Pasta and Sausage alla Lasagna

A while back I was cleaning out some closets when I came across a binder filled with cutouts of recipes from magazines I had tried or planned to try. While flipping through it, I found this recipe for "Pasta alla Lasagna". I had made this dish before but had completely forgotten about it. I was so excited to find it again because it's so good and easy (a Chef Mommy theme you might have noticed :)...perfect weeknight food the entire family will love!


Think of this hearty dish as lasagna without the assembly; it contains the same ingredients but is a lot easier to put together.


I love the ricotta mixture on the side! Perfect, built-in portion control!!


Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 days. Just be sure to store the ricotta mixture and sauced pasta separately.

Ingredients:
2 cups chunky pasta (I used rotini)
1 (2 1/2 ounce) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup reduced-sodium marinara
1/2 part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 Italian parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Pepper

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain and place in a serving bowl. Keep warm.

Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Drain off any fat and add sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan and pepper in a small bowl.

To assemble, toss the pasta with the sausage and sauce. Top each serving with a dollop of the ricotta mixture.

Makes 4 servings
Per Serving (1 cup pasta w/ sauce + 1 dollop of ricotta mixture)
258 Cal
8g Fat
323 mg. Sodium
3 g Fiber
13 g. Protein

Source: Weight Watchers Magazine

Ground Beef Tacos and Homemade Shells

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo last week by having "assemble your own" tacos for dinner. As popular as tacos are for a family dinner (easy to make,quick and an inexpensive meal) a lot of us don't get very excited by the idea and I think it all has to do with what type of taco shell typically used.

I am not a fan of store-bought taco shells at all. Too me they taste like stale tortilla chips--yuck! The homemade version are 100x better with a nice crispness and fresh taste. They are also surprisingly easy to make. All you will need is small (6 inch) corn tortillas, a pan and some canola oil.

Here...I'll show you how:

In a pan, pour about a 1/2 inch of oil and heat until very hot. Then place a tortilla in the oil and cook on both sides, for 30 sec- 1 minute per side. You will see the tortilla bubble and that's when you turn it over.


Then fold it in half again and cook it on both sides until lightly browned. When you are ready to remove the tortilla shell, lift out with tongs and let the excess oil drip onto the pan.


Then place tortilla shells on a stack of paper towels to blot excess oil.


See, wasn't that easy? And trust me, once you have these you won't be going back to those Ortega shells.


The recipe for the taco meat is how I typically make it. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1-2 tbsp taco seasoning, depending on how much spiciness you like (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

Heat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt. Start breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. When the meat is about half way cooked add the onions and continue cooking. When the meat is fully browned and no longer pink, drain any excess fat. Return skillet to the heat and add the taco seasoning and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
To serve, spoon taco meat into a tortilla shell and add your favorite toppings. We like cheddar and/or Colby-jack cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream

Source: Chef Mommy

Steak Salad

When I got out to a nice restaurant, I often crave and order a steak (either a filet mignon or a ribeye). And when I don't order a steak, I usually order a steak salad. I really do love the deliciousness of a juicy, tender steak on top of a big bed of lettuce and veggies. Although, I only cook steak maybe 1 or 2 times (tops!) in a month...steak salads make an appearance pretty often.

This salad is pretty classic. You can certainly jazz it up by adding more veggies such as sliced mushrooms or peppers. The only extra I added was some crumbled blue cheese. Now, I know a lot of people are not blue cheese fans, so feel free to substitute it for feta cheese or skip it all together. One thing not to skip....this dressing! The addition of Worcestershire sauce brings out the natural yumminess of the steak and it's perfect for this salad.



Here are my 4 "must do" tips for grilling a great steak:

* Start with a great cut of meat. For this salad, I used a boneless ribeye.

* Remove your steaks from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook them - sometimes as long as 60 minutes (depending on size).

* Make sure your grill or grill pan in very hot before placing steaks on to cook. When it is very hot, it will sear the outside of the meat and lock in the juices.

