Recipe Review: Brown Sugar and Bourbon Flank Steak and Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Remember this post about my meal plan for the week? I had 2 new recipes on there for our Monday meal: Brown Sugar and Bourbon Flank Steak and Cheesy Zucchini Rice.  I'm going to do a crazy thing and review both on this one post! Usually, it's a 2 post situation, but today I'm generous and don't want you to wait.

Brown Sugar and Bourbon Flank Steak:
I've never cooked flank steak... well, I can't say that any longer because I did this past Tuesday (yep, the rain on Monday made me delay the grilling until Tuesday).

When I was shopping for the flank steak, I must admit that I wasn't impressed with how it looked. I was kind of surprised by how much it cost too. It was outrageously expensive, but more than I anticipated for what it looked like. Meat prices are just ridiculous.... Flank steak is simply a flat and long piece of meat. Not much marbling too it (aka, fat, juicy goodness). It looked just like the pink styrofoam it sat on... okay maybe a little bit different. It's thin too- which scared me because my husband likes to eat meat, well, food in general. I didn't know if it would be enough for all 3 of us at 1.5 pounds, but you figure that's a half pound for everyone and I know myself and lil man won't eat that much meat.

So the flank steak was chosen and purchased. On the day of cooking/preparing, I took a whole 5 minutes to mix together the marinade/sauce, pour it into the plastic bag and add the steak. I put it in the fridge for 30-40 minutes then pulled it out to bring to room temperature as the recipe stated. While it was working it's way to room temp, I started grating a zucchini (which was totally fun! I'm weird, I know).

Flank steak at room temp meant I got to start up the grill (and clean it). It was only 91 degrees. No problem cooking out on the grill.... I oiled the grates with olive oil (using a paper towel) and set the flank steak on it. No problems. Super easy. Recipe said cook 5 minutes. I can handle that- granted I moved away from the grill during that time. I went back into the house where the rice was cooked and I was adding the zucchini and butter. Mixed those to incorporate and all was good. Back out to flip the steak and start again.

The steak was done and I brought it in to rest for 5 minutes. It was perfect! So easy to cook and beautiful. I had some good grill marks on that puppy I tell ya! I will cook flank steak again.

Image from Tracey's Culinary Adventure Blog

While the flank steak was cooking, I warmed the marinade to make it "syrupy" as Tracey called it. It didn't smell the greatest and lil man asked if I was making stinky food. I added the cheese to the rice and sliced up the steak. Serving was ready to commence.

Now to the good stuff: This flank steak was amazing! Delicious, easy, flavorful and delectable. I think I "MMMM"'d after every bite I ate. Yes, I'm pretty sure I did. I gave some to lil man who decided he liked it too. Hubs said it was pretty good and very tasty. He loved the sauce.

The rice: It was good, needed more salt and pepper. I loved that it was just like those Knorr packs you buy but it was totally homemade and you know what's going into it (something I love)! No sneaky ingredients or things you can't name. I think next time I make it (yes, there will be a next time), I'm going to add sauted onion and garlic as well as some parsley and other flavors. I will also grate my own cheese (It's a kick I'm on right now and I love it. Melts better and is just so stretchy and cheesy- delicious!). I can also imagine grating up many other veggies to add- cauliflower (yum), broccoli, other squash, what about some pumpkin????... the possibilities are endless. Simple and delicious.

Image from Tracey's Culinary Adventure Blog.

I recommend making both of these, but if you only want to try one, go with the flank steak. Both together were fantastic and I can't wait to eat the left overs for lunch. Not terrible with calories either just watch your portion sizes on the rice with that cheese!

For the recipes click here for Steak and here for rice.

Kitchen fear 1

Remember me telling you about things I was afraid to make? One of those was pizza crust. Yes, simple, basic, pizza crust. Why was I afraid of it? I can't tell you. Maybe it's because of the fear of time it would take, I would miss a step (happens frequently in my cooking endeavors- have you read my Tasty Tuesday posts?), I would burn it, whatever.

Enter (my heroine), Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman). You know I love her and her recipes. I was looking to make calzones and didn't want to use biscuits (as I usually do), so I used one of her recipes for pizza crust. It was so stinking easy and basic and wonderful. I loved the crust. It was tasty, simple, and not time consuming! yes, I made it the night before (which is typical for bready things).

