Fresh Green Beans

E,

I decided to make a nice meal last week to celebrate my new job. I served a roasted chicken (which turned out B-E-A-U-Tiful by the way), some mashed potatoes and I grabbed some green beans on my out of the grocery store. Upon returning home and getting ready to fix dinner, I decided I had no idea how I wanted to prepare them. Steam them? Boil them? Saute them in bacon grease like I usually do? Nah, I was looking for something different. That's when I came across a recipe from the Pioneer Woman (IS THERE ANYTHING THIS WOMAN CAN'T COOK??) Anyway, it was a really fantastic dish. Easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pound Green Beans
2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease (can Substitute 1 Tablespoon Butter And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil)
2 cloves Garlic
1 cup Chopped Onion
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Chopped Red Bell Pepper (I didn't have any red bell pepper so I omitted this ;))
1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper To Taste

Directions:

1. Snap the stem ends of the green beans
2. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. 3. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green.
4. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp.

White Russian Cupcakes

Erin,

White Russians have quickly become my new favorite cocktail. There is nothing better than watching The Big Lebowski on a Saturday night with a white russian in hand. I came across this recipe the other day and it sounded super complicated, but it's not at all! It was simple and delicious and tasted like actual white russian. Great cupcakes for when you want to impress someone in your life ;) (Makes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 large egg and 1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1/8 cup Vodka

1/4 cup Kahlua, divided

Cupcake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a seperate bowl or in a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until combined. Add egg and egg white, one at a time. Then add the vanilla, Vodka, and 1/8 cup of Kahlua. Gradually add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, ending with the flour mixture.

3. Bake 17 -20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcakes comes out clean. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with the remaining 1/8 cup Kahlua. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. 

 

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

pinch of salt

3 - 4 tablespoons Kahlua

 

Directions:

Beat butter until creamy. Add salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add Kahlua 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

Clean Eating Pasta Salad

What you will need:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
8 oz whole grain penne pasta
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to directions
2. Let pasta cool
3. Mix olive oil and lemon juice and soak tomatoes in mixture for 15 minutes
4. Combine all ingredients and serve cold

Greek Orzo Salad

What you will need:

2 cups orzo pasta

1/4 cup kalamata olives

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1/4 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 

Directions:

1. Cook orzo according to directions on box; drain

2. Put in large bowl and add olive oil to prevent from sticking

3. Toss olives, pepper, onion and cheese into the pasta

4. Add vinegar

 

Serve cold

I usually cook this the night before work and take it for lunch with grilled chicken and black beans. It's so good! 

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.