Beef Skewers with Cilantro Pesto

This recipe credit goes to Michael Symon, on the Chew... I love all his recipes and this was featured on his 5 minute for $5 segment... however... he lied about 5 minutes! maybe more like 20 minutes with prepping and all that! But still... TOTALLY doable in way under an hour!

What you need:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 lb beef sirloin, cut into chunks

kosher salt and pepper

2 cups fresh cilantro

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together the olive oil, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Season the beef chunks with salt and pepper. Then coat the meat in the olive oil mixture.

Thread the meat chunks onto skewers, and send your hubby outside to BBQ them... or they can be done on a grill pan :) 

While they're BBQ-ing... make the pesto! I used my magnificent food processor.. but I'm sure it can be done in a Magic Bullet or a blender.

Blend the cilantro, garlic, hazelnuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil together. And there is your homemade cilantro pesto to drizzle on the steaks and/or dip them in! 

Now, this makes almost double what you'll need, so I simply froze the remaining pesto, and can thaw it out next time we make these! 

Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Now... these aren't too pretty because I didn't have parsley to top them with... but these are pretty dang close to the deliciousness that is, Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits! I mean... that's the main reason why you go to Red Lobster, right?? And they're not hard to make at all! 

All you need:

2 1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix

4 Tbsp cold butter

3/4 cup milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the butter into the Bisquick mix and stir gently.

Add the milk, cheese, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Mix by hand, but do not over mix.

Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. (I am a huge fan of putting parchment paper down on anything I put on a cookie sheet... saves cleanup time!)

Bake for 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees. 

While they're baking, melt the 2 Tbsp butter, and add the parsley and 1/2 tsp garlic powder once melted. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them with the garlic butter!! 

MMMMmmmm!!!! ENJOY!

Tomato & Spinach Pasta

I've started yet another quarter of school... and class goes till 6:00. Well, I got home yesterday, and had this whipped up by 7:00! :) Plus the cost per serving on this meal is just under a dollar! This recipe makes enough for 4 hungry people (or dinner for both of us plus lunch the next day!) 

olive oil

1 small onion

3 garlic gloves

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

red pepper flakes

kosher salt & pepper

2 Tbsp tomato paste

3 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 lb penne pasta

6 oz. spinach

1) Cook penne pasta (the neat thing about this is while the water is boiling and pasta is cooking, you should have the sauce ready by the time the pasta is al dente!)

2) In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic until translucent. 

3) Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper (I might add a little garlic salt as well at this step.) Stir

4) Add the tomato paste, and 1/2 cup water. Stir until tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce. Then turn the heat down to low.

5) Cut pieces of cream cheese into the sauce. (I might have used a little bit more cream cheese than it called for...)

6) Whisk in the cream cheese. 

7) Whisk in Parmesan cheese. (I saved some for garnishing the finished product)

8) Add the spinach and gently stir into sauce. Let the spinach wilt slightly, then add the cooked pasta.

Next time I might add chicken, and maybe asparagus instead of spinach... 

It really makes great leftovers! 

Spinach Salad w/ Chicken, Avocado, Feta Cheese & Candied Nuts

Healthy, check. Easy, check. Delicious, check.

Salad Ingredients

8 oz baby spinach, chopped

1 avocado

2 roma tomatoes

1/2 cup corn

2-3 oz feta cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts*

1 cooked chicken breast

Dressing Ingredients

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

salt & pepper

* Pine nuts are EXPENSIVE... and in my cupboard I had walnuts and slivered almonds... so that's what I used instead! After looking over this recipe, I thought maybe it would be lacking some sweetness. So I made them candied walnuts and almonds... 

I melted butter, and added a little white and brown sugar, and a tiny bit of vanilla extract. Once all those were melted and mixed together, while still on low heat, I added the nuts and cooked a few minutes, until all nuts were coated. 

Then pour out the nuts on parchment paper to cool, and break them apart once cooled.

This added a perfect sweetness to the salad!

Pork Parmesan Medallions

We made these pork medallions for our parent's 35th wedding anniversary... 

and they loved them! 

This was a little bit more of a complicated recipe, so bare with me. But the key to this recipe is... PREPPING!

For the tomato sauce:

2 lb ripe tomatoes
1 onion
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
oregano
salt & pepper
olive oil

Food process tomatoes until smooth. 

(I chopped the tomatoes into 4 pieces or so, and placed them in my food processor, with the skin. You can remove the skin if you like, but I didn't have a mil to remove them, so I didn't.)

Chop onion, and mince garlic.

Heat oil and saute onion in a 3 qt saute pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Add garlic, and keep cooking.

Then add the tomatoes and sprinkle oregano. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, and have this ready for the pork to be transferred to.

For the pork:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lb)

1 cup flour

2 eggs (whisked)

1 cup Panko bread crumbs (do not use just regular bread crumbs)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

olive oil

salt & pepper

basil leaves

Trim the fat off the tenderloin, and cut into roughly 1 inch pieces. 

Set up your 3 step dredging process... 

1st- flour

2nd- eggs

3rd- Panko and Parmesan cheese

(Season all 3 with salt!)

Cover medallion with flour, and shake off excess. Dip in egg, then thoroughly coat in the breadcrumbs, pressing into the pork.

Get an electric skillet ready with olive oil about 1/4 - 1/2 inch high, turned up to about 375.

OR, heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium/high heat.

(We almost doubled this recipe so my skillet was a little crowded!)

Fry the medallions until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side (mine took a little longer.)

Get the tomato sauce in the saute pan ready!

