Cheesesteak Soup

I found this recipe in the Food Network magazine and it sounded so good! I made it the other night and it wasn't bad. The soup base was kind of tasteless, which was disappointing but once the beef & croutons were added, it tasted much better. I also added some pepper to the soup base, which did help. I added some additional shredded cheese on top of the beef and it worked. The roll I had bought was rock-hard so I cubed 3 slices of bread for the croutons and it worked just fine. I think I'll make this again but maybe with only 2 servings this time.

Cheesesteak Soup (4 servings) (Food Network):

5 tbsp EVOO
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/4 tsp celery seeds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 c plus 2 tbsp flour
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
6 c chicken broth
2 soft hoagie rolls, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt and pepper
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded provolone cheese
1 lb shaved deli roast beef, chopped
1/4 c jarred sliced pepperoncini
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 400. Heat 2 tbsp oil in Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery seeds and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add 1/3 c flour, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and 2 c water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and cook until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss bread cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil on a baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes; set aside.

Puree soup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Return to pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low and simmer 5 minutes. Toss cheddar, provolone and the remaining 2 tbsp flour in bowl; slowly whisk the cheese mixture into the soup until melted. Return to blender and puree until smooth. Pour back into the pot and bring to a low boil; remove from heat.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in pepperoncini and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; top with beef, croutons and more parsley and shredded cheese if you desire. Enjoy!




Veggies...






Flour added to the veggies...






Croutons...






Shredded cheese and flour...






Browned roast beef & pepperoncini...






Enjoy!...

Hoisin Chicken

I just recently found this recipe from a Cuisine magazine that only has 2 servings. Perfect portion for me! This recipe originally called for chicken thighs, but since I have a lot of chicken breasts on hand, I used those instead. I also skipped the part where it says to brown the meat first since I wasn't using the thighs. The recipe calls for 4 chicken thighs but I only used 2 chicken breasts and that's the perfect size for me-one meal tonight and another one for tomorrow. I served my chicken over a bed of farro-another grain I made for the first time. It tasted pretty good with the chicken and the sauce. I'll definitely make this recipe again.

Hoisin Chicken (2 servings) (Cuisine Tonight):

6 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp chopped green onions or scallions
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
4 chicken thighs (I used 2 chicken breasts)
2 tbsp peanut oil (for browning if using the chicken thighs)

Preheat oven to 500. Line an 8-in square baking pan with foil. For the glaze, whisk together hoisin, scallions or green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, chili garlic sauce and sesame oil in a medium bowl.

If browning chicken, heat peanut oil in large saute pan over high. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until browned and crispy, 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to prepared baking pan. Top with green onions or scallions. Pour glaze evenly over chicken, turning to coat. Roast chicken 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Spoon any glaze left in pan over the chicken before serving. Enjoy!




Chicken & green onions...






Hoisin glaze...






Ready to be baked...






Enjoy!...

Sesame Steaks

I found this recipe years ago in a Taste of Home magazine. When used with the right steaks, it has amazing flavor. Not as good as Jeremiah's steaks lol but still good. I still had a cheap steak leftover so I used that and it tasted pretty decent. Even though I only used 1 steak, I still used all the ingredients and their original measurements to make sure my steak was fully marinated in flavor. I know I'll keep going back to this recipe, especially since it's so easy!

Sesame Steaks (2-4 servings) (TOH):

1/2 c soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp veggie oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2-4 t-bone steaks, or your choice

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a plastic zip-loc bag and mix well. Pierce the steak all over with a fork. Add steak; seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill steaks to desired doneness. Enjoy!




Marinating...






Enjoy!...

Turkey Florentine Skillet Lasagna

I found this recipe in a Weight Watcher's magazine. Instead of using a skillet, I used a 9x13-inch glass dish and I baked mine in the oven at 350. I also didn't have enough noodles so I used 3 for the first 2 layers and had 2 extra noodles, which I placed on top. Super easy to make and it had a lot of flavor. I'll definitely make this again!

Turkey Florentine Skillet Lasagna (8 servings) (8 points):

Cooking spray
1 c chopped onion
1/4 lb ground turkey bread
1 (16 oz) carton cottage cheese
4 c tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
10 pkg precooked lasagna noodles
6 c shredded 6-Cheese Italian blend cheese

Heat large skillet over med-high. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and turkey to pan; cook 4 min or until turkey is browned and onion is tender, stirring frequently to crumble turkey. While turkey and onion cook, place cottage cheese in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.

Add 3 c pasta sauce and spinach to turkey mixture. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add 1 c pasta sauce to dish. Top with 5 (or 3) noodles, half of turkey mixture, half of cottage cheese and half of cheese blend. Repeat with remaining noodles, turkey mixture, cottage cheese and cheese blend. Cover and cook over med heat 8 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!