* Once you are done cooking your steak, take it off the heat source and let it "rest" for at least five minutes. This will allow the juices to spread out.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Ribeye steaks
course salt
pepper
seasoning blend (such as Lowery's)

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
8 cups romaine lettuce or mixed greens- rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup sliced red onion


Directions:

Preheat grill or grill pan for high heat and lightly oil grates or pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in the cheese. Cover and place dressing in refrigerator.

Season the steak with salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Place steak on grill or grill pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness is reached. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak.

Onto chilled plates arrange the lettuce, tomato, and onion. Top with steak, drizzle with dressing and sprinkle blue cheese (if using). Serve with crusty grilled French bread. Enjoy!

Source: adapted from All Recipes

Classic Chili (Slow Cooker)

I am so excited to share this recipe with you all, for several reasons. Here are 10:

1. It's perfect cold weather food.

2. It is made in a slow-cooker.

3. It's from Weight Watchers.

4. It's only 2 WW Points per serving on the old points system. Not sure how many on Points Plus but I bet it is still low. Visit the source of recipe for nutritional info. Click HERE.

5. It uses many pantry staple ingredients.

6. It makes great leftovers.

7. It's budget friendly.

8. Classic recipe and flavor the should appeal to all members of the family.

9. It's low in fat, high in fiber and gluten free!!

10. It tastes really, really great! Really!!

I love the color of the ground beef and peppers... just cooking away :)



I served this dish up with mini low-fat corn muffins. Total comfort food.



Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup canned diced chilies or 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup-1 cup water (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the ground beef and garlic in a nonstick skillet breaking apart the meat with a spoon until well browned; drain off any fat very well, then return to skillet.
2. Add in the bell peppers; cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
3. Add in the chili powder and cumin and stir to coat.
4. In the slow cooker, mix together tomatoes, beans, sweet onion, chilies and tomato paste, then stir in the beef mixture.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH until flavors are blended (about 4-5 hours). If your chili looks too think at the end, feel free to add some water to thick it out a bit.
6. Serve with dollop of light sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro.

Source: adapted from Food.com

Surf n' Turf Sandwich

This sandwich was inspired by another favorite local restaurant. On the menu of the Union Street Pub in Old Town Alexandria, VA there is a "surf n' turf" sandwich that I am so crazy about. In fact, I probably order it about 90% of the time that we eat there.

Their sandwich featured thin slices of filet mignon, grilled shrimp, and crispy bacon on layers of toasty sandwich bread....it's so GOOD!! Since, I don't know the real recipe, I came up with my own version. It doesn't taste exactly like the one at Union Street Pub but it is pretty darn close and very tasty if I do say so myself.

So it all starts with spreading some homemade thousand island dressing on the toasted bread.



Then we start the layering. I used thin sliced roast beef from my grocery store deli instead of filet mignon here. This saved me some time and $$. The roast beef combined with the shrimp, bacon and dressing is just heavenly!


I think a little avocado would be very good here too. Unfortunately, my grocery store didn't have any that were ripe...oh well, next time!


OK, and now for some behind-the-scenes action...this is what happens while I try to photograph a dish, someone eats my props!

My little potato chip thief :)



Ingredients:

Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman's reduced fat)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (you will need the rest of the lemon later in the recipe)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to assemble sandwich. The dressing is best made a few hours in advance or overnight.


Sandwich
Makes 4 Sandwiches

12 slices of country style or sourdough sandwich bread
12 thin slices of roast beef
12 slices of bacon
1 lb jumbo shrimp, deviened
Romaine lettuce, rinsed and torn
1 tsp. butter softened
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Set a grill pan over high heat. Once the pan has heated up well, cook the bacon until crisp, turning as needed. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Pour out the bacon drippings and wipe the grill pan with a paper towel, leaving only a small amount of bacon grease.

In a bowl combine the oil, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper, wisk to combine. Add the shrimp and let marinate while the bread toasts.

Spread a very thin layer of butter on both sides of the bread. Add the bread to the grill pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook the bread until nice grill marks form. Remove from grill and continue with the rest of the bread.

Add the shrimp to the grill and cook until pink and opaque throughout. Remove from the pan and let cool slightly. Slice shrimp lengthwize.