Place the browned medallions into the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and place in the oven, on broil, for about 3 minutes... or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Top with basil! 

ENJOY!!!

Not So Sloppy, Sloppy Joe

Again, a very easy & inexpensive meal to put together quickly... are you sensing a theme here lately?

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion 

6 oz can tomato paste

2 tsp mustard

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp minced garlic

salt & pepper

1. Brown the meat, and add chopped onion while meat is still cooking

2. Once meat is almost cooked through, add remaining ingredients.

3. Stir, and slop onto buns!

YOU'RE DONE!

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice

This is a super easy dinner to whip up. Only 3 ingredients for the chicken, and rice. I remember my mom making this for us many times, and it was one of my favorites!

All you need is apricot jam, Catalina dressing, and onion soup mix. 

Now... I don't really measure these out. I use about half the jar apricot jam, about 1/3 the dressing, and 1 packet onion mix.

Just cut up chicken into cubes, mix it all together, and pour into a greased 8x8 pan. 

Bake at 350-375 for about 30-45 minutes.

(hehe you can see my lunch in the top of the picture... do I need to say, "makes great leftovers!"?)

"Northwoods Inn" Red Cabbage

Northwoods Inn is by far one of my absolute favorite restaurants. So when I saw this recipe floating around Pinterest... first off, I HAD to try it! Second, I HAVE to share it because who can resist the red and blue salad from that wonderful place! That restaurant (to which I always thought Santa Clause lived) is very near and dear to my heart... I remember many birthday dinners there with my Grandma Lavey. 

The key to this is making it at least 3 to 4 days before you intend to eat it... 

As you can see, I paired it with my version of their blue salad as well, to which my husband said was "spot on"... but I'm not bragging. It's simply crisp iceberg lettuce. 

For the dressing I get store-bought ranch dressing (the Marie Calendar "buttermilk ranch," usually found in the refrigerated section in the produce area...) Now I am not a fan of thick store-bought ranch, so I add sour cream and milk to get it to the thinner consistency that I like. I also add garlic power and fresh cracked pepper. 

Now, to imitate Northwood's blue salad dressing, I added blue cheese crumbles to my ranch, and let that sit for a few days as well. 

This meal with require patience. 

Ok, here's the red cabbage recipe:

1/2 head red cabbage (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp salt (I used kosher)

1 tsp seasoned salt (I used Mrs. Dash)

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together and add in the cabbage... and remember... let it sit in the fridge AT LEAST 24 hours... 4 days if you can!

You're welcome ;)

Beef Stroganoff

This literally took 20-30 minutes to make. I'm on a mission to find inexpensive, fast meals... in preparation of me going back to school! :( This is a fast and easy ground beef recipe that I paired with broccoli and carrots!

All you need is:

 roughly 1/2 to 1 lb ground beef (I used 3/4 lb)

garlic salt

1 onion soup mix packet

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

Simply brown the meat, while adding desired amount of garlic salt (I over-salted so be careful.)

When meat is almost browned, add onion soup mix, and then milk. Stir

Lastly, add the sour cream and let simmer lightly, or sit over low heat (stirring occasionally) letting the sour cream mixture thicken up.

Pour over egg noodles... and ENJOY! 

Chopped Chicken Taco Salad

There's nothing like inviting yourself over for dinner at home... SO glad I did tonight because my mom and I made a pretty easy, inexpensive, delicious salad! And made enough to feed 5 hungry people!! 

There is LOTS of chopping involved... but that can be done ahead of time! And the homemade dressing has only 4 ingredients! Well... actually 5 ingredients... we added milk to thin it out. Make the dressing first and then set aside.

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 Tbsp ranch seasoning 

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

(We noticed it was a little too thick for our liking, so we added milk to get our desired consistency) 

And here's what ya need for the salad....

1 to 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 head lettuce (either iceberg or romaine) 

1 green pepper, diced

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 cup sweet corn

1 tomato, diced

4-6 green onions, sliced

chopped cilantro (just under 1/4 cup)

1 large avocado, diced

1 cup crushed chips (tortilla, Frito... whatever you got!)

Toss everything together, except the chips. Slowly add the dressing... a little goes a long way. Top with the crushed chips!

Chicken Stir-Fry

I'm all about prepping... the day before, if you can... or the morning or afternoon before. Once all the chopping is done for this recipe that I remember my mom making for us as kids... this is a super easy meal to make! Just pick up that "Sun-Bird" brand stir-fry seasoning in the Asian food aisle at your grocery store, your favorite veggies, and chicken. 

After starting the rice cooker, heat up oil in a Wok (I used a big skillet before I was given this Wok as a wedding gift) and brown the chicken, but don't cook fully yet. Add the veggies and stir fry for a few minutes... then add the mixture from the seasoning packet (which is soy sauce, water, sugar, and the seasoning,) and keep stir frying... until all cooked!

Broccoli Salad

To quote my sister... "Hats off to whoever can get me to eat broccoli!"

All you need is:

2 bunches fresh broccoli (so, 4 bushels) 

10 slices of bacon, cooked and cut thin

1/2 red onion, chopped

2/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries 

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider) 

Here's the secret to mine... I use kitchen scissors to cut the broccoli into pretty small pieces... and I altered the original recipe (which was given to me at my bridal shower by my parent's neighbor... GREAT idea for an up-&-coming wife! ...have all the guests bring their favorite recipes to help her get started) I added the sunflower seeds, and change it up with dried cranberries instead of raisins. 

I've impressed people who aren't easily impressed with this dish ;)