Sloppy Joe Mac

Casseroles aren't really dishes that are meant for two people.  A 9 by 13 pan of something plus a side dishe usually turns into a week of leftovers.  Therefore, I don't really put casseroles on the menu very often. 

Since I'm going through my sloppy joe phase, which I think by now I've exhausted all my sloppy joe recipes, when I saw this, I figured I'd make it.  I considered cutting the recipe down to bake into a 9 by 9, but then ended up dumping the entire box of macaroni into the boiling water.  Oops, more leftovers for me.


Sloppy Joe Mac
from FoodNetwork
Ingredients
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

One 15-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup beef broth

12 ounces elbow macaroni with ridges

2 cups shredded yellow Cheddar

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce in a small bowl.
3) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned. Season with salt and pepper.
4) Add the garlic, bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
5) Pour the tomato mixture over the beef, add the beef broth and stir until well combined. Simmer until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water until not quite tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add to the sauce. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with the cheese.
7) Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the top is browned.

 

 

This was a really easy dish and was really tasty too.  I was surprised at how much it tasted like a sloppy joe.  We really didn't have many leftovers.  By the end of the first night, there was only half a pan left.  I think this would be a great potluck dish.  Kids would love it because of the mac and cheese part and it is simple to put together. 

 



Arugula Pesto Meatloaf

Spring brings some weird weather that confuses me when I'm meal planning.  Some days are rainy and cooler and then the next day it can be sixty and beautiful.  These are the last few days that I try to cram the last of my comfort food recipes into the meal plan.  This is one of those dishes that I really wanted to try to get in before it got too warm for meatloaf.  While I love meatloaf, it is just too heavy for the summer months when it is warm and humid.

Arugula Pesto Meatloaf
slightly adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray
Ingredients

Cooking spray

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 pounds meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal)

1 clove garlic, grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup ricotta

2 cups arugula

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup parmesan

1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

 

Directions

1) Preheat to 400 degrees . Line a baking sheet with foil; coat with cooking spray.

2) Using a food processor, pulse 2 cups arugula, 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup each pine nuts and parmesan, and pinch salt.

3) Combine the breadcrumbs, meatloaf mix, ricotta, garlic, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into a 5-by-8-inch rectangle on the sheet.

4) Bake about 30 minutes, then remove and top with pesto and provolone and bake until thermometer reads 160 degrees, about 10-15 more minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

The pesto makes this meatloaf lighter and delicious.  I usually stick to basil pestos, but am glad that we stepped outside the meatloaf box to try this recipe.  It really makes me want to try to make other types of pestos.  The only comment that I have for the pesto is that it seemed a little thin to me.  I think a cup of olive oil made it a little too runny.  Next time, I'll add a quarter of a cup of oil at a time to try to get a better consistancy that will better adhere to the meatloaf.  This pesto would be great on meatballs too.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Confession: this isn't the first time that I made this dish.  I made it while we were in Wyoming, but never took a picture. 

When I first met Sarah from A Taste of Homecooking on my food forum, I spent a lot of time on her blog and this was (and still is) the most popular recipe on her blog.  The first time I made it, I had never thought of making sloppy joes from scratch and it sounded much better than other sloppy joes.  Right now, I'm going through a kind of sloppy joe phase (is that even a real thing?) and think they're delicious, so I put this one back on the menu.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
barely adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 softball-sized onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 tablespoons steak sauce, such as A-1
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
4 dinner rolls
4 slices provolone

Directions:
1) In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and then brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes.
2) Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender.
3) Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.
4)  Turn on broiler, and split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides of the bottom part of the bun, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Put a slice of cheese on each top of bread.  Toast the rolls until browned and cheese is melted. Spoon in meat mixture.

I had these for lunch the next day and definitely think the meat got more flavorful while it sat in the fridge over night.  I thought these were really good and a great weeknight meal.   They are originally from Rachel Ray, so you know they're fast.  I didn't make a cheese sauce from Sarah's version because I remember the cheese sauce not being worth the hassle the first time that I made it.  I think just regular provolone is just as good, and is less fuss. 

Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings

It's time for another recipe swap, hosted by Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking.  It is time for another Blogger's Choice swap, and this time I received My Chicago Kitchen.  I don't remember ever looking at this blog before, and so I spent quite awhile looking over Angie's blog for a recipe. 

