Monday, December 9, 2024

Crispy Ranch & Lemon Roasted Sprouts

 

1½ lbs Brussels sprouts

cup oil olive oil

3 tsp. ranch seasoning powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

⅛ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ tsp. zest of lemon

3 tsp. fresh lemon juice

cup sliced almonds

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut off the hard ends of the brussels sprouts. Remove any yellow outer leaves.

Cut in half. Rinse under cold water. Drain and dry well on a kitchen towel.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil, ranch powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Add in Brussels sprouts. Using your hands, toss and coat the sprouts well in the seasoned oil mixture.

Transfer to 2 large baking sheets, with parchment paper. Oil the parchment paper well with vegetable oil. Place facing the cut side down on the sheet about 1½-2 inches apart. Discard any fallen out leaves.

Bake in oven 18-25 minutes.

With 5 minutes remaining, add the almonds.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and salt.


This recipe can be found here.


Friday, November 22, 2024

Favorite Quinoa Salad

 

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

¾ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

½ tsp. fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Cook quinoa in 2 cups water.

In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.

Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.


This recipe can be found here.


Monday, October 2, 2023

Almond Cake

 

½ cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup flour

1½ Tbsp. almond extract

½ cup slivered almonds

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch square pan or 8-inch pie pan.

Cream eggs and butter in a medium bowl. Add sugar, flour, and almond extract; pour into pan.

Sprinkle with slivered almonds and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.


This recipe can be found here

Beef Stroganoff

 

1 lb. top sirloin, tenderloin, or flank steak
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. real butter, divided
8 oz sliced brown cremini mushrooms
¾ cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup warm water
1 tsp. beef bouillon granules or 1 bouillon cube*
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ cup sour cream

Extra wide egg noodles, or rice, for serving


Slice steak into thin ¼-inch strips.  Slice against the grain of the meat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to pan.  Sauté for 5-8 minutes until mushrooms are browned and onions are very tender.  Remove mushrooms, onions, and garlic from pan and set aside.

Slightly increase heat on pan and melt the remaining Tbsp. of butter.  Add beef and sauté, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until pink is no longer visible.

While beef is cooking, whisk water, bouillon, flour, and Worcestershire sauce together until smooth.  Add this mixture to the beef and return the mushroom mixture to the pan as well.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes to thicken.  Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream.  Add additional salt and black pepper to taste.  Serve over egg noodles or white rice.


This recipe can be found here.

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Serenity Cookies

 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Pull the butter out of the refrigerator to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before using.

Whisk together the flour, powdered milk, salt, baking soda, and allspice in a medium bowl, and set aside.

Add 10 tablespoons butter to a skillet and cook over medium heat until melted. Continue cooking and stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes until brown bits start to form in the bottom of the pan, the top is foamy, and it has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until melted.

Transfer the butter to a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment.  Add the sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter and mix to combine.

Add egg and yolk and mix for 30 seconds. Let rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times. When done, the batter should be smooth, thick, and shiny – almost like caramel sauce.

Use paddle attachment to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients for 1 minute. The dough will seem very soft.  Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scoop the dough with a scoop about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 7-9 minutes, rotating halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.


Find the recipe here

Monday, July 10, 2023

Butterscotch Spice Crinkle Cookies

 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2½ cups flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

1¼ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. salt

2 cups butterscotch chips

Powdered sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix well. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll balls in powdered sugar to coat heavily. Place dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cookies begin to crack and edges are golden. Do not overbake. Cool slightly on cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.


I added 1 cup toffee bits and 1 cup walnuts.


This recipe can be found here.

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs

 

1½ lbs country style pork ribs (boneless)

½ tsp. each, salt & pepper

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

½ cup+ BBQ sauce

 

Preheat your oven to 350° and trim any excess fat cap (an even layer of thick fat) from your boneless country style pork ribs as needed.

Season both sides of the country style ribs with salt and pepper, then arrange them on a couple of sheets of aluminum foil (large enough sheets to wrap around your pork ribs and seal securely). Place the foil with the ribs into a baking dish or onto a rimmed baking sheet.

Create the 'pouch' around your seasoned country style ribs, pulling up the sides so it will hold in the liquid, then pour the apple cider vinegar over the ribs. Seal the aluminum foil securely.

Bake at 350°F for 2 hours or until your pork ribs are fork tender.

Remove from the oven and open the aluminum foil carefully (vent the steam away from your body!). Transfer the pork ribs to a clean sheet of aluminum foil and drain the fat from your baking dish or sheet pan, then discard the used aluminum foil.

Move the ribs back into your baking dish and coat all sides of the pork ribs generously with the BBQ sauce. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven when done and allow the pork ribs to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Slather with more BBQ sauce if desired.


This recipe can be found here.

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 cups flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup caramel chips

1 cup toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and then set aside.

Add butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla to a large bowl. Beat over medium speed until nice and creamy, about 1 minute.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the baking soda, salt, and flour. Gradually add the dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture, beating over low speed. Scrape the bowl then beat over medium speed for another 30 seconds until well-combined.

Add chocolate chips, caramel chips, and pecans to the dough and then stir to combine. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove from oven and allow cookies to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy!


This recipe can be found here

Friday, June 23, 2023

No Bean 30 Minute Chili

 

2 lbs ground beef

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

30 oz canned diced tomatoes

6 oz tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

1½ Tbsp. chili powder

1½ tsp. paprika

1½ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

4 Tbsp. garlic, minced

 

Add your ground beef to a large stock pot. Use your spatula to crumble the beef. Add in your chopped green pepper and onion. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned.

Drain the grease before moving on to the next step.

Once your ground beef is cooked it's time to add the other ingredients to the pot. Stir. Cover and let simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.

Taste. Add extra salt or pepper if that's your preference. Top with green onions, avocado, cilantro, or onion. Enjoy!


This recipe can be found here.

Sunday, April 9, 2023

Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

 

1½ cups white sugar

1 cup butter

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 cups peanut butter chips

 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease or line cookie sheets.

Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat the first egg into butter mixture. Beat in the second egg along with vanilla extract.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture until just combined. Fold in peanut butter chips. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until edges are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


This recipe can be found here.