So easy. I'm actually looking forward to using it for something else I'm afraid of doing- grilling! Yep, I'm going to grill and I'm going to grill pizza. You watch and wait. I'll report back. I'm sure I'll love it and everything will be fabulous... and if it isn't, it was a learning experience- take out here we come!

Here is the link for the pizza crust recipe I used (I think- there are 2 cookbooks with 2 different recipes- can't remember which book I used and which crust! UGH! I really should write these as I go!). Enjoy!

YUMMMMMM! Try this!

Thursday was a super busy day. I mean super busy. I am not much of a crock pot cook primarily because my husband doesn't like food in a crock pot (I don't get it, but whatever). So what else is easy and convenient- grilling!

Confession, I'm afraid of cooking on the grill. Like, I've never actually completed a meal on my own on the grill and the one time I tried to grill, it was yuck - like raw. You know the cooked on the outside but raw in the middle... Ewww. I hate that. However, we just bought a new grill as our 12 year old grill pretty much died on us (crusty, rusty and not cooking evenly due to poor upkeep on our end). I decided it would be the year that I overcame my fear of grill cooking. I mean, it could blow up, I could catch on fire, lil man could get burned, what if I dropped the food in the grates and lost it forever...

I had some pork chops in the fridge that I picked up the day before hoping to make this recipe that night (but didn't work out as we wanted burgers badly). So, since they were thawed, I whipped up this quick recipe from Kraft Food and Family Magazine. It was called something like zesty pork and veggies.

This recipe is beyond easy. Beyond... seriously. Simply take the pork chops out (bone-in or boneless) and poke them with a fork then place into a shallow bowl. Whip up 1/4 c. Italian dressing and 1 Tbsp Grey Poupon (or other dijon mustard). Pour half of it over the pork (I poured all and made more for basting). Cover and refrigerate... get this... not hours... for 15 minutes! Yep, 15 minutes.

During that 15 minutes, I chopped up green pepper, red pepper and zucchini (I forgot the onion) then I added in some fresh garlic and drizzled with olive oil covered and stuck in fridge. In the meantime, we played for another hour outside giving everything time to marinate- besides in the summer, we don't eat until a little later.

I warmed the grill... put the pork on and the veggies into the basket on the grill. I waited... and waited. I then realized, the grill ran out of gas at the beginning of cooking... nice. Ran to the store for a new propane tank, grilled up my food and basted the pork with the extra batch of marinade that I made. The veggies were simple and fantastic. The pork was some of the tastiest that I've had in a while. The flavor kept throughout and there was no need for more. Despite the fact that I overcooked the pork a little (due to running and chasing an almost three-year-old who was into EVERYTHING), dinner was amazingly delicious. Hubby even said it was some of the best pork he's had in a long time. The flavor was splendid. I will certainly make this again. And the fact that it took 5 minutes to whip up and 15 minutes cooking time is a plus.

Try it. It's good. No lie. If my almost three-year-old son wanted seconds, so will you!

Tasty Tuesday: Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole

I've been cooking my way through my pinterest pins. A few at a time. Can i just say, I'm addicted to checking what's out there all the time? Can I also tell you that I really like to be able to visit favorite sites and pin things for later review using Pinterest? Okay. I'm done now.

Back to cooking. I decided I would make a recipe for Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole using my friend's farm fresh eggs. Since hubby doesn't like these things, I knew it would be up to myself to eat it all (thank goodness for friends who like what I like!).

I made up this yummy recipe and at the same time made hubby tuna noodle casserole (something I really do not like). I was afraid my dinner would smell like tuna, but it wasn't the case- thank goodness!

The breakfast casserole cooked a little longer than I wanted, but it wasn't bad. The other problem is with my oven. It is at an angle so things do not cook evenly. I will fix this when we fix our flooring (hopefully this summer or next year). Until then I just work with it.

Image from here

I loved the bite of the kale and the tang of the feta (one of my favorite cheeses). The recipe was easy to make and made a lot. I didn't have spice seasoning so I used Lawry's Season Salt. It's my go to seasoning for things like this.

As far as reheating, I did this in the microwave and it turned out just fine provided I didn't microwave for more than 1 min 30 sec-2 min.

Click this link to get the recipe.

Join me at 33 Shades of Green for Tasty Tuesday. Let's see what's cooking!

