Grilled Thai Beef Salad

I have been trying to eat healthier meals and from looking back on past recipes, I tend to make a lot of fatty meals. So I have a few new recipes I want to try out and I hope M is willing to eat them too. He has maybe 5-10 lbs to lose, if you times his by 5-6, you have what I WANT to lose, not NEED to lose. Bleh, men.

This wasn't too bad. It needs a little something more to the salad... cucumbers? Carrots? Bean sprouts maybe? I dunno, but it lacked some UMPH. The broil was a bit chewy and it was cooked medium. I knew I should have bought flank but the broil was buy one get one free. The dressing was pretty good, but the meat was lightly flavored after a overnight marinade. I would try this again, but adding more to the salad and different seasoning on the steak.

Ingredients:

1 pound top-round London broil or flank steak, about 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce
1/2 head red-leaf lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)
3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup), divided, for garnish
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

Directions:

Rinse and pat the meat dry. Place in a sealable plastic bag or small glass dish. In a medium bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into the bag with the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal tightly, and marinate meat in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Reserve the rest of the mixture refrigerated, to dress the salad.

Spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray and preheat. Grill steak until medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side, depending on desired doneness. Let rest until room temperature then slice thinly against the grain.

Combine lettuce, sliced shallot, cilantro, basil and beef in a salad bowl, reserving a few shallots for garnish. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates and garnish with reserved sliced shallots.

Funfetti Cookies

Funfetti just sounds fun. These little delights are just fun to eat and puts a smile on my face everytime I hear the word "Funfetti" [cake or cookies]. Funfetti cake is one of my favorite cakes when done right. You gotta... I repeat... gotta use Rainbow chip frosting, not the confetti frosting. If you use the confetti frosting, you have ruined the cake! I don't like to crunch my cake... thank.you.very.much. : P

Ingredients:

1 (18.9 oz.) package Pillsbury Funfetti Cake
1/3 cup vegetable Oil
2 large eggs
1/2 (15.6 oz.) can vanilla frosting (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine cake mix, oil and eggs in large bowl. Stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten to 1/4-inch thickness with bottom of glass dipped in flour.

2. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

3. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Quick fish tacos

I always want to try and make fish tacos, but it's kind of hard because M hates fish baked/pan fried/boiled or grilled fish. He likes it deep fried, like a true Southern man. One day I will try the healthier version but until then these make a great substitute.

Ingredients:

1-2 box of frozen battered fish (any brand, you need around 16 pieces)
1 bag of shredded cabbage mix w/carrots
8 corn or flour tortillas
2 limes
Pink Chili Mayo (recipe follows)

Directions:

Bake your fish as directed on the box. I bake enough for each person to have 2-3 tacos and one piece of fish on each taco.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat or you can do this in the microwave. If you do it in the microwave, place the tortillas around a plate and place a damp papertowel and heat for 30 seconds. Warm a corn tortilla in the pan until it softens, about 30 seconds. Place a fish strip on it, top with some of the cabbage mix, and a big dollop of Pink Chili Mayo. Squeeze on some lime juice, roll up, and eat!

Pink Chili Mayo:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Juice 1/2 lime
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the mayonnaise, sour cream, peppers, and lime juice in a blender and process to a puree. Refrigerate the mayo for 1/2 hour to let the flavors to blend; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

M and I love these tacos. When I made the Pink chili mayo, it made a lot more than needed, so I recommend making half unless you plan on eating a lot of fish tacos soon.

Deviled Eggs

You know there are not many of you that can resist these delicious little creatures. You find them mostly at picnics and pot lucks. You think you will only eat two... then BAM! You have devoured 4 eggs total and ready to go back to the platter for more... and I am right behind you for some too. :)



Ingredients:

12 hard-boiled eggs
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 ground black pepper
Paprika to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, salt, garlic, pepper and mustard; mix well. Stuff or pipe into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika.

Refrigerate until serving.

Everyone loves my deviled eggs, yes I have a big head. You may have to tweak things to your liking. I don't measure stuff when I make these so I tried my best on measurements.

Chili Queso Dip

Ingredients:

1 lb Sausage
32 oz Velveeta
10 oz can Rotel
1 cup Onions, diced
4 oz(?) can diced green chilies (optional)
1/2 salsa (optional)

Directions:

In a fry pan cook sausage and onions until done. Drain excess grease if necessary. Cube the Velveeta and add it to a crock pot, then pour the rotel over the cheese, and then the sausage over that; stir until everything is evenly incorporated. Set your slow cooker on high until the cheese is completely melted, then turn to low or warm for serving.

If needed, add some milk to keep the dip creamy.

I got this recipe from Kaitlin in the Kitchen but added the salsa and green chilies. My co-workers and I loved it, it had a lot of flavor and was just a good snack. It makes a lot, so make sure you're hungry or feeding a lot of people.

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves, plus 4 sprigs rosemary, with hard woody stems
5 large garlic cloves, 2 cloves minced, 3 cloves smashed
2 pork tenderloins, about 1-pound each
4 slices maple bacon

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, fresh ground black pepper, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic and mix well. Rub the mustard mixture over the surface of the tenderloins and wrap in plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place rosemary sprigs and smashed garlic in the center of a roasting pan. Remove the plastic wrap from the tenderloins and top each with 2 slices of maple bacon. Tie with kitchen twine to secure bacon strips.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer, inserted in the tenderloins, registers 160 degrees F. Remove from oven when desired doneness is reached and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove kitchen twine, slice and serve with your favorite sides. Garnish with the rosemary sprigs and garlic

This dish made the house smell wonderful. It was a tasty dish, the flavors were delicious and it was not there wasn't so many ingredients. My tenderloins weren't both one pound each, but pretty close. You just have to double check to see if you meat is cooked. I ended up cooking it for around 37 mins.

M was the first to plate his food, there wa bacon missing off an entire tenderloin even though he only took a few slices of it. He loves his bacon.

Cheesy Penne

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh penne pasta
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces aged English white Cheddar, grated
Kosher salt
Fresh finely ground black peppercorns

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, cook until al dente, and drain. Return pasta to the saucepan.

Whisk milk with Dijon in small bowl and add to the pot with cooked pasta, along with cream and grated Cheddar. Stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts and the mixture is nice and thick. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve. Happy indulging!

This recipe was okay, I tend to under season more than over season dishes. I thought I put a lot of salt, but after finally sitting down to eat, there wasn't enough. It was very cheesy to me either. It was a sticky mess and not creamy how I like it. M said is was "okay".

Hello...hello?

::taps microphone:: Anyone still here?

I know I don't have many followers but I want to apologize for not posting in so long. I have only tried a few new recipes lately. I keep ending up going right back to my "regular" dishes every week. Plus I was on vacation for a while and M had to fend for himself. That meant eating cereal, take out and items I had stuffed in the freezer just for him. :)

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 medium bananas mashed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

O.M.G this was so good and very moist. I cooked mine for exactly 60 mins, I bet it could have lasted at least another couple mins. But everyone who tried it loved it. I recommend this recipe.

Apple Stuffed Porkchops

Indgredients:

1/4th chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 box of Stove Top
2 cups chopped apples
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of apple juice
6 (1 1/4 inch) thick pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large skillet saute onion in butter or margarine until tender. Remove from heat. Add the Stove top, apples, celery, apple juice and salt. Mix all together. Cut a large pocket in the side of each pork chop; season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon apple mixture loosely into pockets.

In skillet, heat oil to medium high and brown chops on both sides. Place browned chops in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 25 minutes longer or until juices run clear.

It tasted pretty good. I needed to get rid of apples that were soft and this was quick and easy.