Instant Pot Spaghetti

My daughter is a spaghetti fanatic.  She'd probably eat it every day if I'd let her.  Unfortunately, the rest of us don't feel the same way!  So, to accommodate her desire, I've started making big batches and freezing them in thermos-size portions for her school lunches.  The easiest and quickest way for me to do this is with the Instant Pot.  I've tried a couple of recipes but none came out with thick enough sauce for her, and after some experimenting I've finally come up with a winner!

1 T. olive oil
1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
16 ounce package spaghetti noodles
1 24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 24.5-ounce container crushed tomatoes
3 c. water

With the Instant Pot on the saute setting, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in the olive oil.  Once cooked, turn off the pot.  Carefully drain grease if necessary.  Add seasonings and stir with the meat mixture.

Break the noodles into desired length and sprinkle into the pot (don't put them in in solid handfuls or they'll clump together when they cook).  Pour the spaghetti sauce and crushed tomatoes over, then pour the water over all of that.  Make sure the noodles are submerged in the liquid. 

Seal the Instant Pot and cook on manual for 9 minutes.  After cooking, use the manual pressure release.  Remove the lid and stir thoroughly to make sure that everything is incorporated evenly.  Serve immediately, or freeze in single-serve portions to eat later. 

Enjoy! 

Chicken Gravy

I think I liked this better than my family did.  Ok, I *know* I liked this better than my daughter, because her definition of "gravy" is the pepper gravy that comes in the little yellow packets - you know, the powder you mix with water?  She loves that stuff, adds a ton more pepper to it, and would eat the whole batch out of a bowl like soup if I'd let her.  What can I say...she likes what she likes. 

Anyway, I read a couple of Amish blogs and I ran across this post last week.  I was intrigued by the recipe for "Dixie Chicken Shortcake."  Looking at it, I knew I would have to make a few changes to suit my tastes.  I'm glad I did - it was delicious!

I did serve it over cornbread.  I used some cornbread mix that I had in the pantry, and it was way too sweet to handle the gravy.  I was thinking it would be fantastic over homemade noodles (the thick kind), or biscuits.  If I was going to do cornbread again I'd make my own and leave out the sugar.  My family ate their cornbread on the side, so they didn't have the same experience with it that I did. 

Here is my revised recipe:

Chicken Gravy

2 T. fat (chicken fat, butter, oil - it all works)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 t. ground black pepper
2 c. chicken stock (I used homemade, and half my fat was the chicken fat I pulled out of the stock as it thawed)
4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
cornbread, biscuits, or cooked noodles for serving

Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms, and cook until the onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add garlic, pepper, and flour and cook for two more minutes.  Add stock, bring to a boil, and cook until slightly thickened.  Add chicken and continue to cook until heated through.  Add salt to taste and serve over hot cornbread, biscuits, or noodles.

Enjoy!

Caitlyn's Ramen Egg Flower Soup

Hello!  I'm back!  I certainly didn't intend to take the summer off but it appears I've done just that.  I was brought back by a delicious soup my daughter made for lunch today, which she asked me to post.  I'm very excited that at the tender age of five, she already understands that, except for baking, it is perfectly ok to use a recipe as a guideline, not as a rule.  The recipe she was following in her cookbook called merely for ramen, six spinach leaves, three mushrooms, and 1/4 cup each of corn and peas.  Caitlyn's version is much more flavorful!

Caitlyn's Ramen Egg Flower Soup

(makes 3 large servings)

1 package ramen (I recommend pork, chicken, or oriental flavor)
1 large handful fresh spinach
1/2 c. corn kernels
1/2 c. peas
6 mushrooms, chopped
3 c. water (or two cups chicken broth and one cup water)
2 t. chicken base or 2 bouillon cubes (omit if using chicken broth)
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. dried minced onion
pinch dried red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

Break noodles into a two or three quart saucepan.  Add water or chicken broth, ramen seasoning packet, vegetables, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes or until spinach is wilted and the vegetables are cooked through.  Slowly drizzle egg into the soup to form ribbons in the mixture.  Stir gently, and cook two minutes more.  Serve immediately.

Parmesan Chicken and Sauteed Pasta

Tonight was one of those "head into the kitchen and find something easy" nights.  We're out of milk at the moment, so creamed tuna and biscuits, my original idea, was out.  Finally decided I'd cook some chicken tenderloins because they're so quick, and wanted some pasta to go along with it.  So I whipped this up and it was perfect! 