Tasty Tuesday: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I have a favorite dip for parties- Buffalo Chicken Dip. I love it. I think it's fantastic. If I see a crock of it, I'll belly up to it like there's no tomorrow. Seriously, I love that dip.

I have a favorite sandwich- the all American classic grilled cheese sandwich. No lie. I love it. I could live on it. According to the doctor, my arteries wouldn't love it as much if I did that.

Now, imagine life with the two combined? Yep.. I found a recipe that does just that.

Imagine your life with meal planning when you know you'll have left over chicken breast and you have everything else you need to make this recipe... Even better.

I was perusing pinterest one day and saw this recipe. I added it to the meal plan for the day after lil man's tonsillectomy. I'd need quick and easy meals after holding a toddler for a few hours a day (no complaints). This was perfect.

Image from here

The recipe was good. You should be aware that the recipe is for 1 sandwich.

 Now, here's the problem. It calls for blue cheese. I can do it sometimes, but there's a certain kind of blue cheese I like and I thought I grabbed the right brand at the grocer, but since it had been a while, I was wrong. Hence, it was good, but not as good as it could have been. If you love all kinds of blue cheese, you'll have no problem with it. Next time, I'm simply leaving out the blue cheese. And, yes, there will be a next time!

Click the link for the recipe from closetcooking.com.

Join me at 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday. Let's see what else is cooking!

Tasty Tuesday: Knock You Naked Brownies

I figured you missed my reviews of the Pioneer Woman's cookbook recipes. So, since I acquired the new cookbook for my birthday, I've been cooking out of it while also working my way through the old cookbook and my Pinterest recipes.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I held my monthly craft party. If you are not part of one, you should be and if there isn't one around you, start your own! They are so fun.

Back to the topic at hand- the menu. I was lazy. Still not wanting to really cook and was stumped for ideas (how that could be with my plethora of cookbooks, saved recipes on cards, print outs and pinterest, I don't know). I decided to just do a pizza, salad and brownie combo. The pizza was take out- I was all about KISS (Keep it simple sister). Remember, this was also when the two-year-old Cheri wanted to take over in the diet department. 

The salad was a recipe from a friend where I used to work. I'll share it here one day as it's a favorite of many. Hopefully, she won't mind but seeing as to how she passed it out to all who wanted it, I figure there's no secret.

The brownies were the PW Knock You Naked Brownies. Click the link for the recipe.

Photo from Pioneerwoman.com

These were so delicious... very rich but soooooo good. Yes, what she says is true- pass them to those you love or that you want to love you back. They certainly will!  I gave them to my students and they were so happy and excited- exclaiming throughout the day that they loved the brownies, the best they ever had. Being the smart teacher I am, I gave the brownies to the kids at the end of the day (like last 10 minutes of the day). Parents, don't hate me. 

They were not hard to make. The hardest part for me, was melting the caramel. Yep, it took much longer than I anticipated but it could be because I had to buy the hard caramel since that's what my grocer had.

Should you make these, yes, you should- but only if you want to be kind and give some away. Do not - I repeat Do not- keep them in the house for yourself. They are not low calorie, fat free... they will just add to your hips and thighs instantly. Simply eat one and then pass them along. You will be loved.


Join me over at 33 Shades of Green for Tasty Tuesdays. There are many more great recipes on that site!

Tasty Tuesday: Spinach Sausage Soup

This is another of the recipes I found in The Five Ingredient Cookbook from Taste of Home. I was going through a week where I didn't really feel like cooking and when you go through that, recipes with 5 ingredients or less are a God-send.

While thumbing through the book, I found Spinach Sausage Soup. Kicker- it had a 20 minute prep/cook time. Score!

 I must admit that the day I made this, I sat down and looked at it only to think "Yuck. I'm really going to eat this concoction?!" Again, I was going through a phase and didn't care about anything. Toss me a pizza and I'll be happy.

This recipe was 1. quick, 2. simple, 3. flavorful and 4. the most delicious thing I'd eaten in a while! I was so glad I cooked it- and even more glad that I ate it! Sorry, the two-year-old Cheri almost won on this one.

It is so good. I can't emphasize enough how good it was. I shared it with hubby and a friend. Both absolutely loved it! Simple, easy, speedy, delicious. Enough said.

Recipe: Spinach Sausage Soup - from Taste of Home
Yield: 10 servings.