It has been getting colder here, and so I kept going back to her soup section.  I love stews, but usually they make so much that I really don't make them often.  Like Angie said in her post, she had never had rutebegas before this dish, and neither had my husband or I, so I thought it would be a great dish to try something new...that's what the swaps are for, right?  We found out during the course of this dish, that rutabegas are awesome. 

Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings
barely adapted from My Chicago Kitchen
Ingredients
2.5 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
3 carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1 rutabaga, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
1) Preheat to 325°F.
2) Pat beef dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a heavy, large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits, for about 8 minutes. Cook in batches if necessary. Remove to platter.
3) Add bacon to same pot. Sauté until crisp, scraping up browned bits, for about 5 minutes.
4) Add onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook until onions are tender, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.
5) Return beef to pot. Add 5 cups beef broth and crushed tomatoes with purée. Cover and bring to simmer, stirring occassionally.
6) Transfer pot to oven. Bake until beef is just tender, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add carrots and rutabagas. Cover; bake until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until beef is very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove stew to range and simmer over low heat.
7) While the stew is simmering, prepare dumplings. Whisk milk and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Mix in chives and parsley. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
8) Whisk remaining 1/2 cup canned beef broth and cornstarch in small bowl. Raise simmering stew to medium heat. Stir cornstarch mixture into stew. Return to simmer, stirring until sauce thickens.
9) Spoon dumpling batter in medium-sized dollops onto simmering stew. Cover tightly; simmer until dumplings are puffed and a toothppick inserted into center of dumplings comes out clean, about 15 minutes.

The only changes I made were the amounts of things.  Angie said this had about six servings, but we ate three bowls for one meal and there was more than half left, so even with the amounts changed, it still makes a lot of food.

This dish is absolutely amazing on a chilly, rainy evening.  I made it after work one night and let the flavors meld even more the next day.  The night we ate it, I thickened it with the cornstarch and made the dumplings, and the flavors were even more developed. 

I loved the tomato aspect of the dish.  I have only had stews with beef broth and the tomatoes added a new dimension to it.  I also love dumplings, and that is one of the things that made me click on the dish while looking through Angie's blog.  The dumpling makes the perfect accompaniment to the dish.

Horseradish burgers with Havarti (H Squared Burgers)

After several weeks of being gone, I decided to join the recipe swaps hosted by Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking.  Two months ago, I started a new job and I just couldn't figure out the balance between the new job and making dinner every night.  I'm very lucky my husband likes breakfast foods, we ate a lot of waffles in those first few weeks.

I joined right in time for the Blogger's Choice Swap, where we can choose whatever we wanted to make.  Confession time: my husband and I are still grilling.  Even though it is winter, the temperatures here are much warmer than they were in Wyoming at this time, so every few weeks we break out a burger, so I thought this Horseradish and Havarti Burger would be a perfect burger to try.

We loved it so much, we started calling it the H Squared Burger because we thought the original name was too much to say. 

Horseradish burgers with Havarti
barely modified from I Was Born To Cook
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
salt and pepper
sliced havarti cheese
buns
toppings and condiments of your choice (we only used mayonaisse and grilled onions)

Directions

1) Put beef in a bowl. Mix in horseradish, salt and pepper. Handform into 8 patties.

2) Grill burgers for about 8 minutes (for medium), then flip. Add cheese. Cover for 1 minute so cheese melts.
3) While cheese is melting, grill the hamburger buns. Serve with condiments and toppings.

These were some of the best buergers that we've had in a long time.  I loved the spiciness from the horseradish with the creaminess of the cheese.  My husband just kept asking if we could make them again, so in the course of a week, we had these three times for dinner.  He usually loads his burgers up with condiments, but he said these don't need anything but a little mayo.  If you grill in the winter, these should be next on your list, and if you wait until warm weather, make sure these are the first burgers you make.

Messy Giuseppes

In my opinion, while guy food is really good, it is also really messy and not fun to manage while eating.  I like the flavor of sloppy joes, but they are hard to handle, so I really haven't tried to make them.

My mom sent me this recipe from a cooking class that she did, and I was intrigued on the twist, so I decided to give them a try.  It was a win-win in our household too, I got to try a new recipe and my husband got a dish that was a spin-off of one of his favorites.

