield: 6 servings

*I didn't have time to wait for them to bake, so I actually cooked them on the stove in a frying pan and they turned out great. These have just the right amount of taste to them.

Green Bean-Garlic Toss

This is my sister's recipe and it's an exciting way to eat green beans (although I love green beans just plain. They're pretty good anyway).

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed, or 1 pkg. (16 0z) frozen green beans

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 c. chopped pecans

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans; cook over medium-high heat until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute until tnder, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Add pecans, salt and red pepper flakes; saute until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes.

3. Drain green beans. Add to skillet; stir to coat with oil mixture. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Place green beans in a serving bowl; sprinkle Parmesan on top. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. YUMMY!!

So I am a HUGE fan of Desserts.  Especially if it is mostly made up of Peanut Butter and Chocolate.. So lets just throw some cookie into it.. and WA-LA! 

To see a picture of these delicous wonders please click here.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies


2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
36 peanut butter cup candies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine the peanut butter, sugar and eggs. Form a spoonful into a ball. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and press peanut butter cup candy into the center. Let cool!

SIMPLE AS THAT.

Credits to Tasty Temptations Blog for the recipe

Zesty White Bean Soup with Spinach

We tried this super healthy soup this week, and to my surprise, my kids loved it! The leftovers were even better.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil - warm in large stockpot, then add:

1 red onion finely chopped

1 thick carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

2-3 stocks finely chopped celery

5 cloves minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Saute 3-5 minutes, then add:

8-10 cups chicken broth

2 cups finely chopped tomatoes (or one can diced tomatoes)

1 cup of uncooked orzo pasta

2 cans of white beans, well rinsed and drained

1 tsp curry powder

pinch of ground nutmeg

Bring to a boil. Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes. Then add:

4 cups of baby spinach leaves. Stir in and bring to just a boil. Then remove from heat and cover for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

This was my very first attempt at making rolls...and they turned out pretty well. So I thought I'd share. I got this recipe from: Real Mom Kitchen.

2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine (I use canola oil)
1 egg
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and yeast; let sit 5 minutes. Add dry milk yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Divide dough into two. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 12 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 12 pieces of dough.

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper (I just use a greased pan). Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter.

Makes 2 dozen rolls.

Visit the link above for photos and other tips.

Tomato Basil Soup

I'm a fan of basil, so I use it where I can. This is a new favorite and is pretty easy to throw together...and very tasty when paired with cheese garlic bread and salad or a simple grilled cheese. I'm a fan!

Ingredients:
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Basil leaves (optional, for garnish)


Directions:
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
• Stir in the broth, salt, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes.
• Stir in basil.
• Place half of the soup in a blender; process until smooth.
• Pour pureed soup into a bowl, and repeat procedure with remaining soup.
• Garnish with basil leaves, if desired.


And just in case you're interested (this came from Cooking Light):

• Nutritional Information
• Calories: 103 (24% from fat)
• Fat: 2.8g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.4g)
• Protein: 5.8g
• Carbohydrate: 15.9g
• Fiber: 4g
• Cholesterol: 0.0mg
• Iron: 2.4mg
• Sodium: 809mg
• Calcium: 129mg

Number Of Servings:4 (1 1/2c) servings

Ooey Gooey Brownies.

Can anyone say YUM!
This is a favorite in our home.


Brownie mix of your choice

Chocolate Chips

Coconut

Sweet n Condenced Milk



SO make your brownies according to the box. Cook as directed.

About 3 minutes before the brownies are fully cooked to your liking.. take them out and spread some coconut over the top. I LOVE coconut so I put MUCHO COCONUT! Then.. spread some chocolate chips. I dont use alot, keeping in mind that they will melt and chocolate goes a long way!! Then.. I pour 1 full can of sweetened condenced milk over the top. then top with just a few sprinkles more of coconut. Put it back in the oven and cook for about 5 or 6 more min. until the sweet milk is a slighty brown and the coconut is toasted.



