Well everyone,
I have tried three times to load this post and each time it just stops when I load the third picture. So I will try again this evening when I get home from work.
Sorry to keep you waiting. Blame typepad, they changed a lot over night and I think this has something to do with it. Geez!
Okay, this is something I had never made before, but I made it and it was delish!
McD and I caught Down Home with the Neelys and they were making BBQ chicken. They made their own sauce and now I am sharing the recipe with you. Be sure to check then out on the Food Network. This couple has caught my attention that is for sure.
Here is their recipe with a little bit of a change. :) Don't you always tend to make recipes your own?
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper (I put a whole tablespoon in there)
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
(I added a few shakes of Tabasco sauce to ours, but we like it spicy!)
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Yields: 3 1/2 cups
Now don't forget to check out the Neelys.
Over a week ago I slaved in the kitchen for hours making all kinds of BBQ stuff, but while I was slaving away at that I was also cooking a completely different meal for supper.
I love the Food Network, love.it. I believe the show this recipe came from was Simply Delicioso, I think. But if you can't find that then just search for the name of the recipe on the Food Network website.
Shredded Steak with Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes
6 lbs flank steak
3/4 Delicioso Adobo seasoning, recipe follows
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 bottles of beer
1/2 cup canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, ribbed and chopped
2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, ribbed and chopped
6 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the flank steak into large pieces and place them in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the adobo and the Worcestershire sauce to make a paste. Rub the paste into the meat, add the beer and let marinate for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Transfer the meat, as well as the marinade to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 3 hours.
Remove the meat from the pot and reserve the cooking liquid. Using 2 forks, shred the meat and set it aside.
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, scallions, and tomatoes and cook until they are soft, 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and meat to the pan along with 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Cover and simmer until the juices cook down, about 15 minutes.
Delicioso Adobo
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
2 tablespoons achoite powder from annatto seed
1 tablespoon cumin powder
Combine all ingredients.
(Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffman, 2008)
This was a simple meal to prepare, but it was delicious.
McD is on a strict diet, and I believe that one way to stay on a diet is to cheat a little bit. It works for us, it might work for you. If you know that you can have a treat over the weekend it makes eating right during the week a little bit easier. Yea, it is a crock, but just go with it.
This was our big cheat this weekend. Try it and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
MAC & CHEESE
a Rachael Ray recipe
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
Pre-heat broiler.
Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter, about one turn of the pan. When the butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about three minutes.
Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. (Okay, I didn't whisk because I have no-stick pans and I don't have a whisk that I can use with it, so I spoonula'd it.) Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in two cups of shredded cheddar cheese a handful at a time.
Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. (In my opinion, it needs the salt.) Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce.
Transfer to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a hot broiler and brown the cheddar cheese on top.
Let me know if you try this and like it. I know we will be fixing this again.
Now I want to say a Thank You to Rachael Ray! Without her recipes, our meals would be boring!
Well, I know that if you are anything like me you cannot look at a photo like this and not think of making it. So here is the recipe I used. It is a new recipe to me, I searched the internet for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, and this is what I got. If you feel your recipe is better, let me know I am up to trying them all. :)
"Absolutely the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" Recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by nicolefausthunt.
Nicole says, "This is a secret family recipe for chocolate chip cookies! Everyone who tries them begs for more. Enjoy!!"
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes
Yields: 24 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 - 12 oz pkg) milk chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
And you get these:
I could have sworn I posted this recipe, but I have searched and searched but I cannot find it. Hmmm. Well, here it is I hope you all love it as much as we do.
4 large baked potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk, whole or 2%
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions, chopped
12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1. Cut potatoes in half. Scoop out pulp and put in small bowl.
2. Melt butter in large kettle. Add flour. Gradually stir in milk. Continue to stir until smooth, thickened, and bubbly.
3. Stir in potato pulp, salt, pepper, and three-quarters of the onions, bacon and cheese. Cook until heated. Stir in sour cream.
4. Transfer to slow cooker set on Low. Top with remaining onions, bacon and cheese.
Variations:
You can add several slices of Velveeta cheese to make the soup extra cheesy and creamy. You can substitute jalapenos for the onions, or just leave the onions out (that is what I do sometimes).