Messy Giuseppe
recipe from Eckert's Farm in Illinois
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground Italian Sausage
1/2 pound ground beef
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup red wine
3/4 cup of beef stock
1 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

Herbed butter
4 tablespoons butter, softened
5 basil leaves, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste

Hamburger buns
Mozzarella cheese

Directions
1) For the meat sauce, heat a deep skillet, or heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.
2) Add the ground sausage and beef, and cook until lightly browned.
3) Add green pepper, onion, garlic, and spices to the beef mixture and cook for about five minutes to allow the pepper to soften. 
4) Add the wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and bring to a boil.  When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for ten minutes.
5) For the herbed butter: Mix the butter, basil leaves, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.
6) Spread herbed butter on hamburger bun and top with mozzarella cheese.  Place under the broiler and toast until golden browned, top with the meat mixture and enjoy.

 I loved these.  I served them open faced and I thought they developed a great amount of flavor in a short time.  The herbed butter really shines through the meat and provides even more flavor.  These are definitely a must try for anyone that likes sloppy joes.

Beef Wellington Hand Pies

When my husband and I met, one of the first shows we watched together was Hell's Kitchen.  He loves Gordon Ramsey now, and one of the first things he did when we moved to New Jersey was look up Ramsey's restaurant in New York.  He sounded so deflated when he saw how much plates cost at his restaurant.

One of the few dishes he always said he wanted to try was the Beef Wellington.  But when he looked up the cut of beef, he found that it was super expensive (~30/lb).  I found these Beef Wellington Hand Pies on Simple Gourmet Cooking, and asked him if he'd be willing to try these.  He said he was, but pointed out that using ground beef wasn't even going to give us the same texture.  So, I took that as a flat out yes, and put them on the menu.

Beef Wellington Hand Pies
barely adapted from Simple Gourmet Cooking
Ingredients
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound of ground beef
Kosher salt
Ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water for an egg wash

Directions
1) Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add ground beef to the pan, cook until cooked through and browned, breaking beef a part with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove cooked ground beef from pan and set aside. Wipe out pan.
3) Heat butter and remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Add onions and cook until they start to soften.
4) Add the mushrooms, and cook until onions and mushrooms start to brown. Add garlic and thyme. Cook for 30 seconds.
5) Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, scrapping up brown bits. Stir in the heavy cream and Worcestershire sauce and then add the beef back into the pan. Stir to combine.
6) Roll the thawed puff pastry into a 1/8 inch thick sheet and cut into 4 equal portions. Carefully spoon the beef mixture into the middle of each pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Try not to add too much filling, you might have a little leftover. Brush the egg wash along the 1/2 inch border of pastry. Fold the pastry over and seal. Crimp the edges with a fork.
7) Arrange the pastries on a baking sheet and lightly brush the tops with egg wash. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the top of each pastry. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Using the egg wash to seal my pastries just made the puff pastry turn into a disaster.  I just ended up folding them over and sealing them.  But left this step in the directions because maybe I just messed it up.  I thought these were very good, but was kind of missing the sauce on the top.  I guess this would negate the hand pie discription if you kept the sauce on the top, but I think it'd be good.  This recipe made my husband want to try real beef wellingtons even more, but he quickly ate the two that were on his plate.  Maybe someday we'll be rich enough to eat at Chef Ramsey's restaurant, but until then these were really good.

Mexican Steak "Pitzas" with Cilantro Sour Cream

Since I've been staying at home, lunch is often a challenge.  My husband doesn't wake up until about 2 p.m. for lunch since he works nights, so it is difficult finding something that is filling but not too much to ruin dinner.

When I had Joelen's blog for a recipe swap, I ran across these Mexican Pitzas that sounded like they'd make a great lunch.  I prepped the Cilantro Sour Cream that morning before I sat down to work, and when he woke up, it was super easy to put together. 

Mexican Steak "Pitzas" with Cilantro Sour Cream
barely adapted from What's Cookin' Chicago?
Ingredients
lb beef flank steak, finely chopped
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon canola oil for cooking
4 whole wheat pitas
1/2 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
1 can Refried Black Beans
1/2 finely diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
2-3 tablespoons water

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a skillet over medium high heat, add the cooking oil, onions and garlic; saute until softened.
3) Add the beef and seasonings and cook until browned.
4) While the beef is cooking, place your pitas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to soften the pitas. Remove the pitas from the oven and set aside.
5) When the beef has cooked thoroughly, spoon the Black Bean refried beans onto the pita, and top the beans with the beef to cover completely.
6) Top the beef with the shredded cheese and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted.
7) While the pitas are baking, prepare the cilantro cream by combining the cilantro, sour cream and water. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
8) When the pitas are done baking, remove from the oven and top with the cilantro cream and chopped tomatoes; serve.

