Beef with Broccoli

As I have said before we love all forms of Chinese cuisine in this house. I am always on the look out for new yummy recipes to try. I found a recipe for a broccoli side dish that said you could add chicken or shrimp to it and make it the main dish. It looked really yummy. I highly adapted the recipe just because I like to do that and came up with a yummy main course. If you need a new Chinese recipe give this baby a try. So yummy!!!

Beef With Broccoli

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 T garlic

9 cup broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

1 T sesame oil

Sauce:

2 cans chicken broth

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

5 1/2 T. Sesame oil

5 1/2 T. cornstarch

Sriracha Sauce to taste(depending on how spicy you like it)

 

Brown the beef in a large skillet. Drain the grease well and set the meat aside. Then add the 1 T. sesame oil, broccoli, onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until veggies are crisp tender. In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together. Pour over the broccoli, add the beef back in and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 10-20 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the veggies reach your desired tenderness. It you like more of a bite to your broccoli simmer only 10 minutes if you like it soft simmer it longer. Serve over Rice.

This can feed 8-10 people so cut the recipe in half if you don't want that much!!!

 

 If you want an all veggie dish them don't add the beef- just use more 

 broccoli or add another veggie with it like bell peppers or cauliflower

 

You can also do this with chicken or shrimp.

 

Recipe Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

 I am one of those who usually hates flat cookies. I love my cookies to have some depth and heigth to them. I love them to be chuck full of chocolate, nuts, etc. as well. When I came across these cookies I was skeptical at first to try them out but man oh man they were awesome. I have to say they are my husband's favorite cookie other than a regular chocolate chip one. So please Don't let these flat cookies fool you like they almost did me. They are awesome. Soft and chewy, so good!!

 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup plus 2 T. flour(I often use white whole wheat flour)

3 cups oats(old fashioned or quick)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup wheat germ(optional)

1 package mini chocolate chips(I prefer mini chips or chopped up chocolate)

 

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, wheat germ, and chocolate chip. Mix well. Roll into balls and place on a greased or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 11-13 minutes. Don't over bake. All ovens cook different so adjust accordingly to your oven. Let sit on pan for 5 minutes then remove to cooling rack. Eat with a glass of milk or ice cream. Yum!!!

Balsamic Pesto Pasta

I am always looking for new pasta recipes. We love pasta in our house and I for one get tired of always having spaghetti and Alfredo so I when I came across this I just knew I needed to try this out. Now the rest of my family are a red or white sauce kind of bunch but they even liked this pasta and gave it the thumbs up to appear again on our table. So yeah for me!!! If you need a new way to make pasta this is simple and so tasty.  We served it with salad and the homemade French bread I posted just a couple of days ago!! Yum!!

Balsamic Pesto Pasta

1 cup pesto

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 chicken breasts, cut in to bite size pieces

1 lb box penne or rotini

3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

4 T. fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

 

Place the first 6 ingredients in a Ziploc bag and marinate all day or at least 2 hours in the fridge. After you marinate the chicken all day. Take out of fridge, dump all contents into a skillet and cook with 1 T. of olive oil until cooked through. Cook pasta according to package directions. Mix together the tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the cooked chicken, cooked pasta, and the tomato mixture well. Add 1 cup of the cheese and mix well. Place in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Cover with remaining cheese and Bake at 325 degrees until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly around the edges. About 20 minutes.

 

Recipe Source: adapted from Thirty Handmade Days

 

 

French Bread Numero Dos

I know I already have a French bread recipe on this blog but if you know me at all I like to try a lot of different recipes. I enjoy trying new things and I love love love all bread!!! Kind of a weakness for me next to sweets, of course, but at least when you make bread at home you control what type of ingredients go in it and hey lets face it homemade bread is divine. Those of you out there that are scared of making your own bread just try it. It takes practice but once you get the hang of it, it is so easy and might I add cheap!!!