Meat filling...






Noodles on the sauce...






Filling and cheese...






From the oven...






Enjoy!...

Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

I did end up making the cheese-stuffed or Jucy Lucy's a couple days later. I had a recipe that called for 3/4 lb of ground turkey so I used the leftover ground turkey to make 2 cheeseburgers. Since I was using ground turkey, I added some garlic and ginger to give it a little more flavor. The first burger I made, I didn't put enough cheese in the middle and some of it ended up leaking out. The second burger, I made sure to add double amount compared to the first and it turned out much better! I don't normally eat my burgers on buns, which is why the last picture shows the burger sitting on some ketchup and mustard. Really yummy & I'll definitely make this again.

Cheese-Stuffed Burgers (2 servings:

1/4 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced ginger
Salt and pepper
4 slices of cheese, any kind (I used cheddar)

Mix all the ingredients except the cheese together with your hands. Form into 4 thin patties. Top with one slice of cheese, folded into 4 squares. Top each patty with another patty and crimp edges to seal in the cheese. Grill until done and juices run clear. Top the burger with a slice of cheese and cook until it just begins to melt. Enjoy!




Thin patties...






Cheese ready to be stuffed...






Enjoy!...

Blue Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with a Homemade Sauce

I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner one night and my mind kept going back and forth between a Jucy Lucy or cheese stuffed meatballs. It probably didn't help that I saw a cooking show earlier in the day about the Jucy Lucy. In the end I decided to try to make stuffed meatballs. But I made a couple mistakes. I only had blue cheese, which was good but so rich and since it's such a soft cheese, a lot of it oozed out of the meatballs during cooking. I also used too much parsley. But other than that, the meatballs had really good flavor.

I also wanted to attempt another try at making a homemade sauce. I did't have a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes but I did have a 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 14 1/2 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes so I used that. Apparently I've never used fire-roasted tomatoes before because I didn't realize how spicy they are! Not a big fan! I think if I would have used regular tomatoes it would have been okay though. All in all I was happy with the taste of the sauce, just not the spiciness of it. I think I'd try to make this again and try to correct the mistakes I made.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Meatballs with a Homemade Sauce (4-6 servings):

1 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 c minced parsley
1 egg
1/2 c panko
Blue cheese, cut into chunks
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
14 1/2 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes (or 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes instead of the 2 cans)
1 c minced white onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c red wine
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. If not using a meatball pan, cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine the ground turkey, garlic, parsley, egg and panko in med bowl and mix well with your hands. Shape into a small disc, place a piece of blue cheese in the middle and add another small disc of meat over the cheese. Carefully seal the meat around the cheese and form into a med-size meatballs. Place meatballs on prepared pan or meatball rack. Cook in the oven about 25-30 min or until cooked in the center.

While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a deep pan, heat oil until hot. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Once onion is soft, add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until most of wine has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer about 20 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, grate in about 1 tsp of fresh nutmeg. If you don't want your sauce chunky, use an immersion blender to blend it down to a smoother consistency. Once the sauce is cooked, add 1-2 tbsp of brown sugar, to taste. (The brown sugar brings down some of the acidity of the sauce.)

I made some pasta to serve with the meatballs and sauce. Enjoy!




Ready to be cooked...






Cooked meatballs...






Cheese oozing out...






Sauce...






Enjoy!...

Mini Cheesecakes

So normally when I make these cheesecakes, I make a double batch. I only made one batch this time since there would only be 3 of us eating off of them all weekend. However since both my friends love cheesecakes, I probably could have gotten away with the 2 batches and they could have just taken the leftovers home and would have been happy. Oh well. I found this recipe several years ago on www.kraft.com Since I only made the one batch, I mixed things up a bit. One batch each normally makes 12 vanilla cakes and 12 chocolate chip cakes. With the vanilla, you would use 12 vanilla wafers at the bottom as the crusts. Since I knew I was only making the one batch, I just used Oreos instead. I don't eat either cookie so I thought it would be less wasteful if I just picked one. I separated the batches and added chocolate chips to one batch and left the other plain. I didn't measure exactly half so I had a little more chocolate chip cakes than vanilla but it worked out and I didn't have any complaints! This is a perfect serving size if you are craving cheesecakes and I've made these desserts several times in the past couple of years. You can either chose to eat the vanilla cakes plain or add some fruit to them-either way they are really good!

Mini Cheesecakes (12 servings)

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 vanilla wafers (or 12 Oreo cookie halves)
Assorted fruit
1/4 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer on medium until well blended. At this point, I separated the batches and added chocolate chips to one batch. Place one cookie in the bottom of 12 med paper-lined muffin cups. Fill evenly with batter.

