Tag Archives: food

Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

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I  love taco night:) Especially when all the work takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then the crock pot does the rest. I seared the meat and prepared the sauce the night before. I decided that it was best to have it ready to go so I don’t have to stress about it the next day. There is lots of spring cleaning I need to finish…one less thing is just that – one less thing.

The verdict: The meat was so flavorful, tender, juicy and not at all spicy. It just has a wonderful smoky flavor from the chipotles and smoked paprika. I used two chipotles in mine and they weren’t overpowering at all. We ate these tacos with my “orange” rice, this salsa, cilantro and some shredded Colby Monterey jack cheese. I suppose some day I should share my “orange” rice with you all since I have mentioned it in several different posts🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos – adapted from Gimme Some Oven

  • 1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin (*cumin is my favorite, so I always use extra)
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Flour tortillas
  • Favorite taco toppings

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.

Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.  Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.

Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.

Fudge Brownies

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Oooh…are these ever good…and super rich! If you’re watching your calories, stay away from these. There are two sticks of butter and nearly a pound of sugar in them. And, because they’re so rich I recommend eating these with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – it’s a must! You can always go for a really long run the morning after;o) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Fudge Brownie ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions –

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

2. In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat briefly, just until it’s hot, but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3. While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5. Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

7. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

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I was in the mood to cook something and I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that were about to go bad. TasteSpotting is my favorite website for inspiration and it hasn’t let me down yet. I bookmarked this recipe months ago and today I decided to go ahead and try it out. Thankfully, it doesn’t require lots of ingredients or take too much time. It’s nice, light and pretty spicy depending on how much Frank’s Red Hot you put in. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Soup ingredients – adapted from My Fiance Likes It so It Must be Good

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 stalks of celery, sliced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 to 1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (depending on your taste)
  • 1 cup shell pasta
  • blue cheese for topping

Directions –

In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken chunks and set aside.

In a dutch oven over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside again.

Add remaining tablespoon of butter to pot and add vegetables. Cook until soft and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add back in the chicken, chicken stock, hot sauce, and shells. Cook until noodles becomes soft. The longer you let it sit, the spicier it will get!

Top with blue cheese and dig on in!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

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This is my all time favorite appetizer and it’s definitely a family’s too. It’s such a treat for all of us and we always looks forward to enjoying it. The cocktail sauce isn’t too spicy, so if you enjoy hurting yourself when you eat (because of all the horseradish) add more to your liking. For us, the three tablespoons is the perfect amount. The shrimp cook quickly and perfectly in the oven the flavor is so much more rich compared to boiling them.The hardest part about making this is peeling and deveining the shrimp, which can take at least a half an hour per pound for me anyway. I suppose it’s worth saving the three to five bucks to clean my own so I grin and bear it through all the nasty vein pulling – ick! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – adapted from Ina Garten

  • 2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon good olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.


Sloppy Joes

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As much as I love having my husband home at dinner time, it’s nice to be able to make things that I know he doesn’t like to eat…sloppy joe’s is one of them. This is my go-to recipe for sloppy joe’s that I first tried out five years ago. It is the only recipe I can remember trying, because I knew my search was over for a  good ‘ol kid friendly, nostalgic meal. It’s really easy to put together and requires ingredients that I almost always have on hand. Little Man M always enjoys this, and S will eat some meat and the bun on the side – she’s my picky eater. Speaking of “buns”, the one’s pictured are the leftover buns I froze several weeks ago. The batch made eight buns and they were so much better than store bought that there was no way I was going to toss the remaining three. They, along with any other breads I have frozen, taste unchanged after hibernating in my freezer. The next time we have hamburgers, I will be sure to make them again and share it with you.  Oh, sorry about the lack of pictures – my kitchen is so dark that sometimes I have to use the flash on my camera – natural light is always 10x’s better! Thanks for reading, enjoy.

( brown sugar not pictured – oops!)