Side note:  A few weeks ago I made my own dried breadcrumbs from some "day old" bread a friend gave me.  Such a difference from the stuff in a canister!  I keep it in the freezer and it has such a nice texture to it!  I may never go back...

Parmesan Chicken

12 ounces chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan (the kind in the green can)
2 T. brown mustard (dijon would also work well here)
1 T. dried minced onion
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375.  Place the chicken in an 8x8 pan.  In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients except bread crumbs.   Spread the mixture over the chicken and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.  Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sauteed pasta

I love the way this turned out.  The flavor of the onions, the crispy edges on the pasta, so delicious!

8 ounces dried pasta (I used small shells)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 T. olive oil
3 T. butter, divided
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder (you could also use fresh garlic - add it at the end of the onion cooking time).
salt to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package direction.   Meanwhile, heat olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat (cast iron works well here).  Add onion and cook until soft and just starting to brown.  When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it well.  Add remaining butter to the skillet.  When melted, stir in thyme and garlic powder.  Add pasta and saute, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown.  Add salt to taste and serve. 

Irish Sundaes

I have been eating Irish Sundaes for as long as I can remember.  They're one of those quick, flexible meals that I almost always have the ingredients on hand for, so they're fast to put together on a weeknight (or a lazy Saturday, like today).  I'll put my basic recipe below (though it's not much of a recipe!), but you can adapt it with your favorite meats, veggies, and other toppings as you prefer.  When I was a kid, I remember having this topped with Campbell's Condensed Nacho Cheese Soup.  I have no idea if that even still exists but I bet it would still be good!

Irish Sundaes
Serves 4

4 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed and pricked
1 head broccoli, chopped (peel the stem if it's tough)
1 pound bulk sausage (chicken, pork or turkey, Italian or breakfast style, whatever you prefer).
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
sliced olives
sour cream
shredded cheese (or the aforementioned soup)
pickled sliced jalapenos

1.  Bake the potatoes in the microwave or oven, as you prefer.
2.  Steam the broccoli for 20 minutes or until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet until nearly cooked through.  Add onions and mushrooms and continue cooking until vegetables are soft. 
4. When everything is ready, put potato on the plate and slice open.  Top with remaining ingredients and serve.
5.  Enjoy!

Butter Chicken

I ran across this recipe in an online cooking school I signed up for a few years ago.  I've had butter chicken (Chicken Makhani) in a local Indian restaurant and this isn't really anything like that, but this is good in its own way.  I've adapted it from the original to fit our family's taste.  For example, the original recipe doesn't blend the tomatoes, but my girl is currently trying her darndest to become a picky eater, so so no longer likes chunks of cooked tomato in her food.  So I put the tomatoes in the blender.  No biggie.

Butter Chicken
Serves 6
Adapted from Stone Soup Virtual Cooking School

2 T peanut or canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2 " pieces
1 cup minced onion
2 T garam masala (I use the punjab style from Penzey's
2 t. chili flakes
1 14.5 oz. can roasted diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 - 4 T heavy cream
salt
ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and onions.  Cook until chicken is lightly browned on one side; flip and brown the second side.

While the chicken cooks, put tomatoes in the blender.  Whir until smooth (if you want a chunkier sauce, you could leave both cans whole or just blend up one).

Once the chicken is browned, add garam masala and chili flakes.  Continue cooking for one minute, then add tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in cream, salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until cream is heated through.

Serve over hot cooked rice. Enjoy!

Fried Apple Waffle Topping

Once upon a time, I used to can quarts and quarts of apple pie filling.  It was our favorite waffle topping, and we ate waffles and apples at least twice a month.  Then, I found out that my beloved recipe isn't safe for canning (it used cornstarch as a thickener, and you must use Clear Jel for food safety).  So that was the end of that.  Nowadays, I mostly turn my apples into applesauce, but I do can a few quarts of apple slices in syrup and spices that I thicken in a pot to top the waffles.

But when apple season is upon us, and we have a plethora of fresh apples from our backyard tree, I love to make this - with hints of butterscotch and spice, it is equally beautiful over waffles or a dish of ice cream.