1 pound bulk italian sausage (I use Bob Evans)
4 (14.5 oz) cans of chicken broth
8 small red potatos quartered and sliced thin (I used about 12... I like potatoes... red with skins please)
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix (I<3 Good Seasons)
2 c fresh spinach (or frozen chopped)

In  a large skillet, brown the Italian sasuage over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a duth oven or large pot, combine the broth, potatoes and salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
   Drain sausage. Add sausage and spinach to the broth mixture; heat through.

Join me at 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday! There are several other recipes to try as well!

Coconut Cake... How I love thee...

I love coconut cake. It has been awhile since I had one- rather, a good one. I was looking at a favorite recipe blog- Tracey's Culinary Adventures and there in front of my face was a glorious and beautiful coconut cake. I had to pin it to my recipe board and knew I'd be making it for Easter.

MMMM and soooo festive!

My version was different from hers. The cake was the same- a basic white cake, but the filling was strawberries and strawberries jam and the frosting was homemade cream cheese frosting. The original recipe is from another source and called for cream of coconut. Having never heard of it, I decided to skip it. When would I use it again???? It lead me to find a new recipe for cream cheese frosting (which was truly outstanding!).

I set out to bake it Saturday night (just before Easter). That day was busy and I had run all over tarnation (just a phrase I grew up with and still have no clue what/where tarnation is but I guess that's the point). The recipe called for 2 9" round cake pans. I had them. I found them buried in the back of the cabinet. I pulled them out to see they had rusted. I was NOT going to go out again. I decided to dump all of the mix into the springform pans I have. Yes, it's not 2 separate smaller pans, but it works. i figured I'd just cut the cake in half to add the filling.  That's what I did; however, it took almost 1 1/2 hours to bake the cake all the way through. The next day I realized the flaw in this- the bottom/corners were hard and kind of dry. Boo!

I proceeded. We can cut that part off. I sliced the cake in half. Put down the jam then added the sliced berries and top of the cake. Next was frosting the cake. I waited for the frosting to get close to room temp for easier spreading and away I went. Then I patted on the coconut.

Oh YUM!!!

This was, in my opinion, a treat to eat on Easter Sunday with family. I took it to 2 different family functions. Half for 1 family and half for the other. Everyone who ate it said it was good. I thought it was pretty good for my first ever from scratch cake. The strawberries in the middle were great and the cream cheese frosting was some of the best I'd ever had.

Click the following for links to the recipes.
Frosting
Coconut Cake recipe

Tasty Tuesday: Italian Beef Sandwiches

Please excuse the fact that I've been away for over a week. It's been crazy busy at work then with lil man having his tonsillectomy, I've been cuddling more than anything! I'm not complaining though!

So, I realize it's been a while since I posted some of what I've been making. I used to only make 1 new recipe a week, but lately, it's been far more frequent. For some reason, I can't remember what I did for meals prior to Pinterest and new cookbooks. Did we only live on spaghetti??? It really is possible!

In trying to make life simpler, I'm trying to eat more simply and use a lot of what's in the house. I would like to say I'm couponing away and still saving tons at the grocery store, but with E's allergies, that's just not happening. I'm going to revisit a book about how to save without clipping and when your child has allergies. It's an ebook I found and when I finish it, I'll let you know via a book review post! :)

Yet, I digress... Back to where I was... In making my life simpler, I want simpler recipes. Enter my grandma's birthday gift to me 2 years ago- The 5 Ingredient Cookbook by Taste of Home. I was perusing while looking for something new to make and found Italian Beef Sandwiches. I had some roast to use up and thought it would be a good fit.

How hard can it be to throw all the ingredients into the crock pot and let it cook? Not hard at all. Not only that, I had everything at home already which was even better!

Image from Taste of Home.

The recipe was very easy to make and quite tasty. There are a few things I would add to it the next time I make it (which will be soon). First, saute diced onions, peppers, and mushrooms and toss those in for the last 30 min. They would add so much yummy goodness (granted, it's really good as is, but you'll see where I'm going in a minute). Next, get a bun and butter the inside then grill it (oh yeah baby!). Toss on a little provolone then the meat/veggie mixture. Place under broiler long enough for cheese to start to melt. You're belly is delighted and full. Fantastic! Not only that, it was simple and easy and had only 5 ingredients (if you don't do the extra steps I mentioned).