                             

These are a little hard to maneuver, but the flavor is fantastic.  We tried them one day without the beans and one day with the beans, and they held together much better with the beans.  The Cilantro Cream was fantastic.  It was really easy to put together and added so much flavor.  I'll definitely put these back on the lunch menu in the future.

Steak Tostadas with Black Beans and Mango Salsa

Rarely do I run across a meal that is so memorable that I want to make it every week until I get tired of it.  This is one of those meals.  I was looking for a recipe that had mangoes in it, to use up the mangoes I got on sale, and this fit the bill.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients and requires a little bit of preparation, but the results are mouthwatering.  I can't wait to make this dish again.

Steak Tostadas with Black Beans and Mango Salsa
slightly adapted from Food Network 
Ingredients

Mango Salsa:
1 red onion, finely chopped

1 large ripe mango, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup honey

3 limes, juiced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steak Marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

3 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (2-pound) piece top round

Black Beans:1 can black beans, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Tostadas:Vegetable oil, for frying
4 corn tortillas

Toppings:
Mango Salsa
Sour cream, optional
Grated cheese of your choice, optional

Directions
1) For the steak: In a large shallow bowl or baking dish whisk together the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, onion, jalapeno, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the skirt steak, cover and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably several hours.
2) In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the mango salsa and set aside for 10 to 20 minutes for the flavors to marry.

3) For the beans: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients and let simmer for 20 minutes.
4) For the tostadas: Heat about 3 inches of oil in a large pot to about 350 degrees F. Carefully slide 1 tortilla into the oil and fry until crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
5) Preheat a grill pan or grill to medium-high. Place the steak on the grill and grill about 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare to medium.  Discard the remaining marinade. Remove from grill to a cutting board and let rest for about 5 minutes. Slice into thin pieces at a diagonal.
6) To serve: Place fried tortillas on a large platter or individual plates. Spoon some of the black bean mixture in the middle of the tortillas. Top with steak slices and the Mango Salsa. Garnish with sour cream and your choice of grated cheese, if desired.

The only complaint that I had about this meal was that the tostadas get soggy, and they become pretty hard to manage.  I remedied that the next day and just turned them into tacos, and they were just as amazing.  The flavors in this dish all work together to create a flavor explosion in your mouth that you won't be able to get out of your mind.   

French Onion Roast Beef with Au Jus

 The theme of this recipe swap was "Bloggers Choice".  Bloggers Choice is where you are assigned someone else's blog and you get to make whatever you want to from that blog.  It allows for a lot more freedom, and it is actually a lot of fun sifting through someone's blog to find recipes that you want.

For this swap, I actually received Eva Bakes (which is the blog I got for the first "Bloggers Choice" swap).  She has an awesome baking blog, so you should head and check out her site.  I guess there were a couple of people that got the same blog as the first time, so in the end, I had DeLish's blog.  The only thing I learned about her is that she lives in New Jersey (which is where I'm moving to in a few months) and that she has a ton of amazing sounding food on her blog.

I have recently been craving a few things, but didn't have recipes for them, and when perusing her blog, I found what I was looking for and even more. We recently packed up our pressure cooker to move, but I was craving French Dips, so I was ecstatic when I ran across a crockpot version...because I kept our crockpot from being banished to the storage shed.
 
French Onion Roast Beef with Aus Jus
slightly adapted from DeLish
Ingredients
2.5 lb. bottom round beef roast
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoons fresh parsley
Powder only from a package of Onion Soup Mix
2 cups water
32 ounces beef broth
6 large buns OR French crusty bread
Your favorite cheese (provolone, mozzarella or cheddar)

Directions
1) Place the meat in the slow-cooker and cover it with salt and pepper, and garlic and oregano. Add the onion slices, parsley, soup powder, water & broth.
2) Set on LOW for 8-10 hours. Shred the meat into it's own juices.  Layer your choice of cheese onto the bread, then top with meat.  Serve with a little bowl of the jus on the side.