And another way to bake potatoes that I found helpful is to stab them with a fork, wrap them in foil and stick them in the crockpot. Do not add water! Cook them on high for 2 1/2 - 4 hours, or low for 8 - 10 hours.
You asked for it, you got it. Now go and make it and let me know how you liked it!
I don't remember where I read about this, it was online somewhere, but I did and I decided to try it. I read that if you stick a nail, a clean nail preferably brand new, into your potato it would cook approximately 20 minutes faster. I decided to put it to the test.
Yesterday McD and I decided that we would attend a church potluck function for the first time. I don't ever remember going to a potluck and actually bringing something. Most of the time I would go with either my parents or my Granny and they would always have something for me to bring. So now I am really feeling like a grown up.
We were supposed to bring a potluck and a dessert. Okay, I knew what I was making for the dessert...No Bake cookies, duh. If you are not a regular reader than please disregard the duh. But I was not sure about what to take for the potluck. I didn't even realize you called the main dish a potluck. Geez I learned all kinds of new things. Then it hit me like a brick. Baked Potato Soup! Yum!
As soon as we got home from church I started making cookies, I made two batches. Yep two! One to take to the church function and the second well for our American Gladiator watch party. More on that another time.
After making the cookies I switched gears and started making the baked potato soup, and let me tell you the nail in the potato thing really works. I am just guessing here, but I would say the nail gets hot and helps to cook the potato from the inside out as well as the heat of the oven cooking it from the outside in. Okay, if you can follow that on a Monday you on the ball. Or you are as warped as I am. Take your pick.
I slaved over a hot stove all.day.long. I kid you not. When we got to the function, I would call it something else but I am not even sure what to call it. It is a special time for fellowship. Oh, anyway, I was so worried no one would eat it. I kept thinking, I am gonna have left overs for a week. But when I went to pick up my crockpot it was EMPTY!!!! Yep, not even enough for one bowl. I was secretly kind of hoping for left overs, but hey I can always make more. I even had one guy ask me for my recipe.
It felt pretty good to graduate to the grown-up world of potlucks and come out of it with an empty dish. Now I have a month to plan for the next one. Any ideas for great potluck meals?
Sites that are new to me, but loved by many...
Check out this ironing board cover. ( iliketomakestuff )
This magazine bowl. ( alittlehut )
How to make Chicken Stock. ( elise )
Praying Panties, um they just give me the heebie jeebies but the sunset with Sparkles is too cute. ( Jaden's Steamy Kitchen )
I have been blog hopping. What I do is find a new blog and then see a comment from someone that is funny, witty or even helpful. Then I follow their link to their world. I have found some really cool blogs and have realized just how small my little blog is. :) There are some really talented blogs out there. I found many more out there, but I have to get to church I don't have time to link to all of them today.
I am smitten with SmittenKitchen, Vicki first introduced this site and I wandered over thinking what in the world has she found now. Then ta-da...bells rang and birds sang...it was SmittenKitchen. I think this might be one of the best cooking blogs I have found. They have put my two loves together...cooking and photography. Look at those photos. I don't want to waste any more of your time. Get your hiney over there and check out the chocolate pudding recipe she has posted. Yum-o!
Have a great weekend!!
Saturday I started feeling a little bit with it. Meaning, I got up, washed my hair - oh it was horrible. Being sick on the couch with a fever for three days does nothing for a girls do. Let me tell you! Anyway, that evening I thought I would fix McD supper. We had ordered a new recumbent bike and he went and picked it up, I was very grateful. So what do we women do when we are grateful for something someone's done? We cook.
I made Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich. It was delish! I changed the recipe up just a tad, only because I am not a fan of onions. Instead of using so many onions, I used green bell peppers and just followed the recipe. I mentioned yesterday that I am one of these people that really like my recipes spelled out for me. So when I got to the part where it said to add 1/2 of Worcestershire Sauce I was a bit thrown. :) (I was using just the printed recipe I had printed off.) I had to go back to her website and look at her step-by-step guide to see if it was a 1/2 Tbsp, tsp, cup, bottle, etc. Also, there is a point where you put the meat in the hot pan and it never really says to lower the heat or anything. I did lower the heat but I hope some poor sap isn't out there cooking their cube steak over high heat for any length of time. I would think it would toughen it right up.
All in all, if you kind of use your own know how in the kitchen with this recipe you will love it!! I know McD and I did!
