Carne Asada

1 jalapeno, minced

1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 limes, juiced

1 orange, juiced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

½ cup olive oil

2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine.

Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

This recipe can be found here.

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 2/3 cup flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Icing

3/4 cup butter

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

4½ Tbsp milk

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat, set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar together until light, scraping sides frequently. Add in eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix in baking powder and salt.

Turn mixer to low and slowly add in flour. Dough will be thick.

In a microwave safe bowl heat chocolate chips on high in 30 second increments until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds.  Mix melted chocolate directly into cookie dough until evenly mixed.

Drop dough by a measured tablespoon sized mounds onto baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes until cookies just appear set. They will still be very soft on the inside. DO NOT overbake!!

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Icing

In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder and milk over medium heat, whisking until melted together. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar.

Pour icing over cookies and allow icing to set before serving.

Notes

store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

*Make sure not to over bake these cookies. The insides will remain soft and dense if baked correctly.

This recipe can be found here.

Perfect Chocolate Brownies

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature*
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups chopped walnuts

*Before you start the recipe, place eggs in a shallow bowl filled with warm tap water to bring to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and cocoa powder and gently whisk together.

Using a double boiler (place a glass mixing bowl on top of a pot of simmering water) melt chopped chocolate,  and butter.  Stir until melted and smooth.  

Remove glass bowl from the double boiler and add granulated and brown sugars.  Whisk until smooth.  As you whisk, the mixture should cool off, eventually coming close to room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.  Add the remaining 2 eggs and vanilla, and continue whisking until just until everything is incorporated.   Don’t over-mix at this stage.  Gently stir in walnuts.

Sprinkle flour mixture into chocolate mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold and stir flour mixture just until incorporated.  

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time.  Remove from oven when a toothpick comes out of center with a few crumbs still attached.  Cool completely. 

This recipe can be found here.

Black Bean Burger

2 cans (14.5 oz.) seasoned black beans or 28 oz. of black beans

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated white onion

1 egg

½ tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper

hot sauce

sliced swiss cheese

olive oil

butter

4 hamburger buns

Drain, but do not rinse, the black beans. Place them in a bowl and use a fork to mash them. Keep mashing until they're mostly broken up, but still have some whole beans visible.

Add the breadcrumbs, onion, egg, chili powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir until everything is combined, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil with an equal amount of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Form the bean mixture into patties slightly larger than the buns you're using (the patties will not shrink when they cook.) Place the patties in the skillet and cook them about 5 minutes on the first side. Flip them to the other side, place 2 slices of cheese onto each patty, and continue cooking them for another 5 minutes, or until the burgers are heated through. (Place a lid on the skillet to help the cheese melt if needed.)

Grill the buns on a griddle with a little butter until golden. 

This recipe can be found here.

Black Beans

(picture: before it was cooked)

1 pound dried black beans

4 cups chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1½ tsps. chili powder, plus more if needed

1½ tsps. cumin, plus more if needed

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more if needed

Place the beans in a bowl or pot, cover with cold water and allow to soak overnight. Drain and rinse before proceeding. (Alternatively, add the beans to a medium pot and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow the beans to sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans and rinse them with cold water before proceeding.)

In a medium pot, add the soaked beans, chicken broth, 2 cups water, the garlic, onions and green, red and yellow bell peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1½ hours. Then add the chili powder, cumin and salt and stir. Cover and continue simmering until the liquid level is to your liking, about another hour. Taste for seasoning and add more of what it needs.

This recipe can be found here.

Lasagna Roll Ups

20 whole lasagna noodles

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 whole onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs.  ground beef or Italian Sausage or any combination of similar meats

2 can spaghetti sauce

1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. basil

 Filling

30 oz. cottage cheese

2 eggs

3/4 cups parmesan cheese

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. basil

2 cups grated mozzarella

Preparation Instructions

Boil lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of foil.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the meat and stir it around, cooking it until totally browned. Drain excess fat, then add spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Make the filling by combining cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil. Stir to combine.

To assemble, spoon a layer sauce into the bottom of disposable foil loaf pans. Spread 2-3 tablespoons the cottage cheese filling on each noodle, and then roll them up. Lay them sideways in the pans (4 will fit in the loaf pans.) Top with remaining sauce, plenty of grated mozzarella, and some grated Parmesan.

If baking immediately, bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

If baking from a frozen state, bake, covered in foil, at 350 for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for 15 minutes, or until lasagna is done.

This recipe is a variation of the one found here.

Cranberry Chicken

3-4 lbs of chicken breasts

1 can (15ish oz.) cranberry sauce (whole berry or jelly)
1 small bottle (8 oz.)  Catalina or Russian dressing
1 packet of onion soup mix

Combine the ingredients and pour it over several of raw chicken breasts. Freeze batches of chicken in desired amounts

Thaw the chicken, place in a baking dish and then bake at 350° for an hour or until chicken is done.

I have no clue where i got this recipe!

Ground Mustard and Garlic Vinaigrette

¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

2 green onions, firm parts only, trimmed of the white “furry” ends
4-5 cloves of garlic
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar or honey
2 Tbsp. coarse grain mustard
1 c. canola oil

In the jar of your blender, combine all the ingredients except for the oil. Blend on high. While the blender is running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream.

If possible, refrigerate the dressing for a few hours before serving.

If you prefer a more “rustic” vinaigrette, pulse the ingredients together in the blender and then pulse the oil in in larger quantities. Transfer to a lidded container and shake vigorously before serving. 

This recipe can be found here.

Mini Lemon Loaves

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
1 large lemon, zested {5 teaspoons, approximately}
1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted {which ends up being about 1 3/4 cup sifted flour}
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk

glaze:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray mini pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream. Scrape sides and mix again. With mixer on low speed, incorporate all dry ingredients until just combined, then stir in milk. Scrape sides and mix a few more times by hand.

Spoon batter equally into prepared pans. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and are baked thoroughly.

While lemon loaves are baking, mix ingredients together for glaze and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so to dissolve sugar into lemon juice. The glaze is done once the sugar has dissolved.

Once loaves come out of the oven, cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pans. Spoon glaze over loaves and continue to cool completely. Store in air tight containers until ready to serve.

This recipe can be found here. 

Asian Cabbage Salad

1 (14 oz.) bag coleslaw mix

1 rib celery, sliced

½ cucumber, sliced

1 small handful sugar snap peas (about 20 baby ones)

½ red bell pepper, sliced

¼ of a small red onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds*

1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*

Optional: 1 ½ cup cooked, shredded or diced chicken

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. soy sauce

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. black pepper

* To toast almonds or sesame seeds, place them (not together, do one thing at a time!) in a dry skillet over medium heat. Turn constantly until golden brown. Let cool before using.

Begin by making dressing. Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Place all salad ingredients in a bowl

You need to pour on the dressing and toss to coat. Place salad in the fridge to sit for 30-60 minutes. 

Right before serving mix in toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

Find the recipe here.