Assemble the sandwich. Start by speading the dressing on one side of the bread, top with lettuce then 3 slices of roast beef. Spread dressing on both sides of the next slice of bread. Top with letuuce, shrimp, bacon and more lettuce. Spread dressing on one side of the last slice of bread and place on top top sandwich. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.

Source: Inspiered by Union Street Pub, Alexandria, VA. Recipe Chef Mommy Original.

Review of Hearst Ranch Beef and Kiwi Steak Marinade

I love a good steak...med-rare, flavorful and juicy. So couldn't wait to try the two complimentary grass-fed flank steaks sent to me by Hearst Ranch.

You might not have heard of Hearst Ranch before (I hadn't) but this place seems amazing. It was founded in 1865 (by William Randolf Hearst) in San Simeon, California and is today an 80,000-acre ranch raising free-range cattle that live a natural roaming existence, feeding only on native grasses.


This all-natural, grass-fed beef is exceptionally lean and juicy with a robust flavor resulting from the unique concentration of nutrients in the cows' grass diet. The taste was distinctly different from what I was used to but I thought it tasted delicious and liked complex "beefy" flavor.

Now on to the marinade...

I typically cook ribeye steaks and filet mignon at home. For those cuts, I do not do any sort of marinade. Just a bit of fresh crack black pepper, salt and we are good to go. However, flank steak is a tougher cut of meat and for that reason it really needs to sit in a good marinade for a few hours.


My friend Dave had shared this recipe a while back but I'll admit that when I saw the secret ingredient was kiwi I was a bit unsure. Dave explained that the kiwi has a powerful enzyme called actinidin that breaks down protein and essentially tenderizes the meat. Sure enough, it produced a delicious and tender steak.

This was such a flavorful meal. I topped off the steaks with a classic chimichurri sauce, pico de gallo and fresh avocado. I kept the side dish simple....rice and black beans.



Ingredients:
1-2lb flank steak

Marinade:
juice of 1 lime
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C minced cilantro
1-2 Serrano chillies minced (to taste), I only used 1/2 of one
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin seed
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (less if using table salt)
black pepper to taste
1 Tbs pureed kiwi

Directions:

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a container with a lid that will fit the meat. Taste the marinade and add more salt or sugar if needed. It should be relatively salty, but not so salty that it burns your tongue. The sugar is a personal preference thing. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. Add the flank steak to the marinade and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.

When you’re ready to grill the meat, remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. This helps ensure the meat will cook evenly. If you’re using a broiler, move the rack to the top position and turn the broiler on high, with a grilling rack on top of a baking sheet. Scrape any excess marinade off the meat and place the meat on the grill. Cook until nicely browned on one side, flip and brown the other side. *Please note that grass-fed steak will cook much faster than regular flank steak, so be careful not to overcook it.*

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife slice against the grain and serve.

Source: Courtesy of David Mankin

Classic Lasagna Rolls

If you've visited my blog before you might have noticed that I have a thing for lasagna rolls. While I love lasagna in it's traditional form, I think rolls are just more versatile for weeknight meals.

These rolls have a traditional meat sauce and ricotta/mozzarella cheese filling. I basically took my classic lasagna recipe and adjusted it a bit with terrific results!

When assembling the rolls, I like to leave about a one inch space on each end to make rolling them up a little easier.

For me the best thing about this recipe...besides the fact that they are delicious and everyone loves them...is that you can easily bake half now and freeze the other half for later. Which is exactly what I did. Six rolls were perfect for my family...2 per adult and one per child.

Lasagna rolls with a simple salad and garlic bread (recipe coming soon)= perfect family dinner.


Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
12 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 eggs
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package. Once cooked, lay them out in a single layer on wax paper.

In a skillet over medium heat season ground beef with the salt and pepper. Brown the meat and drain. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions soften, about 5-8 min. Then add the Spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, oregano and basil. Lower the heat to med-low and cook for 15 minutes.

Combine half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan and ricotta cheeses in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, parsley, salt and pepper, then mix until all ingredients are combined.

Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan with 1 cup of the meat sauce or just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay out a lasagna noodle and spoon about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture down the noodle. Top with 1/4 cup of meat sauce. Roll the lasagna noodle and place it seem side down in the pan. Continue with the rest of the rolls. Finish by topping with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*Make Ahead Directions: Prepare recipe as directed above but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap first and then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 months. Before cooking remove plastic wrap. You will need to allow additional baking time for refrigerated and frozen lasagna.