The French Dip recipe that we have doesn't have any onions in it, and my husband loved that aspect of these sandwiches.  I only used one medium onion, instead of two just because it seemed like the right amount when I was putting everything together. I thought these were very flavorful and made for a great low-maintenance meal.

Steak Panini with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

There are just certain things that I swear seem to fancy for Wyomingites to buy in grocery stores.  My husband and I stand in certain aisles looking where I think things would be, and they aren't there.  I feel so bad that I make him scour the stores for specific items with me, especially since he comes so willingly to the grocery store to help out.  I can't imagine he likes dodging and ducking through the interesting people we encounter in grocery stores. 

Our latest endeavor was to find goat cheese.  I swore to him that I found it at a certain grocery store while picking up some miscellaneous items once.  We went there, and it wasn't there anymore.  He suggested we try Wal Mart, and I scoffed, since I swear I looked there before too.  Lo and behold, sitting in the front of the store was goat cheese.  I guess one store stopped carrying it and Wal Mart picked it up.  So hooray for another new ingredient to try.

Steak Panini with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions
slightly adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients
3 ounces fresh goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 pounds flank steak (or any cut you'd like)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 sweet onion, cut into ½-inch slices
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar  

4 slices crusty bread, (we used focaccia) 

 

Directions

1)   Combine goat cheese, basil, and thyme in a medium-sized bowl. Stir together with a fork and set aside. 

2)   Season both sides of flank steak with salt and pepper. Preheat a 10-inch cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of canola oil. When oil starts to smoke, add the flank steak. Cook until well browned on one side, three to four minutes, and then flip. Cook until browned on that side, three to four minutes, and then transfer to a cutting board and let it rest.

3)  Reduce heat to medium and add the rest of the oil and the onions. Stir well until onions are coated in oil, about one minute. Then season with about ¼ teaspoon of salt and pour in the balsamic vinegar. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat, and transfer onions to a bowl.

4)  Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain. 

5)  Lay out the eight slices of bread. Smear a little goat cheese on one side of each. Divide the meat between four slices of bread, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a tablespoon or two of the caramelized onions on the steak. Top each with the remaining four slices of bread, making sure the goat cheese spread faces down.

6)   Preheat a panini press to medium. Place the sandwich in and cook until sandwiches are well browned, about four minutes. Also, you could preheat a grill pan to medium. Places the sandwiches on top, and weigh them down with a heavy iron skillet. Cook them until well browned, about three minutes a side.

7)   Slice the sandwiches in half and serve. 

 

 

 

These sandwiches are very flavorful.  The balsamic vinegar and the goat cheese work very well together to create flavor without drowning out the steak on the sandwich.  This was a great weeknight meal that we both enjoyed.  Jacob was surprised at how much flavor the goat cheese actually added to the sandwich.  We both agree that without the goat cheese, this sandwich wouldn't have the same effect.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

The Crazy Cooking Challenge group gets a theme every month and everyone makes the same item, just different variations of it. Last month, there were over seventy submissions for chocolate cake. If you're interested in the Crazy Cooking Challenge, visit Mom's Crazy Cooking to get more information. Tina, the author of Mom's Crazy Cooking, was voted as having the best looking chocolate cake, so visit her blog to see fantastic chocolate cakes as well.





I haven't had spaghetti since I was a little girl. I developed a food allergy when I was in sixth grade that made me really sick when I ate canned tomato products. Since then, I have pretty much steered clear of spaghetti. When this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge was announced: Spaghetti with Red Sauce, I went on the hunt for a recipe that didn't use any sauces, but used just tomatoes. I ran into No Recipes, which is written by Marc, who describes himself as loving food since he could see over the kitchen counter. I loved looking over the recipes in his blog and have pinned recipes such as his Crispy Zucchini Fritters and Strawberry Lemon Bars to make in the future. But I loved that his spaghetti recipe didn't call for any canned tomato ingredients.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
slightly adapted from No Recipes
Ingredients
for meatballs
1/2 medium onion, minced
3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and minced tomatoes (about 1 medium tomato)
12 ounces ground beef
6 ounces ground pork
4 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated
3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

for sauce
5 cloves of garlic minced
1 large onion minced
4 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (about 8 medium tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried Italian spices
parsley, minced for garnish
whole wheat spaghetti (measured per individual)

