Asian Beef

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I of course made  a few changes. Dinner was awesome! The sauce in this dish is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. In order to slice your beef super thin, wrap your meat tightly in saran wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, remove and slice immediately.

1 pound of beef (any sort of steak will do, I used a petite sirloin)
10 Oz mushrooms, sliced about 1/4 inch thick 8 Oz snow peas

1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger  (grated or pureee)
2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Mix the lower set of ingredients in a bowl and microwave for a minute and a half. This gently cooks the garlic so it's not as sharp of a flavor. In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of oil until HOT and add veggies. Saute until mushrooms are done and peas are crisp-tender. Remove from pan and add another tablespoon of oil. Heat over medium high. Very carefully put half of your meat in the pan,  be sure to lay your slices flat and not touching. You want to really brown them. Cook 3 minutes or so on each side. Remove the first batch of meat and cook the second. Return meat and veggies to pan and pour the sauce over. Stir well and remove from heat. Serve over brown or white rice.

Enjoy!

Tomato Breakfast Muffins

These are a favorite of mine so I just had to share! I'm amazed at how well tomato and hard boiled egg blend together, the juicy tomato offsets the dry egg yoke. So delicious! You could find a gluten free or whole grain option to replace the sourdough English muffin.

1 sourdough English muffin
1 hard boiled egg,  sliced into 6 slices
Tomato slices
Teaspoon of butter or margarine
Sprinkle of shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Toast muffin and spread just enough butter to moisten it. Layer tomato and egg, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheese and put in the oven on BROIL until cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Chili Mac and Cheese Soup

I love, love,  love finding a dish the whole family loves (and has seconds of). This was the perfect, hearty, warm fall meal! I found this recipe online and then made and few changes to it. I will point out that it turned out very thick, like chili which is what our family likes. If you want more of a soup,  I recommend adding about 1.5 cups of water or chicken broth.

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can white kidney beans,  undrained
1 can red kidney beans, undrained
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons of chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
12 Oz elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups  shredded cheese (Monterey jack, cheddar,  whatever suits your fancy)

Brown ground beef with the onion and garlic. Drain and return to pot. Add chicken broth, tomatoes,  beans and seasonings. Bring to a boil. I highly recommend letting it simmer at this point  (I let mine simmer for about an hour, covered) However, you can just skip the simmering and add your pasta now. If you simmer, bring it back up to a boil before adding pasta. Boil with pasta over medium to medium high heat, stirring frequently, until pasta is cooked. If it is too thick for your liking,  you can add some water or chicken broth now. Add the cheese and stir until melted.

That's it! Feel free to garnish with  a little extra cheese if you desire. Enjoy!

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

I don't even remember where I got this recipe from. However, it's fall which means it's crock pot season! This recipe is inexpensive, easy and filling! I love to serve it up with a side of green beans!

3-4 chicken beasts
1 box stuffing (like Stove Top)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup water

Put your chicken in the crock pot. Dumb the box of dry stuffing evenly over the top. Mix the soup,  sour cream and water together and spread that evenly over the stuffing. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low. At the end, I like to remove the chicken, thoroughly mix the soup mix and stuffing and cover and let cook another 5 minutes, just to ensure the stuffing is cooked evenly.

Enjoy!

Red Pepper Pesto

Have you ever roasted a pepper? No? Me either! Until today.... it was far easier than I expected and definitely beats the flavor of the ones you buy in a jar,  not to mention the price! 2 years ago I bought a jar of red pepper pesto at Costco. I've never been able to find that same pesto since then. I figured I'd make my own! I pulled up  a list of ingredients online of the red pepper pesto from Costco and went from there. This awesome pesto is much lighter than traditional pesto and is slightly sweet from the red peppers and balsamic vinegar while the fresh garlic gives it a little bite and adds some fantastic flavor! I like to use this on top of grilled chicken and then toss a little of it with some hot pasta. So delicious!

So, to roast the red peppers, preheat your oven to 400°. Simply place your peppers on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes,  then flip over and bake another 25. The end result should be soft peppers,  slightly charred on the outside. Once they have cooled,  remove the stem and seeds.

2 roasted red peppers (see above for directions )
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup (loosley packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Salt to taste

Put garlic and olive oil in magic bullet or blender. Pulse. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to pulse until everything is well blended and it reaches your desired consistency.

I firmly believe this should be chilled for a minimum of 2 hours to let the flavors blend. I personally make mine on the morning and use it in the evening.

Now toss with your favorite pasta,  spaghetti squash or top your chicken with it... enjoy!