Fried Apple Waffle Topping
Makes three generous servings

4 cups peeled, cored, and sliced cooking apples (Gala, Granny Smith, etc.)
2 T. butter
3 T. brown sugar (either light or dark will work here)
1/2 tsp. mixed spice (your choice - apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, cake spice, or a mixture of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg all work here)
1/4 tsp. salt

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add apples and saute for two to three minutes.  Add sugar, spices and salt.  Continue cooking for 10 - 15 minutes, until the apples are soft and the sauce is slightly caramelized.  Serve hot.

Steak Sandwiches

I made these for dinner tonight and had to write this down before I forgot it.  Everyone in the house thought it was delicious!

Steak Sandwiches
Serves 6

2T. olive oil, divided
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning, divided
12 oz. steak, thinly sliced (I buy the presliced "steak for sandwiches")
1/4 cup beef broth
Shredded Italian cheese
Parmesan Garlic Sandwich spread or mayonnaise
6 bolillo or hoagie rolls, sliced in half lengthwise

Turn oven on to warm and put in rolls to heat.

Heat 1 T. oil over medium heat in a large skillet.   Add peppers, onion, and 1 tsp. steak seasoning and saute until soft.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining oil to skillet.  Add meat and remaining seasoning, sauteing until only a little pink remains.  Return veggies to skillet and add beef broth and continue cooking five minutes. 

Remove rolls from the oven and turn oven on to broil.  Put the bottom of each roll on a cookie sheet.  Top each with meat and vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle cheese over the top.  Broil five minutes or until cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, spread the top of each roll with sandwich spread or mayonnaise.  Remove the pan from the oven, put the roll tops on, and serve.

Pizza Noodles

I'm trying to figure out how it is that I've never posted this recipe.  Well, maybe I did but Google couldn't find it, who knows.  Anyway, this is a quick and easy, tasty and filling recipe.  You can switch up the meat and veggies to include anything you like that you would normally put on pizza.  The sauce mixture can be prepared in the time it takes to cook the noodles.

Pizza Noodles
4 servings

6 oz. dry spaghetti noodles
2 T. olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. "pizza meat", cut into bite sized pieces (Canadian bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage, etc. - whatever you like)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
Optional:  Fresh oregano, basil, and parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  When finished, drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms; cook until onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add seasonings, meat and tomatoes, cook five to 10 minutes more, until everything is nice and hot.  Stir in cooked noodles and fresh herbs.  Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Pasta

Over the weekend, I suddenly got a bee in my bonnet to look up some Greek recipes.  I have no idea why - I like Greek food but it's never really occurred to me to cook it.  Anyway, I did a little googling and came across this recipe.  Is it really Greek? I have no idea.  It sounded good, though, so I made it for dinner tonight - with a few tweaks.

Next time I might try it with tuna - I think it would go really well.

Greek Chicken Pasta

1/2 pound uncooked pasta (I used cavatappi, just because I think it's cute)
2T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove elephant garlic or four cloves regular garlic, chopped
6 chicken tenderloins, diced
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 t. sherry vinegar
2 t. Italian seasoning
Juice of 1 large lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and chicken.  Saute until the chicken is cooked through.  Add remaining ingredients and cook until heated through.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and stir into the chicken mixture.  Serve with lemon wedges and extra feta sprinkled on top, if desired.

Pasta Fagioli

Today we got our first snowfall of the year.  Not much to speak of (it melted about half an hour after it hit the ground), but enough that a big pot of soup and a fresh loaf of bread sounded like just the ticket for dinner tonight.  So, my daughter and I whipped up a couple of loaves of 30-minute baguettes and I made a pot of this soup.

Pasta Fagioli

1 T. olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings if necessary (I used chicken this time, because it's what I had in the freezer)
2 cups kale, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked small pasta (I used bow ties)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1 can cannelloni beans, drained

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the sausage and cook until browned.  Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and garlic.  Bring to a boil. 

Stir in pasta, half of the cheese, seasoning, and beans.  Cover and simmer until pasta is tender (between eight and 20 minutes, depending on what variety you use). 

Serve with the remaining cheese sprinkled over the top. 

Buffalo Chicken Strips

I was in the mood for something spicy for dinner tonight, and this fit the bill perfectly - quick and easy, with plenty of heat!