Sloppy Joe Ingredients – adapted from Rachel Ray

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
  • 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered
  • Garnish: sliced ripe tomatoes and pickles

Directions –

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops. Serve with your favorite sides or sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper. Have plenty of napkins on hand!

Alfredo, Shells, Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese!

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This is a recipe my sister gave me years ago – I don’t know what its official name is, so that explains why this title is so long!;o) It also leaves no questions as to what is in it. My family has always enjoyed this and it couldn’t be easier to throw together. Thanks for reading!

Ingredients –

  • 1 pound box of shell pasta
  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds bone-in skin on chicken breast
  • 1 – 14 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
  • 1 – 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce
  • 1  – 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting chicken
  • lemon pepper

Directions –

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts then season them well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Let the chicken cool until you can safely handle it, then shred it  and set it aside.

2. Put a large pot of salted water (at least a gallon) to boil. Once it’s come to a rolling boil pour the pasta into the pot, stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to ensure even cooking. Once it’s finished, drain pasta and set aside.

3. Steam the broccoli in the microwave by dumping the bag in a microwave safe container. Add a little water then cover tightly with plastic wrap – don’t forget to poke a few holes to let steam out. I cooked mine for 4 minutes – they don’t have to be completely cooked through.

4. Get a large bowl out add pasta, shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli and alfredo sauce, then season well with lemon pepper. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and pour the pasta mixture then sprinkle the top with more cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes, or if you like your cheese to brown and bubbly, you can place it under the broiler for a few minutes instead. Enjoy!

Italian Mac and Cheese

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It’s been longer than I’d like since my last post, but as you may have read on FB, little Miss S has had a fever for the past three days. I’m doing my best nurse impression. Thankfully she hasn’t had any other symptoms than the high fever…but three days?

I have made this once before – it’s so good. I found this recipe after we purchased four pounds of mild Italian sausage from Sam’s Club for the first time. I didn’t have many ways of using that much sausage, and I rarely cooked with it. Since then, I have found a few really good recipes that feature this type, like sausage bread! It’s my family’s favorite and I will be sure to post about it soon. As for the cheese, I recommend not buying the pre-shredded “Italian Cheese Blend” at the store. There is usually corn starch or some other anti-clumping additive in pre-shredded cheeses that leave an unpleasant grainy-ness to the finished cheese sauce. That’s the mistake I made the first time and since then, I don’t buy the bagged cheeses. Thanks for reading!

 

Italian Mac and Cheese Ingredients – adapted from Let’s Dish

  • 1 pound penne, ziti or rigatoni pasta
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 3 – 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream ( I used half & half)
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese blend ( I used Fontina, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan)
  • 1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 tsp hot sauce ( I used cayenne pepper), optional
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions –

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and cook pasta to a chewy al dente, about 8 minutes.  In a nonstick skillet, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain cooked crumbles on a paper towel lined plate. Return pan to heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, butter, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute about 3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.  Preheat broiler to high heat.  Add flour to skillet and stir, cooking 2 minutes. Whisk in stock, then stir in cream. Bring cream to a bubble, then stir in 2 cups of Italian cheese blend. When cheese has melted into sauce, add tomatoes. When sauce comes to a bubble, remove from heat and adjust seasonings, adding hot sauce if desired.  Combine cheese sauce with sausage and pasta and transfer to a large baking dish.  Sprinkle with additional half cup Italian cheese blend and grated Parmesan.  Cook under hot broiler until cheese is browned and bubbly.


Arroz con Leche

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I love arroz con leche. It reminds me of my  Grandma Tavita, my childhood and simpler times. This recipe isn’t exactly like my Gram’s but it’s pretty similar. It’s good, comforting and creamy – and not exactly health food. That’s why this is only my third time making it this year…and I eat it all by myself! M and the kids wont touch it – maybe when the kids are older they might want to. But, I think for some people, if you didn’t grow up eating something you may never like it. I love Mexican food, because of course I grew up eating it and it always reminds me of my Gram 🙂 I miss her! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Arroz con Leche Recipe – adapted from Ingrid Hoffman

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice ( I use Jasmin rice)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 whole cloves (I omit these)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 (12-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup raisins, optional

Directions –
 Soak the rice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and whole cloves in the water in a heavy saucepan for 1 hour.