Recipe: Italian Beef Sandwiches:
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3-4 pounds) cut in half (I just cooked it whole).
3 tablespoons dried basil
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1 c water
1 envelope onion soup mix
10-12 italian rolls or sandwich  buns.

Place roast in 5 qt slow cooker. Combine basil, oregano, water, and pour over roast. Sprinkle with soup mix.
    Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat' shred with a fork and keep warm. Strain broth and skim fat. Serve meat on rolls; use broth for dipping, if desired. (yield 10-12 servings).

** I didn't cut the meat in half and didn't strain the broth. To make life easier, I simply shredded beef in the juice in the crockpot. It was delicious and moist but not overly juicy. Yum!!!

Kitchen mix up

Today, I wanted to review another Pinterest recipe... I kind of feel bad thinking about reviewing it as there was some serious operator/chef error going on the day I cooked it. It was the day of lil man's tonsillectomy.
I had made a chicken in the crockpot (see this post) and planned to make a week's worth of meals around the chicken in the crockpot. I did this knowing that Friday would be a difficult day after lil man's surgery. I needed something that could be whipped together quickly while he slept after we got home from the hospital. I was excited and decided I would make Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas. Besides, I love Mexican and have been wanting it forever. I knew exactly how this would look, taste and smell. I was thrilled... Some sour cream with salsa or pico de gallo and refried beans topped with melted cheese. YUM!!!

Well, that was a great plan. That was about all it was too. It was a long day. I had been at the hospital for over 8 hours and holding a child for a while before he fell asleep. Who knew how long he would sleep but these don't take long, so I just needed 30 minutes start to finish. The chicken was already done I simply needed to cook the spinach (I added onion as well) and warm chicken in pan too, mix spices  and assemble the flautas.

Well, all was great until I started mixing the spices. ya see, the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of the spices... I misread it for 1 tablespoon. That was mistake 1.

On to mistake 2: kiddo needed more pain medicine and was fussing up stairs when I was on the second bake time (bake for 10 min. turn over and back 10 min more). I went up to give kiddo the meds and in the process ended up making it a whole family ordeal- yes my mom was here and helped too.. That was 3 adults to 1 child and I believe the child won as he spit everything out- all over my bed. So, with all that going on, I didn't hear the oven beeping downstairs. Hubby went downstairs and pulled out the food when he was getting more juice for lil man. He looked at me and shook his head. Dinner was a little crispier than we planned. It wasn't burnt though- just pretty golden crunchy brown.

All this frustration and hubby was upset that I made something on a crazy day like this anyway, but I really wanted those and didn't want to waste chicken. Don't get in my way when I'm not wanting to waste things and really have a taste for something.

Hubby  went out to fix the car and I was left with my flautas. That flavor would have been fantastic if I hadn't added too much garlic salt. That was the killer. It was good, but I had too much sodium in there. Way too much. I couldn't finish it. :( I do know that what I tried that didn't overwhelm me was good. I'm going to try it again. When I do, I'll be sure to review it.

In the meantime, here's what it should have looked like.  Click the link below the picture if you want to make it yourself.

Image from here

Tasty Tuesday: Sweet Pretzel Cookies

I've been working my way through the PW cookbook, but also through my list of goodies I've pinned on the joy/addiction that is Pinterest. This past week was my birthday and we had a meeting at work on my birthday. Since I knew I wanted to bring in a treat to share and celebrate with, I decided I would try the sweet pretzel cookies.

Image credit

The recipe was easy. I was surprised that it called for melting the butter instead of softening. That was a little different for me with a cookie. I must admit that I'm not the biggest baker, so I'm sure many others have made cookies like this. The flour and salt needed sifted, again, something I haven't done in a while and I don't even own a sifter! I simply used a metal collander to sift with.

For the pretzels, I very lightly crushed them so there would be pretty good size chunks. I cannot tell you how much I LOVED this aspect.

The one change I made was to forego adding dried fruit. I just didn't have any raisin or craisins in the house (which is rare). I should have added more chocolate chips, but instead, I added a few more pretzel chunks. Next time, I'll add more chocolate chips too.

At first, the dough was a little rough to work with after adding the pretzels, but part of that was because I added the pretzels after chilling it because hubby had eaten the pretzels I was going to use for this- resulting in an unexpected trip to the store for more pretzels. (Isn't that the worst?!)