Directions
Meatballs
1) Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil until tender and starting to brown. Add the tomatoes then continue frying until there is no liquid left in the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
2) In a large bowl, add the beef, pork, ricotta, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, thyme, parsley, soy sauce, salt and pepper along with the tomato and onion mixture. Put some gloves on and use your hands to knead the mixture together until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
3) Use your hands to roll the meat into 1 1/2″ balls. The mixture will be pretty loose, so if you have trouble forming it into balls, put it in the fridge for a bit to stiffen up.
4) Heat a frying pan up over medium high heat, then add 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the meatballs in batches, gently rolling them around to maintain their shape until browned on all sides.
5) Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil and set aside for the sauce.
Sauce
1) Sauté the garlic and onions until translucent in the oil that was set aside from the meatballs.
2) Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and salt then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3) Add the meatballs into the tomato sauce along with any collected juices. Turn the heat down to low and gently simmer for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dried Italian spices.
Noodles
1) Boil some spaghetti al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, then toss the pasta together with the sauce. Plate the spaghetti, then top each serving with meatballs, minced parsley and parmesan cheese.

I liked this spaghetti a lot.  We had plenty for leftovers, and I believe that the leftovers were much better than the original meal.  The flavors developed deeper as they sat in my fridge.  In the initial meal, you couldn't really taste the garlic, so I've changed the amount in the recipe to reflect what I believe would be a better amount.  The meatballs were great.  I thought that there were maybe too many ingredients and the flavors would be overpowering, but they all worked together.  I'll definitely make this recipe again, especially when tomatoes are in season.

Check out the links below to see additional Spaghetti with Red Sauce recipes:

Steak Taco Salads

When menu planning for meals around Christmas, I was looking for things that were simple.  Tasty meals that would come together without much effort.

I ran across this recipe for Taco Salads that I thought sounded good, and getting the taco salad ingredients took about ten minutes to chop and dice, so dinner was on the table in no time.  This recipe resulted in one of the most flavorful taco salads that have ever crossed my table.

Steak Taco Salads
slightly adapted from For the Love of Cooking (individual links to each recipe below)
Ingredients
Marinade for steak
1 1/2 - 2 lbs of flank steak
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
2 limes, juiced
4-5 cloves garlic minced

Directions
1) Combine all ingredients and mix really well.  Let steak marinate between 6 and 24 hours. 

Taco Salad
Flour tortilla, baked into a bowl
Flank steak, marinated for at least 6 hours 
Lettuce, chopped
Black beans, rinsed, drained and warmed
100 calorie snack packs of guacamole (my avacado didn't end up being good)
Cherry tomatoes, diced
Black olives, sliced
Red onion, diced
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Green onions, diced
cheese, grated
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions

1) Drape a foil square over the top of each can.
2) Fill a pizza pan or another rimmed container with about 1/2 inch of warm water and add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil.
3) Quickly immerse a tortilla in water and then lift out and drape over the foil on the empty food can.
4)  Bake the shell in a preheated 450 degree oven until they're light brown and firm, about 10 minutes.
5)  Carefully lift the shells off the cans and flip them over so that they brown the part that was on the can.  Bake for 1-2 more minutes.
7) Grill or broil your steak until it reaches desired temperature.
6) Layer all the taco salad ingredients in the tortilla and enjoy.

I liked all of the flavors of the taco salad.  Each individual ingredient contributed some sort of flavor profile to the taco salad.  There are a lot of ingredients, but it is definitely worth it for this Taco Salad.  The meat was juicy and flavorful.  The only thing that I didn't like about this recipe was how prominent the soy sauce was in the marinade.  I would reduce the amount of soy sauce by quite a bit.  The soy sauce flavor just confused my taste buds because it seemed like a Mexican food recipe, but I kept tasting soy sauce.  Other than that one item, everything tasted fantastic.

Reuben Burgers

I have to admit that I absolutely hate Reuben sandwiches.  There is just something about the meat and the marbled rye bread that I can't eat.  I've even tried making variations of the Reuben and still have not found a Reuben that I like.

Unfortunately, the Reuben is THE sandwich for my husband.  If we go out to eat and there is a Reuben on the menu, you don't even have to ask him what he's getting, you could pretty much order them for him.

Last week, I was meal planning and thought that this recipe looked like a great spin-off.  It had everything I liked from the Reuben while eliminating everything I couldn't stand.  So I thought I'd put it on the menu.