After soaking, bring the rice mixture to a boil on high heat, uncovered. When it starts to boil (about 5 minutes), lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 more minutes or until water is almost evaporated.

While rice is cooking, beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk and stir well to mix. Add the egg mixture, vanilla extract and condensed milk to the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring carefully, until it thickens slightly or until desired consistency, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Let cool uncovered.

Note: be aware that as the rice cools it thickens. The finished product will be thinner than traditional rice pudding.

Pumpkin Bread

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Tomorrow morning there is a Moms4Moms meeting and it’s my table’s turn to bring cold food. I make this a lot, but the last time I made it, one of the loaves didn’t cook through as quickly as the other. For some reason, both loaves took way longer to bake than the recommended time. Hopefully this time around, I wont run into problems. I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my food, so I threw away the loaf that didn’t quite get there…I was so bummed about it. I will be sure to keep an eye on my oven thermometer and give both loaf pans plenty of space in the oven. Also, the last time I made it I didn’t have any ground cloves! I have been shopping around for that spice for weeks now. At Publix, they cost anywhere from 4.99 to 7.99! I couldn’t find ground cloves at Target, and the specialty store I went to sold theirs for over 8 dollars – why are they so expensive? Well, today I had to suck it up and purchase the tiny container you can see in the ingredients picture. Next time I am in the need for several different spices, I’m going to shop online. I looked around at different sites, and every thing was much cheaper.

I love the way the house smelled when these were baking. Weirdness happened again with this recipe. One loaf took a good 10 minutes longer to finish baking than the other one. I made sure that it cooked through as I poked it with a toothpick in several places. I’ll know for sure once I cut into these later on tonight. The kids love this bread and I do too, but the last time I made it they didn’t get any. I may just take one and a half of the loaves to the meeting tomorrow. I am also bringing red grapes so I’m not being stingy with the goods! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients – adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil – you can substitute all or half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 3 cups white sugar – I always use half white/half light brown sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg – fresh is best
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Directions –

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
  3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Meat and Potatoes

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I talked M into buying some steak while we were at Sam’s Club yesterday,  so tonight, it’s what’s for dinner! Our sides will be baked potatoes and salad. We don’t eat red meat very often – I serve it maybe once a week. Also, I have been a bit of a “bad” mom and haven’t offered salad for months! Everything tasted so good. I loved that the organic russet potatoes are so much smaller than non-organic. They were just the right size and they cooked in less time. Little boy M asked for more salad and S seemed to enjoy her steak. I always love when dinner is a success and the kids and hubbs thank me – it’s always worth the time and effort. Thanks for reading!

Steak Rub Ingredients – adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 1 tablespoon McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick® Onion Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Oregano Leaves
  • Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pound strip steak or sirloin

Directions –

Combine all seasonings and rub generously all over the steak. Grill to desired doneness.

Baked Potato Ingredients – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 1 large russet potato
  • Canola oil to coat
  • Kosher salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees and position racks in top and bottom thirds. Wash potato (or potatoes) thoroughly with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then using a standard fork poke 8 to 12 deep holes all over the spud so that moisture can escape during cooking. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place potato directly on rack in middle of oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake 1 hour or until skin feels crisp but flesh beneath feels soft. Serve by creating a dotted line from end to end with your fork, then crack the spud open by squeezing the ends towards one another. It will pop right open. But watch out, there will be some steam.

NOTE: If you’re cooking more than 4 potatoes, you’ll need to extend the cooking time by up to 15 minutes.