You can eat this warm, but it will be VERY GOOEY. or you can cool, slightly but it will still be gooe OR YOUR CAN coool FOR a few hours or so, and it will still set up nicely, and the chocolate chips wont be so gooey anymore... so either or. MY FAMILY LOVES THESE OOEY GOOEY!.. If you really want you can add nuts of your choice and a giant scoop of icecream!!!

Chocolate Rice

Yep, you read right. It says Chocolate Rice. This was something my grandma did and passed down to my mom and now I make it for my kids. I loved the mornings when I smelled the rice cooking and knowing that we were having this for breakfast instead of oatmeal or that horrible Zoom cereal. It's simple and delicious. But don't feel like you only have to eat it for breakfast. It's good anytime!

Stir together some spoonfuls of cocoa (I usually start with 1 Tbsp) then add some white sugar (usually double the amount of the cocoa, but it all depends on how sweet you like it). Drizzle in some boiling water until the mixture is smooth---be careful not to add to much at first, as you don't want to make the mixture runny. Add a dash of vanilla and stir, then pour over your rice until creamy and well-coated. Serve with cream or milk (but trust me, cream is better. I usually use half and half) and an extra sprinkling of sugar, if desired.

Let me know what you think when you try it. It sounds weird, but it's so good! Trust me.

Garlic Rosemary Baquettes

4 cups water
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

8 cups flour
4 Tbsp rosemary, minced

1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 egg white

In a large non-reactive bowl (plastic or stainless steel) combine four cups warm water with yeast, salt and sugar. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand ten minutes.

Pour mixture and half of the flour into your *stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix and add remaining flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to bread hook and mix on speed 2 for 2-3 minutes. (You may need to stop occasionally and push down the dough with a spoon or spatula.)

*Note: If you do not have a mixer, you can use your bread machine to mix the dough, or mix dough by hand. Just make sure ingredients are well mixed.

Add rosemary and garlic and mix briefly. Remove dough hook and cover bowl with a clean cloth. Allow to rise for one hour or until dough doubles in size. Shape loaves into long baguettes and place on a greased baguette tray, or a greased cookie sheet. Brush loaves with olive oil or egg white. (This is an artisan bread, so you don't need to let it raise again.)

Bake for twenty minutes at 450 degrees F.

Foil Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

• ½ cups Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1X 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced Tomatoes
• ½ cups Chicken Broth
• 1 pound Raw Jumbo Or Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 1 pound Fettucini, Uncooked
• Fresh ground parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta for half recommended time, rinse, drain, and set aside.

Warm olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet, then add garlic and tomatoes and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add uncooked shrimp, cooked pasta, and chicken broth, and toss together for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. (Shrimp and pasta will continue cooking in the oven.)

Lay out several overlapping sheets of aluminum foil and pour entire mixture into foil. Drizzle a little more oil on top if it looks dry. Top with fresh minced parsley and wrap tightly in the foil. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese if desired.

*Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Blog, by Ree Drummond.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs. small, unpeeled red potatoes
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary

Cut potatoes into wedges and spread on a 9x13-in. pan. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and tender.

Corn-Potato Chowder

1 Tbsp. butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in. dices
2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 c. corn kernels, (if canned, then drain)
1 c. evaporated skim milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and tender, about 7 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and chicken broth. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Stir in corn kernels, milk, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings

Chunky Potato Soup

3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
4 c. milk
2 c. diced potatoes
1/2 c. minced onions
2-3 stalks celery
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp. pepper

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk. Stir in potatoes, onions, salt and pepper and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and potatoes and celery are tender.
* I also like to add crumbled bacon and seasoned salt on top. Yum!

Crunchy Mashed Potatoes

3 c. chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 c. mashed potato flakes
1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. cheddar french-fried onions
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the milk, garlic and pepper. Whisk in potato flakes and sour cream until smooth.

Spoon potato mixture into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Sprinkle with onions and cheese. Broil 4-6 in. from heat for 20-30 seconds or until golden brown.
Yield: 5 servings