Buffalo Chicken Strips

1 pound chicken tenderloins (cut lengthwise if you like a skinnier strip)
1 cup flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (we like Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup panko bread crumbs

For serving:  extra wing sauce (mix with a bit of melted butter if you'd like), ranch dressing, or blue cheese dressing, as desired.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.   Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.  Set up your dredging station - in one bowl, mix your flour with the garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.  Put your wing sauce in a second bowl, and the bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Take a tenderloin and dredge it in the flour to coat.  Dip it (completely) in the wing sauce, then roll in the bread crumbs.  Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining tenderloins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.  If desired, serve with extra wing sauce and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Garlicky sauteed shrimp

I keep reading about how we all should be eating more seafood.  That's fine with me - I love most fish and a few forms of shellfish, but in this house, the only things we all agree on are tuna and shrimp.  So, every six weeks or so, when I can get shrimp on sale for less than $6 a pound, I buy a pound and bring it home for Sunday dinner.

Today I discovered, quite by accident, that the shrimp they sell in the meat department at the grocery store I frequent is the same shrimp that you can buy quick-frozen in the freezer case.  Since they only had shrimp with heads on it in the meat case, and I didn't have the time or desire to mess around with that, I got a frozen bag and went with it.

The guy in the meat department told me to run it under cold water for five to ten minutes to thaw it.  The guy in the meat department obviously doesn't live in this town, or he'd know how expensive it would be to just let the water run for five or ten minutes!  So, instead, I put it in a big bowl and filled it up with cold water.  I put my pasta water on to boil and by the time it was hot, the shrimp was perfectly thawed. 

Garlicky Sauteed Shrimp

2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
juice from 1/4 large lemon
1 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan over low heat, warm the garlic in the olive oil for five minutes.

Turn the heat up to high, wait two minutes (or until the garlic starts sizzling), and add your shrimp, keeping them in a single layer if you can.  Let cook about two minutes, then add the wine and lemon juice.  Flip the shrimp over and cook an additional two to three minutes, or until cooked through. 

Remove the shrimp from the pan and add the butter, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking the sauce until it reduces by half.  Put the shrimp back in the pan, stirring quickly to coat with the sauce.  Serve immediately.  We like this with buttered parmesan noodles, crusty bread, and a green salad.

Steak and Pepper Sandwiches

At my house, I call these cheesesteaks.  I realize, though, that in some parts of the country that will get me run out of town, so, for blogging purposes, steak and pepper sandwiches they are.

At my grocery store, I'm able to buy "thin sliced beef steaks".  That's the meat I use, because it's quick and easy (and versatile!).  It comes in big flat "steaks" about the size of my hand, and I slice it cross-wise into thin strips.  You could also use thinly sliced round steak.  If you go that route, put the meat in the freezer for a half hour or so before hand to make it easier to get nice, thin slices.

Steak and Pepper Sandwiches
Serves 4

1 T. canola oil
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium red pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
12 ounces thinly sliced beef
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (you could also substitute 1 clove minced garlic, just put it in a few minutes before the meat is done)

8 slices cheese (hubby likes cheddar, I like provolone)
4 hoagie, French, or bolillo rolls, split
condiments:  mayo, mustard, ranch dressing, sliced pepperoncini, etc.

In a stir fry pan or large skillet over high heat, saute the peppers and onions until they just start to get soft.

 Add the beef, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, put the rolls cut-side up on a baking sheet.  Lay two slices of cheese on one half of each roll.  Broil two to three minutes, or until the cheese side is bubbly and the dry side is toasted.  Spread with your choice of condiments, top with the meat and pepper mixture, and enjoy!

Homemade Croutons

Homemade croutons are AWESOME.  There's really no comparison to the store-bought kind, and they really do a great job of topping off a salad.  They're super simple, too, so no excuses for not making them!

2 cups 1/2 inch bread cubes (I like using whole grain baguettes)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. garlic powder

Put bread cubes in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over.  Stir to coat.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic powder over, stirring to combine.  Spread on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Easy low-fat white sauce

Once upon a time, I had an awesome fat-free white sauce recipe that I found in a Weight Watchers magazine. It involved toasted flour, chicken broth, and skim milk. That recipe disappeared eons ago. Well, actually, it was probably in that HUGE box of magazine clippings that my mom recently found in her basement - I told her to recycle them as quickly as possible because I didn't want to know what was in there!

Since then, I've been making my white sauce the old fashioned way - with tons of butter. Yum. Awesome for the taste buds, not so good for the waistline.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was making my Creamy Chicken Enchiladas for dinner when it suddenly hit me that the sauce, minus the chiles, is actually a super-simple, low fat (or fat free if you choose) white sauce recipe! Duh!

