Main Entree: London Broil

What you'll need:
4 lb London Broil steak
3 tbs Soy Sauce
1 tbs Sherry cooking wine
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine sauces, oil, sherry, and garlic.
3. Coat both sides with mixture
4. Let stand for 30 minutes
5. Place steak on pan (one with slits, if available) and cook for about 30 minutes.

I paired this with steamed asparagus in lemon butter sauce and it was amazing! Enjoy

Dessert: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you'll need:
an 18.25 oz box of Duncan Hines Devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, stir together cake mix, butter and eggs until smooth and well blended. I used a mixer for a minute or two.
3. Mix in chocolate chips
4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes

6. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Main Dish: Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza

Erin: This is pretty cheap and very tasty. There was even enough for Sam to take to work the next day, Let me know how you like it.

P.S. I start work tomorrow. Wish me luck :)

What you'll need:

• 2 whole heads of garlic, roasted
• 1 pizza crust, homemade or store bought (I bought one from the local grocery store)
• 1/2 cup PHILADELPHIA brand Italian Herb & Cheese Cooking Creme (you can find this in any grocery store right next to the cream cheese)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from the store and it was a major time saver!)
• sliced white or red onions
• 1-2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 1 handful Italian parsley, finely-chopped

What to do:
Begin by roasting your head(s) of garlic.
Once it is ready and cooled to room temperature, carefully squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skin and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Lay your pizza crust on a floured work surface.  Spread the top with the PHILADELPHIA brand Cooking Creme, leaving a 1-inch border for crust.
Sprinkle evenly with shredded chicken, onions, roasted garlic cloves, and about half of the chopped parsley.  Top evenly with cheese.
Transfer to a pizza baking sheet and bake at 425F degrees for 12-16 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

NOTE:

(you can look up how to roast garlic online. BUT BEWARE!!! Make sure that you use a baking sheet with edges. I made this mistake and the olive oil spilled over, caught fire, and OH-EM-GEE, you cannot imagine the smoke that will cause. But it was a minor setback and everything was fine)

Main Dish: Flank Steak with Peppercorn Cream Sauce

What you will need:

Steak: 

1 lb flank steak

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

black pepper

Peppercorn Cream Sauce:

1/2 c beef broth

1 tsp cornstarch

3 tbsp peppercorns

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

4 oz PHILADELPHIA brand cream cheese 

Directions:

For the steak:

1. Place the steak in a large top bag and use a meat mallot to pound the steak to even thickness 

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and garlic until well mixed.

3. Pour the marinade into a zip lock bag with the steak and marinade in fridge for 20 minutes

4. Remove steak from fridge and let it sit until room temperature. Then season with salt and pepper

5. You can either grill it or cook it on the stove. I prefer grill. I preheat the grill to medium-high heat. 

6. Place steak on grill and cook about 6 minutes. Remove and tent with foil for 5-10 more minutes before serving. Cut against grain when ready to serve and top with peppercorn sauce immediately.

For the sauce:

1. Using a small saucepan, whisk cold beef broth and cornstarch..

2. Turn heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally 

3. Add in peppercorns, sage, and garlic powder and stir to combine.

4. Add cream cheese and stir slowly until it has fully melted and the sauce is smooth and well combined. Serve immediately! 

Dessert: Chardonnay Cake

What you'll need:

Cake:
2 sticks of butter at room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temp.
3.5 oz vanilla pudding
1/2 cup chardonnay (any chardonnay will work-I found the cheapest bottle at HEB and it worked great)
1 cup whole milk, warmed in microwave for about 20 seconds
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Glaze:
4 tbs butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 chardonnay

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or a 9' by 9' pan will work, but I used a bundt)
3. With a mixer in a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, eggs, pudding mix, chardonnay, milk and vanilla until well combined
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. It's okay if it has a few clumps,  don't overmix!
6. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 50 minutes
7. While the cake is baking, start the glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reduces.
8. When cake is finished, remove from oven and pierce it several times with a skewer or fork.
9. Immediately pour the hot glaze into the pan. If you are using a bundt pan, pour mixure into the bottom.
10. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and you can flip bundt when it is cooled

Sounds pretty complicated, but it's really easy and delicious!

Side Dish: Roasted Butternut Squash

What you will need:
1 large butternut squash (Make sure you check the weight before buying. I didn't check and ended up with a $7 squash).
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons diced butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cut off the top and bottom of the squash and scoop out seeds
3. Cut the flesh into 1 inch cubes
4. Put the squash on a large rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with minced garlic and diced butter, and drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Toss all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper
5. Roast for 20 minutes. Take out, turn squash over with spatula, and roast for 20 minutes longer

Fruit Parfait

Best thing I've made in a long time. You can eat it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. It's amazing!

What you'll need:
Fresh blackberries or raspberries
Peeled and sliced bananas
Vanilla yogurt
Granola

Directions:
In a small bowl or glass (I used a short glass), layer the ingredients in whichever order you like. Serve immediately (the granola gets soggy fast). Enjoy!

Main Entree: Chicken Sliders

What you'll need:

Chicken breasts

Swiss cheese 

Avocado

Whole wheat hamburger buns 

Directions:

1. Grill chicken until done

2. Heat buns with cheese in toaster

3. Cut up slides of avocado

4. Combine! 

It was super healthy and delicious! The wheat bun added a little extra sweetness. It was fabulous. I made these and served tomato caprese on the side. 

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

Erin: You know how long I have searched for the perfect spaghetti and meatball recipe. I think I've tried about 100 different recipes. But alas! Sam bought me a new cookbook, "100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know" and there was a spaghetti recipe that I knew I had to try. It was simple and delicious.

Ingredients;
Meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mariana Sauce:
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 28oz can whole tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
5 basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 8oz package spaghetti 

Make the meatballs:
1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the olive oil, mixing gently with your hands
2. Rinse your hands with cold water then lightly shape the meatball mixture into balls the size of grapes
3. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over moderately high heat
4. Working in batches, arrange the meatballs in the skillet in single layer and cook, turning a few times until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a place and set aside
Make the Marinana Sauce:
1. In a large saucepan, saute the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until golden
2. Turn the heat to high; add tomatoes and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, then turn heat down to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick (about 15-20 minutes)
3.Add butter and basil to the saucepan, stirring to melt the butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add meatballs to the saucepan, stirring to combine. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain. Add spaghetti to the saucepan with marinara and meatballs and toss to coat.

Main Entree: Shepherd's Pie

What you'll need:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups of vegetables (I used carrots, corn, and peas)
3-4 large potatoes
1 stick of butter, divided
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:
1. Peel and quarter potatoes; boil in salted water until tender
2. While potatoes are cooking, melt half a stick of butter in a LARGE frying pan
3. Saute onions in butter over medium heat (about 10 minutes)
4. Add ground beef and saute until no longer pink
5. Add vegetables, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, beef broth
6. When potatoes are done, mash in separate bowl with remainder of butter
7. Place beef and onions in a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Rough up with fork so there are peaks (the peaks will brown)
8. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. (Broil the last few minutes, if needed).