It was also a little annoying to have to rotate the baking pan after 5 minutes of baking, but it made a difference.

This recipe was so delightful! It was tasty- the ultimate for that salty/sweet craving. Everyone who tasted one raved about how delicious they were. Totally amazing. Click here for the recipe.

I'm joining up with 33 Shades of Green-Tasty Tuesday. Jump on over to check out other great recipes!

Tasty Tuesday Italian Wedding Soup

I love soup in the winter. There's nothing like it. We generally have it once a week between September and March. No lies there. Hubby has learned to love soup because of this. Shoot, some days, he comes home and asks for a certain kind of soup. Finally, something we both agree on for dinner!

I wanted to make a new soup. I saw this recipe at Tracey's Culinary Adventure for Italian Wedding Soup. I decided to try it. It has some of my favorite things in it: kale, garlic, pasta and carrots. I'm good with that!


The recipe was easy to make. The most time consuming part of it was making the meat balls, which really wasn't that bad. They are made with ground pork. I had never heard of such a thing or worked with such a thing, so it was a new experience for me.

Overall the recipe was easy to make and pretty tasty. It didn't take long to make.  Hubby and my Italian sitter loved it. They couldn't get enough of it. I, on the other hand, felt it needed something more to it. I don't know what, well, I think it could have used onion, more garlic, and possibly a little finely diced sauteed celery. Toss in some parsley and life would be grand. I must confess that I was also under the spell of a sinus infection and therefore had issues with tasting things. Lil man liked it and ate it- that's a bonus.

If you would like to try it, click the link here or above to find the recipe. She also took that beautiful picture above.

As always, I'm joining up with 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday. Come on over and see what others are making!

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Sheet Cake (aka Texas Sheet Cake)

I'm back to cooking from the PW cookbook. It was book club night. What goes better with wine and books than chocolate decadence? So, I tried the chocolate sheet cake recipe.

Picture from the Pioneer Woman

I must say that making a cake from scratch is nothing I've ever tried before. This seemed easy enough so I figured I'd try it.

This recipe was easy peasy to make. It was also pretty yummy! This cake was good and the frosting wasn't too bad. It's the one thing I changed. The recipe calls for pecans, but since I wasn't sure if anyone had a nut allergy (our first book club meeting), I went with crushed pretzels instead of the nuts in the frosting. Oh my yum!!!

The problem I had with this recipe... It says it serves 18-20. I had 10 women plus myself (also a woman) eat this cake during book club. I had more than half left over! Like 3/4 was remaining. Lord knows I cannot have this cake in my house when I'm going to be home.. I will eat it. I will gain weight. I will be upset with myself for overindulging.   Maybe I cut the slices small, I don't know. It was a lot!

There was one other problem. When I poured the frosting onto the cake after pulling it out of the oven, the frosting dumped over the edges of the jelly roll pan and all over my gas range top.

If you venture to make this recipe, I recommend to make it for a group get together as it makes soooo much!

Oh, about the chocolate frosting dripping into the gas range drip pan... I thought I had cleaned it all up until I started to cook my quesadilla for dinner... Something was smelling funny and sweet and burny all at the same time. It certainly didn't smell like a quesadeilla. I checked and the last of the frosting that I hadn't gotten cleaned off the range was being burnt! Those things happen to the best of us and just make life interesting!

I'm joining up with Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green. Why don't you join me in checking out new recipes? Can I tell you the pancakes she has posted look divine???

Tasty Tuesday: Seasoned Oyster crackers

In our house, there is a clear favorite as a snack: Seasoned oyster crackers. I can make these and in a day they are gone. Thank goodness they are simple, cheap and quick to make. Those are some staples for most things in our house. What I love is that they are great for my little guy who has allergies. He can eat these with no problem!

Here ya go:

Seasoned Oyster Crackers

3/4 c. oilive oil (I actually cut this to about 1/2 c.
1 packets Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1 pkg oyster crackers (one of the greatest things to top soup in my book)
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Place everything in a brown grocery bag (or bowl if you so choose). Shake well to ensure everything gets nice and coated. If going with a bowl, stir well until coated. Pour into a storage container. Enjoy!

Literally a 5 minute recipe (including measuring and gather goods). So wonderful and enjoyed by all!

