Thursday, January 28, 2010

Mama's Pot Roast


YUM is about all I can say about this recipe. Who doesn't LOVE Pot Roast??? My Mom makes the BEST!! I am sure most of us think our Mom's roast is the best...but my mama's really is:-)

Ingredients:
3-5 lb chuck roast boneless (look for nice marbling)
1 can beef broth
1 can water
1 package of lipton onion soup mix
olive oil
salt and pepper
carrots
1 onion
potatoes (about 5 red)

Directions:
The most important part of making a good roast is browning it REALLY well before you cook it!

Preheat over to 300.

Sprinkle a few tbls of olive oil in your dutch oven (AKA spaghetti pot....the whole thing must be able to go in the oven). Turn heat to med high-high. Sprinkle all sides of the roast with salt and pepper....don't be stingy....put a lot on the roast:-) Brown all sides of the roast really well...a few minutes on each side. Poor can of beef broth in the pot with the roast. Take off heat. Add a can of water to the pot. Cover pot and put in over for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until meat is super tender. If you are going to add carrots, onions and potatoes then do so about an hour before the roast is done. Mama adds some wine to hers too...but I don't and it's still totally YUMMY!

Make gravy with the juice from the roast and serve!!!!

Thanks Mama for being the best cook in the whole wide world...and for being the best mother a girl could ever ask for. I have learned so much from you and I am blessed to have had such a great leader in my life:-) I love you!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Rice


Let me start by saying I LOVE fish tacos and it took me FOREVER to find a recipe that I thought would be good. A lot of fish taco recipes have a mango salsa...yuck. I am not a fan of mango salsa. I love mango's and I love salsa...but for some reason I don't think sweet mango's and hot peppers go together...I am weird...I know:-)

I found this recipe and tweaked it to my liking. The textures and all the different flavors in this recipe makes for some good eats:-)

Taco Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbls mayo
3 tbls sour cream
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Mix all together and store in fridge until tacos are ready to eat:-)

Tacos and slaw:

Ingredients:
3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (raw)
1 chopped tomato
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 lime
4 tbls olive oil
salt and pepper
chili powder
4 tilapia fillets

Directions:
Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well. Set to the side.

Heat a pan at about med-med high heat and add a little olive oil to coat the pan. Sprinkle salt and chili powder on both sides of the tilapia and brown in pan until cooked through...about 2 minutes on each side. Once all of the fish is cooked drain on paper towel and chop fish into bite size pieces. Serve fish, sauce and cabbage slaw on warm corn tortillas. YUMMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Cilantro Rice:
Very simple and really good...and light! Cook the rice as you normally would. When it's done add lime juice...salt and pepper a little olive oil and fresh chopped cilantro. I liked it with one lime (juiced)...about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro....1-2 tbls olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. What was really good...was adding some of the taco sauce to the rice:-) LOVED IT!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Ranch Style Chicken


This is another Pioneer Woman Recipe and it was YUMMY! I added sauteed mushrooms on top of the chiken and marinated my chicken in olive oil, ranch packet seasoning, garlic and salt and pepper instead of honey mustard and it was YUMMY! You should really try this one out. Play with it...and make it however you like it...Oh...and I didn't have peppered bacon...so I just used regular bacon. Really tasty!

Here is the link to her Recipe:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/ranch-style-chicken/

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Honey Mustard Chicken


Super easy with lots of yummy flavors!!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts chopped into bite size pieces
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup honey
3 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup of orange juice
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Season cut up chicken with salt and pepper and any other seasoning you like....garlic powder..season all...etc. Saute the chicken in a little olive oil over med high heat. To make the sauce put the sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved (about 20 seconds...if that) then remove from heat. Add honey, mustard. soy sauce and salt and pepper and bring to a boil again...take off heat once it starts to boil...stir together well and add sauce and orange juice to chicken. Continue to saute the chicken until it's no longer pink. I served the chicken with rice...but it would also be good by itself....and this chicken only has 284 calories:-)

ENJOY!!!!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Chicken & Bacon Wraps



First time trying these appetizers and they were soooo good! I will make these again at our next get together. They are simple to make....and simple to eat!! I was lucky to have an awesome helper with me today. Haley and I had a great time getting the food together for the football game! Thanks Miss Haley:-)

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
about 10 pieces of bacon cut in half
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs chili powder
3 lbs Dijon mustard
toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
Mix brown sugar and chili powder into small bowl
Put dijon mustard in small bowl
Roll each chicken piece into the dijon mustard, wrap bacon piece around chicken then secure with a toothpick. Roll the chicken around in the brown sugar and chili powder mixture...make sure to cover it well. Put each completed piece on a broiling pan. Once you have finished all of them bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is done and the bacon is nice and brown.

Expect a little smoke to come from the bacon grease dripping into the broiler pan....no biggie though. These are great! The kids loved them too...even the picky eaters:-) I am sure you could dip them in a lot of different dips. I served them alone and they were good like that too!

ENJOY!!!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Chicken Parmesan with marinara


One of my faves for sure...super yummy and a total comfort food.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
olive oil
panko bread crumbs
garlic and herb bread crumbs
salt and pepper
linguine noodles

Directions:
Preheat over to 375. Mix panko bread crumbs and garlic and herb bread crumbs...enough to fill a plate. Cover each chicken breast with crumbs. Brown each piece of chicken on each side in olive oil. Poor spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a baking dish big enough for all four breasts. Drain each breast on a paper towel then put them on top of the spaghetti sauce. Start boiling the linguine. Bake chicken for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is done. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done...sprinkle shredded mozzarella and a little parmesan on top of the chicken. Once cheese is melted and chicken is done put each breast on top of cooked linguine and cover with sauce...YUMMY! Easy and delicious:-) ENJOY!

Oh and just in case you are wondering about the bread sticks (which ROCKED) All I did was use the Pillsbury roll of bread sticks....cooked them as directed...but about 5 minutes before they were done I pulled them out of the oven and brushed them with melted butter and them sprinkled parmesan cheese and garlic salt on them...YUMMY!

Ok I know this wasn't the healthiest meal...but T-Man was coming home tonight and I wanted to make something that I know he LOVES!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Pizza Dip


My friend Jennifer brought this to a Poker Party we had a few months back and we LOVED it!!! It's super easy to make and totally YUMMY! I made it for a party that Joel and I went to for New Years and it was a hit! Thanks Jennifer. Yes, there is a bite taken out of the dip in this picture....I just couldn't wait:-)

Ingredients:

Cream cheese
mozzarella cheese (shredded)
pepperoni
pizza sauce

Directions:

Put a layer of cream cheese in the bottom of a baking dish.....then add a thin layer of pizza sauce....then a layer of mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni and bake for about 10-15 minutes on 350 or until bubbly!! ENJOY!!!!