Corn Casserole

Erin,

There is a little BBQ place in our neighborhood that serves pretty decent BBQ and beyond fantastic corn pudding. I was craving corn pudding a few days ago and decided to try and recreate it at home. This recipe was from Paula Deen and it was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Shrimp Zuchini Pesto Pasta

E,

That title is kind of a mouthful, Shrimp Zuchini Pesto Pasta. This recipe is fantastic and incredibly easy to throw together on a weeknight. That makes it a winner in my book. (This recipe was borrowed from Kath Eats Real Food and serves 2)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
4 ounces angel hair, cooking according to package
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup prepared or homemade pesto sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
1. Prepare pasta according to package.
2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to medium high skillet and cook shrimp until brown. Don’t stir too much or you won’t get a crust! Remove from pan.
3. Cook pepper and zucchini in remaining olive oil until tender
4. Toss all together in a bowl with pesto.

Chili's Skillet Queso

Just because you don't live next to a Chili's doesn't mean you can't enjoy some of their amazing skillet queso! I made this queso on a lazy Sunday afternoon, served with a couple beers and the baseball game on TV and it was ah-mazing! And super easy too!

Ingredients:

16-ounce box Velveeta Cheese

1 c. milk

2 teaspoons paprika

½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

15-ounce can Hormel Chili (No Beans)

4 tsp. chili powder

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ tsp. ground cumin

Directions:
1. Cut the Velveeta into cubes.
2. Combine the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Stir frequently until cheese melts.
4. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

"Smashed" Potatoes

Have you seen the recipe for smashed potatoes make the rounds on Pinterest lately? It's basically a red potato that has been cooked and then literally *smashed* and roasted, making it all crispy and salty and delicious. I decided to make them for dinner, alongside oven-friend chicken and a salad, and they were delicious! I will definitely be making these again and again!

 Ingredients:
12-15 red potatoes
Salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 tsp. kosher salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. 
2. While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your countertop. As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.

3. Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Repeat with all the potatoes. Don’t worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.

4. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil. Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature.

5.  Heat the oven to 450°F. Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp. salt and pour the olive oil over them. Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes, turning over once gently with a spatula or tongs halfway through cooking.

Beef Enchiladas

Erin,

I love enchiladas. I love cheese enchiladas, I love chicken enchiladas, I love sour cream enchiladas. And it turns out, I love beef enchiladas too!  I've made enchiladas dozens of times, but this was my first time trying beef enchiladas and they were amazing. I have had this recipe clipped for a while but I never got around to making it. And now I am super bummed I waited so long. This recipe is fantastic!

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
 ½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cans (10 ounces each) mild enchilada sauce
8 small corn tortillas (6-7 inches diameter)
¾ cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream (optional)







Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef up into ½-inch crumbles. Pour off drippings. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ½-cup enchilada sauce from one can. Set aside remaining sauce from that can.
3. If using fully cooked shredded beef, stir in ½ cup enchilada sauce and follow recipe below.
4. Pour second can of sauce into a shallow dish. Dip tortillas, one at a time, into sauce to coat both sides. Spoon one-eighth of beef mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Place seam-side down in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
5. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake in 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
6. Remove foil. Spoon reserved enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with the cheese. Continue baking uncovered for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Pasta a La Betsy!

Erin,

If you can't tell by now that I am completely obsessed with the Pioneer Woman, this will surely do it. Pasta a La Betsy is an amazing shrimp in tomato-cream sauce recipe. I always have a bag of frozen shrimp in the fridge and so I make shrimp a lot, especially shrimp in pasta. I had planned to make shrimp scampi last night but last minute I was craving tomato-cream sauce. Alas, I found this recipe! And it's so good. There is nothing not to love about this recipe.

Ingredients:
3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil - To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Directions:

1. Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
2. Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
3. Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
4. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. 5 Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
5. Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
6. Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil
7. Add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

 

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Erin,

Getting good BBQ in DC is not an easy task. Especially when you are craving good ole' Texas BBQ. I had a hankering for some BBQ a few weeks ago and decided to pull out my crock pot and make some pulled pork sandwiches.  I served the sandwiches with homemade colesaw and it was divine!

Ingredients:

1 (12oz) can of root beer
1 (2 lb) pork tenderloin (pork shoulder or pork butt can also be used)
1 (18oz) bottle of BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's!)
Hamburger buns

Directions:
 1. Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker and pour the can of root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until pork shreds easily with a fork.
2. After pork has cooked, drain and discard the root beer. Shred the pork and place it back in the slow cooker. Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and stir to combine. Serve immediately or keep warm in slow cooker until ready to serve. Serve on hamburger buns.

Parmesan Crusted Salmon

Erin,

I'm not the biggest salmon fan, but I try to make it every few weeks because A). It's healthy and B). It's a good change from the chicken dishes I make alllll the time. I found this recipe on Pinterest (Fountain Avenue Kitchen) and it sounded and looked delicious. I always try to make new salmon recipes and I think I hit it out of the park with this recipe :)

Ingredients:
4 6-ounce salmon fillets (may substitute cod or other flaky white fish)
2 1/2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, Parmesan, chives, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
3. Spread mixture evenly over top of the salmon fillets.
4. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked through. I bake on the top rack which helps to brown the Parmesan mixture a bit.
5. Enjoy!

Steak with Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce

Erin,

I found this gem of a recipe via The Pioneer Woman. I loooove making steak, especially when I found that no-grill steak recipe a few months back. This is a great recipe if you love steak but if you are looking for something a little different. Just a tip though, if you don't absolutely love blue cheese, you will not like this recipe ;)

Ingredients:
2 Steaks
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Very Large Yellow Onion, Sliced
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

Directions:
1. Prepare and grill steak 

2. While the steak is cooking, saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter over high heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in cream. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Serve steaks on generous portion of sauce.
3. Enjoy!

Twiced Baked Potatoes

E,

There are few things in life better than twiced baked potatoes. I could eat them all day, everyday, but they take soooo long to make. So now I only make them on "special occasions". (Picture courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything!)

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
3 Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for a few minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh so the potato maintains it's shape; save skins.
5. To the potato flesh add sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 the green onions, and milk 
6. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
7. Bake for another 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Erin,

As you know, mom and dad came to visit DC a few weeks back and our schedule was jam packed the ENTIRE time they were here. I wanted to make a quick breakfast that would be easy to eat on the go and muffins instantly came to mind. I wanted to do something different than the old, average, blueberry muffins and decided on chocolate chip! It reminded those huge chocolate chip muffins we used to get at Bagel Express! They were amazing and a perfect snack on the go!

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil or butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and stir just until well blended.
3. Fill paper-lined muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until domed and springy to the touch.
(Makes 1 dozen muffins.)

Creamy Pesto Dressing

Erin,

I found this wonderful salad dressing via Pinterest. You know I am not the biggest salad fan, unless it's covered in ranch dressing, but this sounded delicious! I made the dressing and drizzled it over spinach, croutons, and grilled chicken. Perfect light summer dinner! (Recipe borrowed from The Sweet Savory Life!)

Ingredients:

⅓ cup low-fat buttermilk
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons pesto
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

1. Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Refrigerate until needed!