These make great gifts too. Just put in a decorative tin or jar with a label and the recipient will thank you forever....

Tasty Tuesday: Spicy Shredded Pork

How appropriate that on Valentine's Day I'm cooking from the cookbook I love?  Yet again, I'm cooking from The Pioneer Woman Cookbook. I know, I know... I promise I'll move on next week. Promise. I'm sure I'll be back again to her cookbook, but I will take a break for a week. I think I'm gaining about a pound a week eating PW style.

Back to the spicy shredded pork recipe. This is simple and easy. I cooked it in a crock pot instead of a dutch oven as she recommends. It's just easier that way during the week. It turned out beautifully.

The flavor was subtle yet good. I really liked it because it's versatile. This recipe doesn't need to stay with pulled pork sandwiches as with barbecued pulled pork. You could easily switch it up into enchiladas, soups, whatever you would like. I like this option that I can make it and not have to be locked into sandwiches for the next day... or three.

It's simple, light, delicious. I say try it! Perfect blend of spices. It's now the pork I go to instead of bbq simply because I can freeze leftovers to use in another recipe. I love being able to make life easier later... Don't you?

Image from here


I'm linking up to 33 Shades of Green- Tasty Tuesday! Join me!

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken Spaghetti

Have I told you how much I love The Pioneer Woman and her blog and her cookbook? Yeah, kinda wanna be her bestie. I mean, living on a ranch and cooking and cowboys and horses... horses? Yes!!! I could even have chickens if I wanted out there. Which, for the record, I do want chickens and have for about 7-8 years.

Yet, I digress... Back to the recipe review. This past week, I decided to try the Chicken Spaghetti recipe from Mrs. Ree Drummond.

Image from here

She calls for a fryer chicken cut up and boiled so you can use the broth for cooking the spaghetti and add left over broth to the casserole. I had made a chicken in the crock pot earlier and simply used the left over cut up chicken. I had more than enough and we had been eating on the chicken for 2 days in soup and as a meal. I simply used the left over meat and some broth I had to make this recipe.

This recipe was easy to make and very very tasty. My husband bit into it and said, "Wow, honey. This is good." A few minutes later, I heard that it was really good. Then I tasted it and practically fell over in love with the flavors in this recipe. It is amazing! So delicious.

If you make a full recipe, please beware that it makes a lot! I made the recipe as it was called (with the exception of the chicken/broth). I used the correct amount of ingredients. It says it serves 6-8. I would say that's with generous portion sizes. Use a very large bowl for mixing. I barely had enough room in my big mixing bowl. It was overflowing. Because it made so much, I split it into two 8x8 pans. I baked one and froze the other. Isn't it great when you find recipes like this that make it easy to do that (and the pans in the back of the cabinet to freeze with)?

Some things I liked about this:
- I could easily use left over chicken or a rotisserie on those busy nights to make this.
- It's versatile. I could easily use up left over veggies in this recipe. Whatever is in the fridge would be good in it.
- It's superbly tasty.
- It's freezable.

Should you try it? ABSOLUTELY! This week even. Fabulous and amazing. Click the link above and here for the recipe.

I borrowed the picture from PW's website. I didn't think about taking a pic until it was almost gone. Those things happen!

I'm joining up with 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday. Pop on over and see if there are any other recipes you want to try.

Tasty Tuesday: Strawberry Dream Smoothie

During my tonsillectomy, I really didn't eat much new- nor did I cook- aside from jello and Lipton soup. As I progressed, I tried new and different foods. One of which was a smoothie recipe I had wanted to make that I found in my Nestle cookbook.

First, this was very simple to make. It had nutrients I clearly needed. It took just a minute to throw together... okay, maybe 5 minutes.

I had 1 big problem with this recipe (other than it was too thick for me to enjoy the whole thing) - I couldn't find Nestly Carnation Instant Breakfast in Strawberry flavor. So, I used what I had which was vanilla.

This was really tasty and smooth. It was refreshing and filled with nutrients which was fantastic! I actually plan on making this in the mornings on my way to school. Maybe not every morning, as I love my scrambled egg sandwiches for the commute, but certainly at least 1-2 times a week.