Source: Chef Mommy

Spicy Beef and New Orleans Red Rice Skillet Dinner

This recipe comes from the Deen Brother's cookbook, The Deen Bros.-take it easy. This dish was pretty good but didn't love it. However, BOTH my kids ate this up and I thought it tasted much better as leftovers the next day.

The cookbook, is a collection of "quick and affordable meals the whole family will love", but I was disappointed that for a family cookbook there were a lot of recipes high in fat, salt, and with too much spice. Also, some of the recipes were a bit unimaginative. For example, they have a quesadilla recipe that calls for you to put shredded cheese in a flour tortilla and the cook it in a skillet...hmmm, I don't know. I just expected a little bit more. I don't have any of their other cookbooks but I'm guessing those are better.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2 1/4 tsp salt (I only used 1 3/4 tsp)
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 14oz can tomato puree
1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 tsp sugar
2 teaspoons Tabasco, or other hot sauce (I only used 1)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Crumble the beef into the skillet and season with 1/2 tsp of salt. Brown the beef, breaking it up with a fork for 5-7 minutes, until it is no longer pink. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.

Reduce the heat from high to medium and reduce all of the drippings but 2 tablespoons. Saute the celery, onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the browned beef, chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups of water, tomato puree, rice, sugar, the remaining salt and Tabasco. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to med-low and cook covered for 40 minutes or until the rice is tender.

BBQ Meatballs

This is the Pioneer Woman's recipe for BBQ meatballs. She describes this dish as "comfort food to the max" and she is not kidding! Holy cow!! This is tasty, filling and yes, total comfort food. Serve this up with mashed potatoes,fresh green beans and a roll...Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

For those not familiar with PW, she is a very popular food blogger named Ree Drummond. Her blog is an award-winning website,which showcases her photography,recipes,and documents her hilarious transition from city life in California to ranch wife living in Oklahoma. Ree just published her first cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks:Recipes from an accidental country girl.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
plenty of ground black pepper

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 to 6 tablespoons onion
Dash of Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty french bread.

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Talk about easy weeknight meal. It really does not get much simpler than sloppy joe's!

I put these on mini potato rolls, which makes them the perfect size for small children. Adults can have two per serving. Add baked fries or chips plus a pickle and dinner is done!

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Potato dinner rolls

Directions
In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and barbecue sauce; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon sloppy joe mixture on to rolls.

Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce

I ran a local 5K today. I knew was going to need some extra fuel for the run, so I decided to make pasta (yay! for carbs!!) for dinner last night. I found this bolognese sauce by Giada and added that to thin spaghetti. It was simple and tasty. My husband and daughter especially liked it.

I did add a little bit of sugar to the sauce though b/c it was tasting a little too acidic to me after pouring in the crushed tomatoes. I also added a little dry oregano, just because I like a little dry oregano in my pasta sauce :) Overall,it is a good basic recipe. I'm sure I'll be making this again soon, if for nothing other than to see my daughter to this:


My daughter loved it so much, she literally licked her bowl clean!


Here are some pictures from the race. Please scroll down to the bottom for the recipe.

Pre-race self-portrait. It was a great morning for a run.

Beautiful Old Town Alexandria and the Potomac River.

Post-race...Yay! I did it!!

My kids were at the finish line to cheer me on.

Afterwards, it was time for juice boxes and 'nanas!

My son loved the moonbounce and watching the ducks.


Ingredients
1 box of thin spaghetti
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground chuck beef
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar (not in original recipe)
1/2 tsp. oregano (not in original recipe)
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chiffonade
8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Directions
In a 6 quart pot, add extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1/2 hour.
In the meantime, cook pasta according to box directions.
Drain the pasta when finished cooking. Add the bolognese sauce on top, sprinkle with a little additional basil and Pecorino Romano.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

I've been wanting to try flank steak with chimichurri sauce for a while now. However, I don't cook steak that often and very, very rarely during the week b/c it's usually just me and the kids. However,today is Sunday and my husband was home, so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did...this was de-lish!!!!!

