Beef and Broccoli

How is it possible that we haven't added a recipe for Beef and Broccoli on here yet?  We love beef and broccoli, and the recipe I use is from the "Essential Mormon Celebrations" cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen.  A basic, easy, delicious version of restaurant Beef and Broccoli.  We love this meal!

 
Ingredients:

• 1 pound top round beef steak
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/4 c. white grape juice or apple juice
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1 c. water
• 2 C. fresh broccoli florets, stems removed
• 4 T. vegetable oil or olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sesame oil

Directions:

Cut beef into 2-inch strips; set aside.

Combine soy sauce, sugar, juice cornstarch and water in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

In a large skillet, stir-fry broccoli in 2 T. oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Do not overcook.  Place  broccoli in another dish. 

Pour remaining oil in the same skillet and heat on medium-high heat.  Add beef steak and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, not more than 1 minute. 

Pour soy sauce mixture over meat and cook until slightly thickened.

Stir in sesame oil. Remove from heat. 

Stir in broccoli. 

Serve over hot steamed rice.  Makes 8 servings.

At-home Rotisserie Chicken

We enjoy this super easy and inexpensive way to make a yummy dinner on a busy day - make your own rotisserie chicken in the crock pot!  It's tasty, everyone loves it, and takes me less than 10 minutes.  The best part?  You will probably have lots of leftover meat to use in another meal.  We're making chicken enchiladas tomorrow with the leftovers.  

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-4 lbs.) 
• 2 Tbsp. paprika 
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 
• 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder 
• 3 cloves of diced garlic (or 2 Tbsp. garlic powder) 
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt 
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and add water by the teaspoon until a paste forms. Stir until well combined. Place 4 tinfoil balls in bottom of crock pot for the chicken to rest on, so it won't stick to the bottom, and lightly spray inside of crock pot with cooking spray. Rub entire chicken with spice rub and place in the crock pot, on top of the foil balls. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hours.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Make this.  You will thank me later.  And so will everyone you serve it to.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts 
• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped 
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided (Plain mozzarella can work, too.)
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese 
• 1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 
• 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided 
• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked 

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Chicken Pineapple Salad

I have been craving yummy salads lately, and my friend Kara told me about this salad that her family enjoys.  We made this last night for dinner, and it was delicious! And SO easy!  It was a hit with the whole family, though my silly kids had to eat theirs with the elements in separate piles on their plates rather than as a salad.  No doubt this will become a classic summer night meal at my home.

Truly, it doesn't get much easier or yummier than this!

Ingredients:

• lettuce, chopped or shredded
• cilantro, chopped
• grilled chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (I actually just sauteed the chicken on the stove top with a little olive oil and lemon pepper)
• avocado, diced or sliced
• fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (I'm thinking this would be divine if it were grilled as well....I may have to try that next time!)
• tortilla chips, crushed
• Honey-Mustard Dressing (we think the Brianne's brand Honey-Mustard Dressing is perfect for this!)
• Anything else you want to add!  I was thinking that mushrooms, peppers, or onions might all be a nice addition to this salad.  The beauty of it is that you can add whatever your family likes and adjust to your tastes.

Toss all the ingredients together and serve in bowls.  Such a simple, gorgeous, flavorful meal.

The Perfect Taco Salad

With spring weather coming in, I've been craving good salads.  We made this bowl of deliciousness last night for company, and we all absolutely loved it.  In fact, Gerald has admitted this is his new favorite meal!

I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's website.  The woman is a food genius.  The only change I made was I added the black beans.  I recommend you click here for full instructions and photos.

 

Ingredients

DRESSING 

• ¾ cups Ranch Dressing (bottled Is Fine) 
• ¼ cups Salsa (as Spicy As You'd Like) 
• 3 Tablespoons Finely Minced Cilantro 

CHICKEN

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 
• 2 Tablespoons Seasoning (Taco Seasoning, Or Your Own Mix) 
• ¼ cups Vegetable Oil 
• 2 Tablespoons Butter (I omitted the butter, and just used oil.)

SALAD

• 1 head Green Leaf Lettuce (1 Large Head Or Two Regular Heads), Shredded Thin 
• 3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced 
• ½ cups Grated Pepper Jack Cheese 
• 2 ears Corn, Shucked (I used frozen instead.)
• 2 whole Avocados, Diced 
• 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced 
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• ½ cups Cilantro Leaves 
• Tortilla Chips Of Your Choice (flavored Or Not), Crushed Slightly 

Directions:

First, make the dressing by combining all three ingredients in a bowl and stirring together. Cover and refrigerate. This takes like 1 minute.  :) 

Next, make the chicken: Generously season both sides of the breasts. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until deep golden brown on the outside and done in the middle, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then cut it into cubes.

Place the ears of corn in the skillet you used to cook the chicken and roll it around so that the flavorful oil/butter mixture coats the corn.  If frozen, saute in the skillet until warm.  If using ears of corn, grill it on a grill pan or cook it in a separate skillet until the corn is still crisp but has color on the outside. Slice off the kernels with a sharp knife and set aside.

To assemble the salad, pile shredded lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, corn, avocado, green onion, black beans, cilantro, crushed chips, and chicken on a big platter. Drizzle the dressing all over the top, serving part on the side if you’d like. Serve it in individual bowls.

Homemade Hot Fudge

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 (15 oz.) can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup flour

Combine butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring consistently until butter is melted.  It will be very thick and chunky. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly until smooth.  Add vanilla and flour.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.  Mixture will thicken as it cools.  Serve while sauce is still warm.  You can keep the hot fudge warm in a slow cooker set on the lowest heat setting.  Store leftovers in the fridge.  

Caramel Sauce

I make this homemade caramel sauce as an ice cream or crepe topping, or to dip apples in - delicious!!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. corn syrup
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for exactly one minute.  The longer it boils, the thicker the sauce will become.)  Serve warm.  Store in the fridge.