Bake 20 min or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Right before serving, top with assorted fruit of your choice.




Oreos as a base...






Batter separated...






Ready to be baked...






Enjoy!...

Montreal Steaks

Last summer, I used to have a lot of bbq's with a friend of mine, Jeremiah, who introduced this yummy concoction to me. He uses any variation of these ingredients, plus others as well-half the time I don't know what he puts in his marinade but it always tastes phenomenal! I had bought steak for another recipe that I didn't end up using and I always have the main ingredients on hand so I made my own version of his steaks. They were good of course but not as good as his. It also didn't help that I used cheap steaks and I had to cook mine on a George Forman grill, compared to outside, which always tastes better! But this is a recipe I'll always come back to over and over again.

Montreal Steaks: 2-4 servings

1 packet of Montreal steak seasoning (one packet works well with 2 steaks)
1/4 c olive oil
2-4 tbsp soy sauce
2-4 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2-4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
2-4 steaks, your choice

Add the first 6 ingredients to a gallon-size zip-loc bag. Pierce the steaks several times with a fork on both sides. Add the steaks to the bag; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove steak from marinade and grill to desired doneness. While steak is grilling, you can pour in remaining marinade over steaks. Enjoy!




Steaks pricked and ready to be marinated...






Ingredients...






Steaks marinating...






Enjoy!...

Red Quinoa

One of the shelves in my cabinet is filled with all kinds of grains, most I've never tried before but have been wanting to. I've had quinoa before several times and love it. I had picked up this bag of red quinoa and decided to make it one night to serve as a side to some steak. It tastes just like regular white quinoa I thought. I added some chopped peppers with garlic and topped if off with some Italian dressing. Definitely good and I'll keep making it.

Red Quinoa:

1 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 c chopped mini or regular bell peppers
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
Italian dressing, to taste

Cook quinoa as directed on the package. While quinoa is cooking, lightly cook the peppers and garlic in the oil until tender and fragrant. Add tot he cooked quinoa. Top with Italian dressing and serve. Enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Guacamole

While the girls were up at the cabin over the summer, one of my friends, Julie, made up some guacamole and it was so good! I've never really tried to make guacamole before but she showed us how easy it was. She said she and her husband always have the ingredients on hand and make it on a regular basis. So once I got home, I thought I'd try it myself. And of course it was super easy. Not sure if I'll be making it as often as she does, but I'll definitely make my own now instead of buying it pre-made in the store. I'm guessing on the measurements, since you can add whatever ingredients you want and to your taste.

Guacamole:

2 avocados, pitted and mashed with a fork
1/4 c minced white onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp minced cilantro
1/4 c halved cherry tomatoes
Lime juice, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve with chips or veggies. Store in the fridge. Enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Grilled Turkey

My parents started grilling their turkey a couple years ago and they loved it. I've had it a couple times when they've made it and the turkey is always so moist and the skin is always nice and crispy. When I hosted our girls' dinner last fall I decided to make the turkey on the grill. But for some reason I didn't post it on my blog then. The girls came up to my parents again in the beginning of August and I grilled up a turkey for all of us to snack off all weekend. This time I took pictures and wrote down the directions to add to my blog. Super super easy to make!

Grilled Turkey: 8-10 servings

Fresh or frozen turkey (thawed), any size, making sure to fit on the grill
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Any seasoning you prefer
Drip pan

Remove the turkey from the fridge 1 hour before grilling. Dry the turkey as much as possible inside and out with paper towels. Rub olive oil generously on the turkey. Season generously with salt and pepper. (When I made the turkey the first time, I only used salt and pepper. The second time, I used salt, pepper and a 15-seasoning blend my mom had on hand). You can use any type of seasoning you want. Make sure it generously coats the turkey.

Place the turkey on a rack-this is an important step as it will not cook properly if it is not on a rack. While the turkey is resting, prepare the grill.

Remove the grills and place a drip pan directly on the burners in the middle of the grill and replace the grills. The turkey has to cook by indirect eat so only turn on the outside burners to medium heat and preheat for 10 minutes.

When the grill is ready, place the turkey, with the rack it has been sitting on, on the grill in the middle of the drip pan. If you are cooking extra legs, place around the turkey anywhere they will fit and close the grill lid.

After about 1 hour, check the turkey. You want to cook the turkey 10 minutes per pound or until an internal temperature reaches 170. Take the turkey off the grill and let rest 15-30 minutes. Do not cover with foil or the skin won't be as crispy. You may need to remove the extra legs before the turkey is done so they cook faster. Enjoy!