Here you go:

Easy Low-Fat White Sauce

1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water and 1 tsp. bouillon)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup evaporated milk
salt
pepper

In a small pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the flour into the milk, eliminating any lumps. Once the chicken broth boils, SLOWLY whisk in the milk and flour mixture, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with salt and pepper (or whatever your recipe requires).

If you're not so worried about calories, you can also use whole milk and it will come out just fine.

Enjoy!

Pad Thai

I made this for dinner tonight. The original recipe came from Hungry Monkey, but I tweaked it a bit so here's my version.

Sauce (makes enough for two batches):

12 T tamarind concentrate (sour soup base)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
6 T fish sauce
1 T rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

If your tamarind concentrate is free of seeds, just mix all the ingredients together, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

If your tamarind still has some seeds (mine did), put it in a wire mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the water through it. Press it through the sieve with the back of a spoon, scraping the underside frequently, until all of the tamarind has been strained and just the seeds remain. Mix in remaining ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

The remaining sauce can be frozen.

Pad Thai (serves 4)

2 large chicken breasts, diced
1/4 cup canola oil
8 ounces pad Thai rice noodles
2 large eggs
1/2 recipe pad Thai sauce
1 T. minced garlic
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water
lime wedges
chopped peanuts

Soak the noodles in hot tap water for 30 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken in 2 T. oil until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside, and add remaining 2T. oil to the pan. Add eggs and scramble. Add noodles, chicken, sauce, garlic, scallions, and bean sprouts and stir well until all the sauce has absorbed.

Serve with lime juice squeezed over and peanuts sprinkled on top.

Cheddar-Bacon Muffins

I haven't posted a recipe for a while, and Amy's been going through withdrawals, so here's one I made today. Even hubby likes these, and he doesn't like muffins. They'd be perfect with a big bowl of potato soup on a cold winter's night (yes, I know it's 80 degrees outside - a girl can dream, can't she???).

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shredded cheddar (medium works just fine, but sharp gives it that extra zip)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (gives it a little heat, but not too much)
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (sometimes I cook up some bacon and keep it in the freezer for this, other times I just use bacon bits (the real stuff, not the Bacos).

In a large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. Add eggs, milk and oil all at once, stir just to combine. Mix in bacon. Spoon into greased muffin tins (about 2/3 full or so), and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

You can also make this into squares by pouring into a greased 9x12 pan and baking for 35 minutes or so, until your toothpick comes out clean.

I always store these in the fridge - I don't know if that's necessary or not, but leaving something with cheese and bacon out on the counter gives me the heebeejeebees!

Enjoy!

Stuffed Flank Steak

Golly, it's been a long time since I posted a recipe! Apparently I've been falling down on the job...

Anyway, I made this tonight for dinner and it was pretty good. Not spectacular, but a keeper, I think. No measurements for the ingredients because it's all dependent on how big your meat is (those of you who need to can go take your Beavis and Butthead moment now and return when you're ready to proceed!).

Flank steak
shredded parmesan cheese
baby spinach
shredded fontina cheese
steak seasoning
bamboo skewers

Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 20 minutes before proceeding with this recipe (that way they won't burn when you cook it). Prepare your pan by spraying a cooking sheet with nonstick spray and then sprinkle it lightly with steak seasoning.

Using a very sharp knife, butterfly the flank steak, without cutting it all the way through (you want to be able to open it up to make a larger steak). Cut with the grain (the knife blade should be parallel to the grain of the meat). Open the meat. Put on a layer of shredded parmesan, then a layer of baby spinach, then a layer of fontina. Roll up the meat very tightly and secure it with the skewers.

Make small steak rolls by cutting the meat in between the skewers. Lay each roll flat on your prepared pan. Sprinkle the tops with steak seasoning.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until it reaches desired doneness. Remove from the oven and cover the pan with foil. Let stand for five minutes, and enjoy!

Pierogi with onion cream sauce

Someday, I will attempt to make pierogi from scratch. Until then, I like the Trader Joe's variety best but Mrs. T's is ok too!

1 box frozen potato and cheese pierogi
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup cream (fat free half and half works nicely)
1 tablespoon butter

Cook pierogi in boiling water, according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms. Saute for five minutes or until onions are soft. Add cream and butter, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from pan.

Add remaining oil to the pan, and brown pierogis according to package directions. When they are fully cooked, add onion mixture back to the pan, cover and simmer for five minutes, until sauce is heated through. Serve immediately.