Reuben Burgers
Adapted from The Cookaholic Wife
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 white onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup cooked sauerkraut
4-5 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
2 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
8 slices Jewish rye bread

Directions
1) Form the ground beef into long, rectangle shaped patties and sprinkle with garlic salt.
2) Add the sauerkraut to a small saucepan and warm over low heat.
3) Add the olive oil to a saute pan along with the onion and cook until onions are cooked through and soft.
4) In a small bowl, combine the Thousand Island dressing and the prepared horseradish.
5) Place the patties on the grill and cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
6) Toast the bread for the burgers.
7) Once the burgers are done, top with a slice of Swiss cheese and let melt over the burger.
8) Remove the burgers from the grill and set on a plate.
9) Spread the dressing and horseradish mixture on the insides of the bread, place the burger on one side, top with an onion slice and some of the prepared sauerkraut. Top with the other slice of bread and cut in half.
            

I loved these burgers.  I thought it brought to the table everything that I liked from the classic sandwich and enhanced it.  The best part is that Jacob loved it too.  I think that it was similar enough to the sandwich that Reuben needs were met.  So, we were both happy.

I used a horseradish sauce when making mine (because the grocery store didn't have regular horseradish) and unfortunately I couldn't taste much of the horseradish.  I like horseradish though, so next time I may increase the amount of horseradish in the sauce mixture.

The bread held up well with all the ingredients, but it is still messy.  I guess that is what it makes it great American food, right?  It isn't great unless you're licking your fingers afterwards. :)

Green Chile Cheeseburgers

At our Farmer's market, there are several people who fire roast green chiles.  As you're walking through the market it just smells so great that you can't help but stop and buy a bag of them.  One of my favorite recipes to use green chiles in is Green Chile Cheeseburgers.  They are just so juicy and the flavor combination is just irresistable.

Green Chile Cheeseburgers
adapted from the Cook this, Not that! cookbook

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef or brisket
1 can of roasted green chile, drained and chopped (I used three chiles from the farmer's market)
4 slices of pepperjack cheese
4 buns (we like to use fresh bakery buns from our grocery store)
4 slices of tomato
4 slices of onion
salt and pepper
cumin
cilantro

Directions
1) Heat a grill, or stovetop grill pan (I've even used our panini maker before).  Season the meat with salt and pepper, a pinch of cumin, and a pinch of cilantro.
2) When the grill or pan is hot,  add the burgers.  Cook for about 5 minutes on the first sid (until nicely charred), then flip the burger and immediately top with the chiles and the cheese (the recipe from the cookbook calls for swiss which also tastes really good).  For medium rare burgers, cook about 4 minutes longer, for other temperatures, cook longer.  Remove the burgers and toast the buns on the grill or pan.

The cilantro and cumin are both really strong flavors in the burger and make it different than your everyday cheeseburger from the grill.  The pepperjack cheese gives the burger a little bit of heat but just adds another kick to the flavors popping in your mouth.  This burger is amazing and can be served with any of your favorite side dishes.

Bulgoki- Korean Beef BBQ

The theme for this Recipe Swap was Asian food.  My last experience with Asian food (Thai lettuce wraps) was a massive flop in my house, so I was looking for redemption from a bad meal.

I put together the marinade the night before.  The smells of the soy sauce and sesame oil quickly filled my kitchen.  Jacob came in and made a comment about how the marinade was a lot like the marinade for homemade beef jerky.  Which quickly scared me that the steaks would taste like warm beef jerky.  I let the flank steaks marinate over night in the mixture.

Jacob loved them.  He kept talking about how great the marinade was.  I thought they were good, just a little sweeter than I expected.  I did really like the addition of the green onion and the sesame seeds.  The seeds gave it that crunch, and the onion pieces offset the sweetness of the marinade.  I served it over a bed of rice, just something simple since I knew the marinade would be pretty strong.   I think this will definitely be a dish that will be made again.

Recipe from macau1ce on TheNest

• 3-5lbs of flank steak or beef ribs
• 12 oz soy sauce
• 6 oz sesame oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• A splash or two of hot chili oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bunches of scallions, sliced finely
• 1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds

Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, chili oil, garlic, scallions, and sesame seeds together in medium bowl.

Combined with meat and let marinade for a few hours.

Grill and serve with white rice or with Lettuce as lettuce wraps.