 

French Bread

2 1/4 cup warm water

2 T. sugar

1 T.yeast

1 T. salt

2 T. oil

5 1/2-6 cups flour( I used half white half wheat)

 

In a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, combine the water, sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture activate(get bubbly and foamy) for 8-10 minutes. If using instant yeast, proceed with the recipe no need to let the yeast activate. Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of the flour and mix. Add the 2 1/2-3 cups more of flour gradually. The dough should clean off the side of the bowl and not be too sticky but it should still be soft. Knead for 5 minutes with the dough hook or 10 minutes with your hands until you have a soft smooth dough. Leave the dough in the mixer or bowl to rest for 10 minutes. Then stir it down(turn on the mixer for 10 seconds or stir down with a wooden spoon) and then allow it to rest for another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a 9x13 inch rectangle. Roll the dough up starting at the long edge(like a jelly roll)and pinch the seam to seal. Repeat with the second piece of dough and place them on a large cookie sheet (equal distance apart) lined with parchment or silpat liner(or cooking spray if you don't have either of the other two) Cover the loaves and let raise until doubled in size. Mine took an hour. With a very sharp knife cut 3-4 gashes at an angle in the top of each loaf. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden and baked through.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chicken Pot Pie

 

I don't know about you all but when I think of Chicken Pot Pie I think of those little frozen individual pies that we all ate growing up. They were cheap and all you had to do was take them out of the box and pop them in the oven. I remember loving them as a kid but as a grown up not so much!! Plus they are not very good for you just like most premade prepackaged things. I have been making homemade chicken pot pie for years but have yet to add the recipe to this blog. It has been several years since I have made this yummy comfort food and so last night I decided to make it for dinner. I got the recipe from my Sister's Sister-in-law. I changed it up a little bit for my families liking and it sure is tasty. Feel free to change the veggies to what your family likes and will eat. But do give this a try it is so much better than a premade frozen one believe me.

 

Chicken Pot Pie

2 T. butter

2T olive oil

2 chicken breast, cubed

Salt and Pepper

2 cups carrots, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

2 large potatoes, diced and cooked(I used leftover baked potatoes from the night before dinner)

1 large onion, chopped

1 T garlic, minced

1 cup peas, or corn or green beans(I use frozen)if you use fresh add them when cooking the carrots, celery and onion

Salt and pepper

6 T butter

6 T. flour

1/2 cup  half n half or cream

2 cups or 1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

Salt and Pepper

2 store bought pie crusts or homemade (enough to cover a 9x13 inch pan)

1 egg, beaten

 

In a large skillet, heat the butter an oil up, then add the chicken and salt and pepper to taste and sauté until cooked through. Then add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and cook until veggies are just about soft and tender. Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked potatoes and frozen peas, corn or green beans or a combination of them and cook till they are heated through. Remove the chicken veggie mixture from pan. Add the 6 T butter and melt then whisk in the flour and cook for one minute creating a roux. Make sure it is bubbling gently for the one minute. Then whisk in the cream and chicken broth and whisk till smooth and thick like gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste. THen dump the chicken veggie mixture back into the pan with the gravy and mix well. Dump into a 9x13 inch pan and top with a rectangle pie crust to cover the top. Make sure to cut holes in the crust to vent. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until heated through and crust is a golden brown. I have used both store bought and homemade. when I use store bought I use both crusts , put them together and roll out in to a rectangle. If I use homemade I make enough to cover the top of the 9x13 pan. I only put a top crust on because we like more filling than crust in our house. If you like a lot of crust put some on the bottom of pan, then add the filling and place a crust on top.

Coconut Curry Stew

Well it has been fairly chilly here the last week or so. Now I know a lot of the U.S. has been below 0 temperatures and what we have here isn't near as cold but for us who are use to 60 degree weather 30 degrees in the morning when we wake up is fairly chilly.  So I decided we needed soup for dinner. When I stumbled across this recipe over at In the little red house I knew we had to try it out. We love curry so I knew we would love this. I adapted it quite a bit to our liking and all my family loved it. Pure comfort food in my opinion especially when served with homemade Naan. So tasty. If you love Indian food or curry for that matter please go make this!!!

