The Marlboro Man Sandwich

This is a recipe from Pioneer Woman or PW has bubar lovingly refers to her:) I have been extremely into beef lately so this really hit the spot for me. E really loved it too. I put the leftovers in a tortilla and that was really good too. Sidenote...I did not use the huge amounts of butter that she did ....I was very minimal and it was still delicious, but I will let you decide for yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
• 2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
• 2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)
• ½ cups (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
• 4 whole French/deli Rolls (earthgrains Are Best!)

Preparation Instructions

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Tried this PW recipe earlier in the week and we both loved it. And it made for some great left over lunches too!

Ingredients
■3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■1 Tablespoon Butter
■2 pounds Stew Meat
■1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
■3 cloves Garlic, Minced
■1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can
■4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)
■2 cups Water (additional, If Needed)
■1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
■2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
■½ teaspoons Paprika
■½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper
■1-½ teaspoon Sugar
■4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
■4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
■Minced Parsley (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.

Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

*UPDATE: The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Caution: This is NOT a healthy recipe. 

I made this yesterday for a little football get-together at my parents house.  I found this recipe online a few months ago and have been wanting to try it, but I haven't had anything to make it for yet.  It tastes just like a jalepeno popper and was really easy to whip together.  It was really good, perfect for a football party!  I served it with tortilla chips, Wheat Thins, and carrot sticks. 

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained

1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained

½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches).  

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined.   Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden.  Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, crackers, or tortilla chips. 

(This is actually very mild despite the jalepenos.  If you wanted to make it spicier you could use jarred or fresh jalepenos instead of canned.  I usually like spicy food, but I liked this mild version since jalepeno poppers are usually very mild.) 

*Sorry I don't have a pic.  My hands were pretty full!

Chicken with Lemon and Green Olives

If you love olives like we do you need to try this. This is a recipe from my Rachael Ray mag and E and I loved it. I made it over a month ago but remembered that I wanted to share it with you. I served it with Indian Naan bread (instead of making couscous) and that was great to sop up all of the juices with. (Just note that if you do use the bread instead of the couscous to go with the chicken you can eliminate all of step one)

• 4 Servings
• 
• Prep 10 min
• 
• Cook 20 min

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons couscous
• Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, patted dry
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tomatoes—cored, seeded and cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, quartered lengthwise

Swap in leftover chicken broth for the water to cook the couscous.

Use your fingers to swipe away and remove tomato seeds.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in the couscous, lemon peel and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Stir in 1/4 cup parsley just before serving.

2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add the chicken to the pan and cook until golden on one side, about 5 minutes; turn and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate. (You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil between batches.) Add the onion and garlic to the pan, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 6 minutes.

3. Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the tomatoes, olives, lemon juice and 1/2 cup water. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes; stir in the remaining 1/2 cup parsley. Serve with the couscous.

Mexican Meal

Ok - so here's what I made the other night. Simple but delicious!! :)

Ingredients
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce (or just any enchilada sauce)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (6"), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped
1 green onion, sliced

Directions
Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
Stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.
Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side up in 11 x 8" shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining picante sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 min. or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

I always tweak this and make more or less depending on what I have and I always add extra cheese :)


And also made this from PW
YUM!

Ingredients
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos

Blackened Tilapia Sandwich with Cilantro Mayo

I've been trying to incorporate more fish into our lives--it's healthier and it's just some nice variety. Don't be fooled, this recipe really doesn't fall into the healthy category, but it is good and super easy (seriously, like 15 minutes easy). And you don't always get that with fish. Obviously, fresh grilled fish is usually best. But when you live in a landlocked state. In January. This might be your next best option. (thanks Paula Deen!)

Blackened Tilapia Sandwich with Cilanto

• 1/4 cup sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 4 (10-ounce) tilapia fillets (I used frozen)
• 4 Kaiser buns, split, buttered and toasted
• Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise, recipe follows
• Store-bought mango salsa ( found a peach mango one...but I'm sure there are amazing homemade ones out there!)

Directions

In a shallow dish, combine first 6 ingredients.

Pour melted butter into another shallow dish. Dip fish fillets in melted butter and coat with seasoning mixture.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook prepared fish, in batches if necessary, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Spread Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise evenly over toasted buns. Place blackened fish on bottom half of bun, top with mango salsa, and cover with top half of bun.

Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Party Pretzels

These taste alot like a Take 5 bar, and who doesn't love that?  The original recipe calls for butterscotch chips, but I like peanut butter better.  It also calls for toffee bits and walnuts, but that's not my style either.  So, I played with it a little bit and this is what I came up with.  Everyone always loves them!

Ingredients:

                1 package (10 oz) pretzel rods

                1 package (14 oz) caramels

                1 tablespoon evaporated milk

                1 bag mini chocolate chips

                1 bag reese’s peanut butter chips

Directions:

                With a sharp knife, cut pretzel rods in half, set aside.  In a large saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk.  In a large shallow bowl, combine chocolate and peanut butter chips.  Pour caramel mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  Dip the cut end of each pretzel piece two-thirds of the way into the caramel mixture (reheat in microwave if mixture becomes too thick for dipping). Allow excess caramel to drip off, then roll pretzels in the chip mixture.  Place on waxed paper until set.  Store in an airtight container. 

*Let the caramel cool a little bit before dipping and rolling.  If it is too hot it will melt the chocolate chips, but if it’s too cold it will be hard to dip.  You’ll have to play with it a little bit to see what works. 

Fudgy Peppermint Cups

Well I found this recipe in country living, but instead of making brownie batter homemade, I used regular brownie mix batter and instead of melting chocolate I used chocolate frosting that I had...But they were really good! :)

1 box of Brownie batter
4 ounce(s) Peppermint Patties, chopped 1/4 cup(s)
semisweet chocolate chips, melted (or frosting out of a can :))
5 3/4-inch-long candy canes, crushed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine Basic Brownie Batter and Peppermint Patties. Pour into a buttered and floured 12-cup muffin pan.
Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 25 to 28 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. Remove from pan; ice tops with chocolate and sprinkle with candy canes.