Here's the recipe:
8 oz strawberry fat free yogurt (I used Greek yogurt for extra protein)
1 packet Stawberry flavored Carnation Instant Breakfast
1/2 c. frozen strawberries (optional- but totally recommended)
1/2 c. fat free milk ( I drink 1%, so that's what I used)
1/2 c ice cubes

toss it all in the blender, cover and blend until smooth.

Wa la!! Simple, quick and easy, yet totally scrumptious!

Tasty Tuesday: French Onion Soup by Tyler Florence

As many of you know, I recently had a tonsillectomy. That made it interesting for finding foods I could eat. While I thought I would get to indulge in ice cream and yogurts and smoothies, I learned that those items are not recommended for the first few days. When I did try to eat such things, I didn't like how they felt going down. Anything too thick was just uncomfortable.

I had hadd enough noodles and wanted something else. I decided I would try to make my own French Onion Soup. Online I went! I found a great recipe by Tyler Florence and figured it would be good as all the other recipes of his that I've tried have been fantastic!

I was feeling well enough to make something one afternoon, so I decided to make the soup. Hubby went and bought what I was missing the night before. Cooking I went. Thankfully, I have a small table in the kitchen as I needed it to sit on while carmelizing the onions.

Now, I have to tell you I didn't finish the recipe with croutons and cheese as I couldn't have them. I must also admit that I was the only one who ate this soup- I couldn't help myself.

This recipe was easy to make and VERY tasty. The only complaint I have was it was a little salty, but I wouldn't have minded if I were well. It would have been perfect.

I did have to make modifications because of my situation. Here's what I changed:
- finely chopped the onions using a food chopper
- ran out of broth so I used beef bouillion cubes that I dissolved in water.
- I didn't have fresh garlic (how that happened, I don't know as it's a staple), so I used a little garlic salt.


To say I loved this recipe is a complete understatement. It was soooo tasty and delicious. I would definitely recommend it. Easy to make, lots of flavor, comforting, delightful!

The recipe can be found by clicking the link above. I didn't take a pic because I wasn't feeling great!  Sorry!

Tasty Tuesday: Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

I've been vising the Pioneer Woman for the past few weeks for some hearty recipes. I tell you, what a blog to follow! If you don't, you really should. I love her blog (not to mention the recipes!).

While perusing it one day, I found a recipe for Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika. I'm sooo glad I did! It was absolutely scrumptious!

Here's the scoop:
1. Easy to make.
2. Lots of simmer time on the stove top means time to do something else you've been meaning to get done or simply enjoy your family, a book, whatever.
3. Simple yet rustic texture and flavoring.
4. tender tender meat
5. Great Sunday meal.
6. Easy to adapt to what you wan which means this is a great base recipe.

Okay, I really liked this recipe and enjoyed it with the Dutch Oven Bread. What a great combination! My husband liked it as well, but since he wasn't feeling great, he couldn't give an accurate perspective. Little man wasn't eating anything so he was out. That just leaves me.... I say 2 thumbs up... way up! It was delightful on a cold Sunday night.

Ways to change it - if you choose: Add a bay leaf maybe some thyme, add mushrooms, use pearl onions (YUM!) in place of the diced onions, add green beans ( I love them). I'm sure there are more but it's late and I'm tired!

Here's the link to the recipe. Definitely in our meal rotation!

Tasty Tuesday: Dutch Oven Bread

I've wanted to make homemade bread for a while. A long time ago (okay like 6  years ago) my mom gave me her bread machine that she couldn't make work correctly. I didn't bother to try as I was in school ful time and working full-time. I had time to make bread (yeah right). I ended up selling the bread machine in a garage sale. With E having allergies to dairy and corn, I've been wanting to make my own bread to ensure it is safe for him as breads usually have dairy in them somewhere.

A friend of mine started her blog and posted that she used this recipe for making homemade bread for her family. I decided to try it. I'm so glad I did!!! 

1. It's easy.
2. It doesn't take a lot of work- just some wait time. Most of it while you're sleeping or working.
3. It bakes in only 35 minutes.
4. It's absolutely FANTASTIC!  My family of 3 gave it 6 thumbs up.

Here's the link to the recipe. I highly recommend it. So nice, simple, easy and scrumptious! Perfect with soup on a cold day.

By the way, Lyzz's blog is a must read. She is an excellent writer. Please visit It's Worth It All to enjoy a little of her life and learn about life with a child with Autism.