 

Coconut Curry Stew

(adapted from in the little red house)

2 T. coconut oil or any oil you have

2 chicken breasts, diced

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 cups carrots, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

2 T. garlic, minced

1 T. grated or minced ginger

2 T. curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

4 T red curry paste(can be found almost anywhere)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained

1 1/2 cup dry lentils

1(6 oz) can tomato paste

1 can chicken broth

5 cups water

1 can coconut milk(I use full fat not light)

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

chopped cilantro for garnish

 

Heat oil in a large pot. When hot add the chicken and cook until almost cooked through. Add the onion, carrots, jalapeno, garlic and ginger and cook until veggies begin to be tender. Add the curry powder,  garam masala, curry paste, salt, and pepper and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Then add the garbanzo bean, lentils, broth, water, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Serve with a sprinkle  cilantro and naan bread.

 

 

 

 

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

My family and I love oatmeal and granola. Ok lets be honest we love anything with oats in it. We are always looking for new varieties of oatmeal and granola to try so when I spied this recipe over at Sweet Luvin in the Kitchen I new I had to give it a try. Let me tell you this stuff is so good. It come together really fast, tastes amazing and you can store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat the next couple of mornings for a fast, hearty, and healthy breakfast that will keep you and your kids full longer than a bowl of sugar cereal will. Now we still eat the sugary cereal in this house but we try to limit our intake of it and I am so happy my kids will eat pretty much anything I put in front of them and love it. If  you are in a breakfast rut go give this recipe a try.

 

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

adapted from Sweet Luvin in the Kitchen

1 can coconut milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

(I used coconut oil, melted but canola or vegetable oil will work)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 T. vanilla

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 T. baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice(recipe follows for home made)

1 cup coconut

6 cups oats

 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside. In a bowl combine the coconut milk, egg, oil, pumpkin, vanilla, and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and well incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to coat evenly. Spread into the greased pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm with milk, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds, craisins, pomegranates, dark chocolate chips, coconut, etc. We served ours with nuts, chocolate, pomegranates, and milk. Next time I am going to add 1/2 cup of milled flax seeds to the mixture before baking.

 Pumpkin Pie Spice

3 T cinnamon

2 tsp. ginger

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp allspice

Mix all together and store in an air tight container. Way cheaper than buying it at the store.

Pumpkin Cornbread

It is fall the weather is cooler and with that comes soup season. I love a good bowl of soup/stew/chili when the weather is cool and nothing is better than some fresh made bread or cornbread to go along with it. I stumbled across this gem of a recipe over at In the Little Red House and knew I had to give it a try. This stuff was awesome!!! Nothing says fall like pumpkin and cornbread!! It was genius to put them together. If you love Pumpkin and you love cornbread give this recipe a try you will love it I am sure!!!

 

Pumpkin Cornbread

(adapted from In the little red House)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon,optional(I didn't  use it)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup pumpkin puree

 

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined. Pour into a well greased 8 or 9 inch square pan and Bake at 350 for 20 -25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve with your favorite soup. SLather with butter and honey if desired.

 

Note: Many cornbread recipes tell you to cook it at a high temp like 400-425 but I find that it makes the outside cook too fast and I hate when the sides are overcooked so I cook it at a lower temp for longer time. All ovens vary in temp so just watch it to make sure you don't cook it to long!! if you want a 9x13 pan size than double the recipe. I always double for my family cause we love cornbread!!

 

Baked Pasta with Smoked Sausage

Last night I was searching for something different to make for dinner than our usual fare and went to one of my most trusted websites for awesome recipes, Mel' s Kitchen café. I decided on this pasta and my family and I loved it. Very easy to put together and tasty. My little family of 5 ate 3/4 of a heaping 9x13 inch pan of pasta!! if you need a new pasta dish or even just an easy meal go give this one a try. Would be perfect for a freezer meal, potluck or when you need to take dinner to someone.