Drip pan placed under the grill grates...






Ready to be seasoned...






Seasonings added...






Placed on the grill...






Ready to be taken off the grill...






Enjoy!...

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest via www.passthesushi.com I also made this recipe for the girls' weekend at the cabin and it was a definite hit! This could easily be made up for Valentine's Day or Christmas, dyeing the white chocolate to any color you want. The recipe calls for Cocoa Rice Krispies but I was afraid the chocolate cereal would make the bars way too sweet so I just used the original Rice Krispies and it tasted just fine. I have to admit, when I was making this, my parents & my friend were looking at me like I was crazy to mix these ingredients together but it worked out and tasted really good. I'll definitely make these again!

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Bars:

3 tbsp butter
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c red velvet cake mix
6 c Cocoa Rice Krispies or regular Rice Krispies cereal
4 oz white chocolate, melted

Grease a 9x13-inch pan well. Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows, cake mix and vanilla. Stir frequently as the marshmallows melt until the mixture is smooth. Quickly fold in the cereal to the mixture until well combined and everything is coated.

Transfer sticky cereal mixture to the prepared pan. It works well if you butter the back of a large spoon to press the mixture evenly into the pan. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and pour it into a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off the corner and drizzle over the cereal. Let it set before slicing into squares. Enjoy!




Marshmallows & cake mix...






Mixture melted...






Rice Krispies spread out in pan...






The white chocolate exploded on me...






Enjoy!...

Texas Caviar Rice & Beans

This was one of the dishes I made for my weekend with a bunch of girlfriends at the cabin this past weekend. We had planned meals that were easy to eat off of all weekend and this recipe sounded perfect. I had to use 3 serrano chile peppers since Lund's didn't have poblano peppers. It was a little too spicy but all in all it tasted really good. I didn't roast the peppers and it tasted just fine to me. I also have an aversion to pre-cooked rice pouches-I can't stand the taste, so I cooked up some dry basmati rice according to the pkg directions. When I make this again, which I definitely will, I plan to use only one chile pepper and I will make it into a salad. The recipe says to use the leftover dressing as a side but I poured mine over the rice and the rest of the ingredients to add more flavor and it definitely worked.

Texas Caviar Rice & Beans (4-6 servings) (Southern Living):

1 (15.8 oz) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 c finely chopped roasted red bell peppers
1/4 c finely chopped poblano pepper (here I used the 3 serrano chile peppers)
Texas Vinaigrette, divided
2 (8.8 oz) pouches fully cooked basmati rice
1 1/4 c halved grape tomatoes
1 c shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 c loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
2/3 c thinly sliced celery
1/3 c thinly sliced green onions
Tortilla Chips
Garnishes: Sliced pickled jalapeno peppers

*Texas Vinaigrette (1 cup): Whisk together 1/2 c olive oil; 1/4 c fresh lime juice; 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro; 1 tbsp hot sauce; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1/2 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir together the first 4 ingredients and 1/4 c Texas Vinaigrette in a microwave-safe glass bowl; let stand 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Microwave at high 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring at 30-second intervals.

Heat rice according to pkg directions; fluff with a fork. On a large platter, layer the caviar as follows: celery, rice, tomatoes, bean mixture, cilantro, cheese and pickled jalapeno slices. Drizzle the dressing over the rice and other ingredients on the platter. Serve with tortilla chips.




Bean mixture soaking in marinade...






Enjoy!...

Oriental Chicken Wings

I got this recipe from my friend Leigh's mom. I've had it once or twice when Leigh made it and when her mom made it a couple weeks ago I knew I wanted to make this for myself. The chicken becomes so tender that the meat just falls off the bone. There's no set time for how long to keep it in the slow cooker but the longer you do, the more tender the meat becomes. I left mine in the slow cooker for 4 hours tonight and it was so good! I will be making this recipe over and over again!

Oriental Chicken Wings:

20-25 chicken wings, cut tips off
1 c water
3/4 c soy sauce
1 c sugar
1/3 c sweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger

Mix everything together except the chicken wings. Place the chicken into a 9x13-inch glass dish. Pour the sauce over the wings. (I had to use another smaller dish since not all of my chicken fit in the regular dish.) Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Either wait for the glass dish to come to room temp or transfer to a shallow roasting pan. Bake for about 1 hour, turning the chicken once halfway through the cooking time. Transfer to a slow cooker with the juices and cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

*Note: If you don't use a slow cooker, bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.

I served my chicken with some sticky rice, to mop up the juice. So good!




Soaking in the marinade...






The rest soaking in the marinade...






Fresh from the oven...






Enjoy!...