Chimichurri is a traditional Argentinian sauce that is served with steaks but also works well with chicken and fish. I looked up probably 25 different recipes for this dish (no joke) and came up with this version for myself. You could easily trade out the cilantro for fresh oregano or the red wine vinegar for lemon juice and I bet this sauce would turn out just as terrific.

Now, I originally thought that this would be a recipe I would label as "grown-up food". However, my son LOVED this dish and ate his plate clean!

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he helped me make the sauce. I don't know...but I might just have him help me with every dish that contains a green vegetable or herb if I could get results like this again.

Everything in the blender (ignore the cluttered counter).
This pepper grinder is perfect for small hands and working on fine motor skills.


Ingredients

Flank Steak:
1 1/2 lb flank steak
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Mix all the spices together then sprinkle a bit over both sides of the steak. Once you season, place on a plate and cover with saran wrap then place in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Chimichurri Sauce:
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 cup lightly packed cilantro
1 cup packed Italian flat leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Place the cilantro, parsley, sea salt, black pepper, cumin, red wine vinegar and crushed red pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse ingredients a few times then while it is processing, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture emulsifies. Sauce should be nice and smooth. Keep the sauce at room temperature until ready to serve.

Grill, pan fry or broil the steak to your desired degree of doneness. I like mine med-rare. Make sure to let the meat "rest" for at least 5 minutes prior to slicing. Slice steak against the grain into thin slices. Drizzle the chimichurri sauce on top and serve.

Mini Taco Cups

Don't these look like a fun little meal? I found this recipe in this month's Woman's Day magazine and decided to try it tonight for the kids since I had all the ingredients on hand.They came out great and I really liked them for several reasons.

First, the fact that each person/child can add their own toppings is a big plus. My son hates tomatoes so he just added some lettuce and lots of cheese to his. However, even if he decided to just add the cheese, I knew he was still getting his veggies. Carrots were cooked with the meat mix.

The size is perfect for little hands but great for adults too. Speaking of which, when I first saw these I thought "kids meal", but after I made them I thought they would make really great appetizers for adults.

Football season is right around the corner and I think these would be great for a game party. You could easily trade out the carrots for onions to give them a more grown up flavor. Also, sour cream,salsa or even black beans would work as great toppings for these.

If you don't want to waste time making the taco shells, just use a package of tortilla scoop chips and voila! You've got an easy and tasty appetizer or snack.


Ingredients
Serves 4

4 10-in. (burrito-size) flour tortillas
1 lb ground turkey (I used beef)
1 carrot, shredded
1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix (I used McCormick's mild)
1 cup chopped lettuce
½ cup shredded Cheddar
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Cut three 4 1⁄4-in. circles out of each tortilla. Lightly coat tortilla circles with nonstick spray. Place each circle into a muffin pan to shape into a cup. Bake 8 to 9 minutes until crisp. Cool.

2. Meanwhile, cook turkey and carrot with taco seasoning according to package directions. Divide turkey mixture, lettuce, Cheddar and tomato among taco cups.

Meatloaf Cupcakes

I got the idea for these meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting and pea sprinkles from Bakerella on Tasty Kitchen. I thought what a clever, clever idea! After all, I had just eaten a bacon cupcake, so why not meatloaf???

I knew my son would get such a big kick out of these too and it would be relatively easy to make. I already normally cook meatloaf in muffin pans as opposed to one big loaf pan b/c it cuts the cooking time by half. A normal meatloaf takes about an hour to cook, but cooked in a muffin pan they cook in about 25-30 min.

I didn't use Bakerella's recipe, though I'm sure it would be fabulous. Your favorite recipe for meatloaf and mashed potatoes should work well here. Also, to keep things easy and quick I used a package of Birds Eye Steamfresh Singles.

My son enjoying dinner.


Wait....what's wrong with that picture? .....he's not eating meatloaf!

Truth be told, while my son appreciated the creative attempts with dinner,after two bites, he told me he was not eating anymore. The reason...he tasted the peppers and onions and he hates peppers and onions...sigh...