 

Baked Pasta with Smoked Sausage

(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Café)

1 T. olive oil

1 large red onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

2 T. minced garlic

1(14.5 oz)can diced tomatoes

1(28 oz)can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 lb rigatoni, rotini or you pasta of choice

9 oz fresh spinach chopped

12 oz. precooked Hilshire farms smoked sausage. (you can use any brand and turkey or chicken sausage if you wish)found near the hotdogs in all supermarkets, cut into chunks

2-3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parm cheese

 

Boil the pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet or pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and  red pepper and cook until almost tender. Add the garlic and continue to sauté till veggies are cooked. add the diced and crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. lower heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes, I prefer to do it about a  half hour just because the flavors have more time to come together, but do what you have time for. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. add the precooked sausage and cook until they are browned on both sides. Take off heat and set aside. After the sauce as had time to simmer for a little bit add the cream and spinach to the sauce and heat through. Then mix the sauce, sausage, and cooked pasta all together. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and stir well. Dump into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozz cheese and the parm cheese over the top. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until browned and edges are crisp.

Make Ahead method:

Prepare as directed right up to the baking step and then cover with a double layer of foil. Freeze. Bake covered for 1 hour  and 30 minutes, uncover bake 30 minutes more. The dish can also be prepared and refrigerated, covered for up to 12 hours before baking. Bake as directed in the recipe, adding and additional 5-10 minutes if needed

 

 

 

Thai Green Curry Meatballs

We love curry in this house and so when I saw this recipe over at Mel's kitchen Café I was intrigued and wanted to try it out. My hubby was skeptical about the meatballs saying that meatballs and curry don't go together but I decided to try it anyway and it was a success. The kids and hubby loved these yummy curried meatballs as did I.  Next time I make this I am going to do less meatballs and add some cooked diced potatoes to it. just to change it up a little bit.

 

Thai Green Curry Meatballs

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Café

Meatballs:

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/8 cup milk

2 1/2 lbs ground beef(next time I am going to use 1 1/2 lbs ground beef and add 1 lb partially cooked diced potatoes to sauce)

1 T. grated fresh ginger

2 T.   thai green curry paste

1 tsp sugar

1 T. chili garlic paste

1 T. Soy Sauce

1 T. Sriracha Sauce

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 T. minced garlic

3 green onion, white and green parts chopped

2 T. coconut oil, fry browning the meatballs

 

Sauce:

4 cans(13.5 oz each)unsweetened coconut milk

1(4 oz) jar Thai green curry paste

Note: this is the sauce doubled. if you like less sauce cut these ingredients in half but we like it with lots of sauce. also the curry paste, chili garlic paste, and Sriracha sauce can be found at most grocery stores. I get mine at Walmart but you can buy them online as well.

 

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oats and milk. Let the mixture stand and soak for 5-10 minutes. Add the ground beef and all of the rest of the meatball ingredients, except the oil, that is for frying them in. Mix to combine and distribute all the ingredients throughout the meat. Shape the meat mixture into meatballs in the desired size you like. I made mine fairly small so they were easy for the kiddos to eat.    Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or pot. When the oil is hot place, one layer of meatballs in the pan leaving a little room in between each one. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 4 minutes total. They don't need to be cooked all the way through because they will continue cooking while simmering in the sauce. do this to all the meatballs and take out and place on a plate. Drain the excess grease from the pan. Return the pan to medium heat and stir in the coconut milk and the green curry paste, scraping up any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and stirring into the sauce. Place the meatballs in the skillet in the sauce. Pile them all in and if using the potatoes add the partially cooked potatoes as well. Bring to a simmer and simmer the sauce, meatballs and potatoes for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like to simmer mine longer so the flavors have more time to meld together. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over warm rice.