Beef Stroganoff - in the crockpot

This is a new recipe for me that I found online on one of my searches. This is how I tend to find a lot of the things I cook because I will have a craving and I just start searching until I find a recipe that looks like it will be a good one.

I loved the beef sirloin tip in this dish. So tender and tons of flavor. I bought the thinly sliced ones at my local grocery store. It called for 1 1/2 lbs. of meat, but I could only find packages that were either just a little over a pound, or 3 lbs or more. I opted to have a little less meat and I also skipped out on the mushrooms that this recipe called for. But if you like them, I'm sure it would give a lot more fullness to this dish. It was very rich and a bit tangy. It calls for 2 Tbsp of Mustard that you add at the end along with some flour, water and an 8 oz carton of sour cream (I opted for Light S.C.). So, I think that the Mustard and also the Worcestershire gives it some real zip. I really liked it at first, but couldn't decide if I loved it. It was a different flavor for me. But I think it kept growing on me because I couldn't keep out of it. I am craving the rich flavor and am REALLY looking forward to diving into my leftovers tomorrow.

Here's a link to the recipe. Please let me know if you try this one. I love hearing feedback and if you guys loved or hated the dish and if you are enjoying the food I am posting. Interaction is my favorite part about blogging, so don't be silent out there. :-)



Parents Review: One thumb up. David was working tonight, so he hasn't had any yet, but I LOVE it. I think he will too!

Kids Review: Little Girl gagged and made all this drama when she half licked at it, but then I forced her to chew and swallow a real piece and she changed her tune and said, "MMMM. Now that was really great!" Such a stinker. Baby Boy gobbled it up. They both love red meat. We don't eat it all that often, but when we do, they both tend to be happy campers!

Favorite Brownies

You already have the recipe for the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on the left of this tray, but you're going to need this new recipe too. I have been making these basic, chocolatey, chewy and soft brownies with big chunks of chocolate for about 14 years. I got this recipe out of one of the early cookbooks I purchased in the newlywed stage of my life. It is one of the many recipes that I have come to love from this old book.

Here it is:

Favorite Brownies:

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (or egg substitute)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, butter and vanilla. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients, then add to sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in an 8 inch square pan. Bake for 35 minutes.



Parents and Kids Review: Seconds, please??? Love!!!

Baked Brown Rice & Asparagus Side Dish

I made one of my favorite recipes for dinner tonight - Cheddar, Cranberry, Apple Turkey Meatballs in the Crock pot. They were the best ones I've ever done before. So, so good.

I paired it with Brown Rice and tried making it a little differently. I found this recipe that tells you how to BAKE the rice instead of cooking it on the stovetop. My rice usually comes out a little mushy or dry or something that's not quite right. I'd heard about this different method and wanted to try it. Alton Brown from The Food Network has this recipe that I used tonight. It was so easy and David and I loved it. The only thing I did differently was I used half beef broth and half water when they called for all water. SO YUMMY!!

Then, I made the asparagus that you see in the picture above. Here's the simple recipe for these. It was easy and had a ton of flavor. It was such a nice change from just steaming it or roasting it, which is what I normally do.

I hope you enjoy these. Let me know what you think!

Parents Review: I will start baking my rice like this forever and always. I also love the asparagus prepared this way. Will do it again.

Kids Review: Asked for seconds and thirds of the rice. They wanted nothing to do with the Asparagus this way, but they gobbled up some plain steamed asparagus.

Bird's Egg Nest

I made these cute little treats with my daughter today so that she would have something to welcome Spring in to give to her teachers at school.

Aren't they cute? They're super easy too.

Here's how to make them.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

12 oz. package chow mein noodles
12 oz. package butterscotch morsels
1/2 Cup of Peanut butter (I added this - it didn't call for it in the original recipe)
90 egg-shaped candies (I used Cadbury chocolate eggs)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Pour the butterscotch morsels and p.butter in a microwave-safe bowl and place them in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds then remove to stir. Return to the microwave and heat again for 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Add in the chow mein noodles and mix till combined. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to portion out the cookies onto the baking sheet. If the mixture starts to solidify in the mixing bowl, you can reheat for 15 to 30 seconds to melt. Place three egg-shaped candies in the center of each cookie. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving or transferring.

Done.

Parents Review: They are yummy! They taste like the haystacks my mom and I make for Christmas time.
Kids Review: It's sugar. They loved it.

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

David and I really like Salmon. There are many, many ways to cook salmon. This is just one of those ways.

Ingredients

1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.

2. Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

Tips: How to skin a salmon fillet: Place salmon fillet on a clean cutting board, skin-side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

To toast seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.


I didn't toast the sesame seeds on this batch because I was out, but they really do add a lot of flavor. I usually like to serve my salmon with a baked potato and broccoli. Yummy!

Parents Review: Great meal! Another great way to cook salmon is just in a little olive oil in a frying pan. Sear on both sides until cooked through and salt and pepper. Squeeze with lemon when cooked. Make a quick sauce of mayo, chopped pickles and some of the juice and put it in the fridge an hour or so before you eat. It's such a great little tartar sauce for your salmon.

Kids Review: They both love salmon. Little Girl just needs ketchup to dip it in.
:-)

barbecue pork sandwiches

It's another Crockpot recipe! My friend Carli told me how to do this way back when and I loved how easy and tasty this one was. And when I see easy, I mean EAAAAAAAA-SY.

Throw your pork roast (I like Pork Sirloin Roast) into the crockpot on low and cook it in either apple juice or apple cider vinegar. The latter one stinks a little bit while cooking, but it totally moistens your meat and makes it tasty and juicy. Let it cook all day and the last hour - throw in your favorite barbecue sauce after shredding your meat up with 2 forks. Let it get all warmed up and yummy and throw it on top of your favorite bun or bread.

I served mine with potato wedges and broccoli and loved it.


Parents Review: I have only tried it with the vinegar and would really like to try the apple juice next time. It is very tasty and it's fun because it's different than what I usually make.

Kids Review: They both really liked it!

Easy Chicken Taco Night - Crock pot style

I love Easy.

I love chicken.

I love taco Night.

I love my crockpot.

This recipe is a total home-run in my book. I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite sites - A year of Slow Cooking. It's all crockpot - all the time. Love this site!!

Here's a pic of the results in your crock pot after slaving away cooking for several hours on your countertop.

I literally threw a couple of half frozen chicken breasts in the crock with all the ingredients. I also threw in about 1/4 cup of taco seasoning too. I know the recipe has that as an option and I just thought it would be more flavorful that way. After it cooked for about 5 or 6 hours - I just opened it up and shredded the chicken with a fork and stirred it all up.

Here's a link to the recipe

Parents review: We enjoyed it. It was so easy and I just added some of my Trader Joe's salsa verde on top, along with sour cream, cheese and guacamole or avocado. Really great.

Kids Review: Baby Boy loved it and gobbled it up. Little Girl hated that it was "all mixed together". She took 3 bites and then ate chips with it, which was good enough for me that night.