So, while I don't play short-order cook at home, I also don't force him to eat something he knows he doesn't like. He ate the peas and potatoes but we traded out the meatloaf for some leftover ham.

The funny thing is that my daughter hated the mashed potatoes and peas but LOVED the meatloaf...kids...go figure.

I was cooking for just me and the kids, so please double the recipe to make it a normal 6 servings.

Ingredients
Makes 3 servings

Meatloaf
1/2 pound ground beef (or meatloaf mix)
1 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/4 cup peppers, finely chopped (I used red and orange)
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin pan with foil cupcake liners.
Place the ground beef and the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix by hand and season with salt and pepper. Measure out 1/2 cup amounts of the meatloaf mix and shape into a ball. Then place the meatloaf balls into the baking liners. Bake in the oven for 25-30 min. or until thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes before topping with potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes
1 large russet potato
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/4 milk
salt and pepper to taste

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Peel the potato and cut into same size cubes. Add potato to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 12 min. Then drain potato and return to pan. Add the butter and milk. Mash with a potato masher until creamy, add more milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Let mashed cool a bit then fill into a pastry bag or Ziploc. Snip a bit off the end to pipe.

Peas
Cook frozen peas according to package directions. Season with a small amount of butter and salt if desired.

To assemble the "cupcake", just pipe the potatoes on top of the meatloaf and press a few peas into the potatoes.

Steak Fajitas

Even though we went out for Mexican last night, I was totally craving fajitas tonight. I usually make chicken or shrimp fajitas, but this time I decided to try them with a big juicy steak.

Now, I will admit that I'm a little clueless when it comes to marinating and properly cooking different pieces of meat and usually stick to my 2, no fail cuts...filet mignon or rib-eye.

My husband got this big, beautiful boneless rib-eye steak from the butcher at our supermarket and it was so, so good!! My 4 year old, who I wasn't sure would eat any of this meal (peppers are on his top 10 "veggies I hate" list)loved it...minus the fore mentioned peppers, of course.

Serve this up with rice, black beans and you've got a great Tex-mex meal. Who needs a chain restaurant when you can make these?

Mmmmmm...doesn't this look good?

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
8-10 oz boneless rib-eye steaks
Steak seasoning, such as McCormick's (with coarse salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and onion)

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of green, red, yellow or orange peppers, sliced into strips
1/2 onion, sliced into strips
Salt and pepper
cilantro (optional)

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Salsa, for topping
Guacamole, for topping
Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping

Directions:
Preheat a cast iron servers in a preheated 350 degree F oven for at least 20 minutes, to get a good sizzle when you plate the fajitas.

Heat a large indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Rub butter over grill. In the meantime, season steak. Once butter has been on the pan for 1-2 min add steak. Cook steak on pan till desired doneness, turning half-way. I like mine med-rare to medium.

While the steak is cooking, in a large skillet heat up the oil and fry the onions and bell peppers until crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave according to package directions.

When the steak is done, remove from pan and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Then slice into 1 inch strips. When you are ready to serve, remove the cast iron server from the oven and quickly arrange the meat and peppers and onions on it.Top with cilantro to garnish. Serve sizzling immediately with the warm tortillas and other accompaniments.

Lasagna Casserole

This casserole dish has all the ingredients of a traditional lasagna, except for the big lasagna noodles. I use campanelle noodles, which are wide and curly but require no layering...just mix them in with the rest of the ingredients.

One thing I really love about casserole dishes, is that they make excellent leftovers. So, I usually make a regular size batch even if it's just me and the kiddos b/c I know we can have the rest the next day.

Ingredients
Makes 6 servings

1 pound campanelle (curly-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley,chopped
1 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano


Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add pasta. Cook according to package direction to "al-dente".

In a bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella (1 cup), basil, parsley, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix to combine ingredients, then set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet add the olive oil, carrots, onions and garlic. Cook for a few minutes till onions turn soft and garlic becomes fragrant. Then, add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain the beef fat and return to the stove. Add tomatoes, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.

Then, add the cheese to the beef and mix to combine all ingredients. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Put in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until top is gold.

Here it is right out of the oven. Now this is what I call comfort food---YUM!