Skirt Steak Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and diced
• Grilled Tomato Salsa, recipe follows
• 8 ounces sour cream

Directions

Heat grill to high.

Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and on the top rack of the grill while the steak is grilling.

Heat grill pan over high heat. Brush steak with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on one side until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook to medium-rare doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Fill each tortilla with some lettuce, 3 to 4 pieces of meat, onion, grilled tomato salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

Grilled Tomato Salsa:

nocoupons

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing tomatoes
• 2 serrano chiles
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat grill to high.

Heat oil in a small saute pan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until soft.

Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until slightly charred and soft.

Transfer tomatoes and serrano mixture to a food processor; add the lime juice and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times (there should be flecks of cilantro in the salsa.) Transfer to a bowl.

Pizza Rolls

I still don't understand the fact that people went crazy over these on Eric's birthday party because they're so easy to make and nothing really fancy. But I guess they're really good! So here's the recipe:

What you'll need:

- Pillsbury crescent rounds (each package comes with 8 so get as many as you and your family will eat)
- Tomato sauce
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Pepperoni (I cut these into tiny little pieces)
- Dry basil

Instructions:
Open up the dough and spread tomato sauce (don't exaggerate). Spread cheese, then pepperoni then roll the dough and cut it (it comes sort of pre-cut so it's really easy). Arrange the rolls in the pan (I sprayed mine with olive oil spray to make it really easy to remove the rolls out of the pan). Spread more cheese and basil on top of each roll. Bake as directed in the package.

That's it! Super easy!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Okay, it's been a long time since I posted on here, but I have an excuse! I just moved back to the U.S from Brazil and my life has been hectic. I only now got pots and pans and since I'm back to cooking everyday, I'll be sharing my favorite ones with you.

So here's the first one!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice -- chiffonade
•  

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

And for some reason blogger isn't letting me post the other picture.
But I hope you enjoy, it's totally worth it!

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

This is one of my favorite recipes for cinnamon rolls. They are easy to make and the apple filling in them is just delicious. The recipe comes from the cookbook "Best-Loved Recipes of all Time." This book is filled with lots of easy delicious recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

5 to 5 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
2 envelopes of yeast (1 envelope is about 2 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1/2 c water
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter or margarine
3 large eggs
Apple filling (See below)
Cinnamon-sugar topping (See below)

In a large bowl (I just used the bowl from my Kitchen Aid), put 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, milk and butter until very warm. Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping the sides. Add eggs and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half and roll each into rectangles. Spread apple filling evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly and pinch seams to seal. Cut each roll into equal pieces, it's really up to you how big or small you want to make them, I believe I got about 11 rolls out of each rectangle. Place, cut sides up, in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 min. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar topping and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Enjoy!!

Apple Filling:
2 large cooking apples (I usually use about 4 granny smith apples), chopped
2 tbsp flour
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c butter or margarine

Combine the above ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. You can let it cool, but I usually don't wait, I just use the filling as soon as I roll out the dough.

Cinnamon-sugar Topping:
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Stir well

The BEST Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

I found this recipe the other day and decided to make it. I made a few changes to the original recipe and added them in below. Clint is a huge philly fan, and he said that this was in his top two favorites! That made me feel pretty good. He wouldn't shut up about them and had to tell everyone how amazing they were. I'd have to agree, I was full at half and continued to eat, it was way too good!

For 2 sandwiches you will need:

1/2 pound of roast beef sliced from the deli
1/2 package of fresh sliced mushrooms
1 small to medium onion
Approx. 1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
Approx. ½ Tbs. Brown Sugar
White Sugar (Just Sprinkle a light coat)
Green chili’s, enough to liking
Pepperoncini Peppers or Jalapeño Peppers, enough to liking
1 ½ inch slice of cream cheese (or more if you’d like)
4 slices of Swiss cheese
Steak sliced rolls (these look like sub sandwich bread)

Heat griddle to 400 degrees (these sandwiches work best with a griddle but you could make one at a time in a frying pan). While griddle is heating up cut up onions into straws no more then about 1 1/2 inch pieces. Spray griddle with cooking spray or use vegetable oil. Put onions and mushrooms on griddle and use a spatula to move onions and mushrooms so they don't burn. Wait until the onions are almost translucent and add soy sauce, brown sugar and white sugar, just sprinkle on some white sugar to coat lightly. Add in cream cheese in and let melt. Then add green chili’s and roast beef slices. It is easiest if you pull the roast beef slices apart into chunks before cooking. The roast beef doesn't need to be cooked so just wait until it turns a deeper brown then the pinkish color that it has. Mix it together with the onions and mushrooms and separate it into two equal rows. Place two slices of Swiss cheese on each sandwich and then put the steak roll on top like a tee pee. Hold the top like a hot dog bun and put a spatula under it. Gently turn over sandwich by trying to keep as much as you can inside the sandwich as you turn it. Anything left over scoop up and stuff inside. It doesn't have to be perfect. Then put whatever condiments you like on it, like Mayonnaise, tomatoes slices, red or green peppers and lettuce. (We just used mayo)

Alfajores

This is another recipe from my friend Elizabeth. She has many more yummy Peruvian recipes to share with us and I will continue posting them until she gets her own account to add them on here.

***

These cookies are filled with dulce de leche!!! Yum!

***

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup butter (softened)

1 egg yolk

6 tbsp confectioner sugar

***

Sift the flour, cornstarch, and powdered sugar. Add in the butter and begin mixing/kneading until dough starts sticking together, add the egg yolk and keep kneading. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

***

Roll out the dough over a floured surface. Form small circles (not too thick or thin). Place circles on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 min or until cookies (alfajores) are lightly golden. Let cool and begin uniting the alfajores by spreading dulce de leche in the middle. Roll sides (where dulce de leche is) on powdered sugar. Makes about 4 dozen.

***

Note: You can buy dulce de leche in cans at your local grocery store, look in the Latin section aisle. They are Nestle brand.

Also, you might want to add a little bit of milk to the dulce de leche so it's not as thick and therefore becomes easier to spread. Make sure you don't add too much milk though.

Crunchy Asian Pasta Salad

1	box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix (We have liked the Greek flavor the best, if you can find it... I have also used off brands)
1	package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix
3	tablespoons sugar
3	tablespoons vegetable oil
2	tablespoons white vinegar
2	tablespoons water
1	tablespoon soy sauce
3	cups coleslaw mix
1	cup snow pea pods, strings removed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2	cup sliced almonds, toasted
1	can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained (I leave these out & add sliced black olives) Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well. In large bowl, stir together seasoning mixes from pasta mix and soup mix, sugar, oil, vinegar, water and soy sauce. Add pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds and oranges; toss to combine. Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles from soup mix; stir into pasta mixture. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Choco-Flan

I actually tasted this cake/flan several years ago at a church activity, but never got the chance to ask for the recipe. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to make since it was a chocolate cake and flan baked together, I just didn't know how you accomplish that without mixing the ingredients. I did some searching online and was able to find the procedure for making it-this is also known as the impossible cake. Anyway, I ended up using my own flan recipe and I just bought a box of chocolate cake mix for the cake.

***

Just a few things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you don't over-bake, or the cake will be dry

2. The cake pan I used was a spring-form pan and I believe water was able to creep into the cake pan and also some flan mixture got out at the bottom. I suggest you use a solid bundt pan.

3. During the baking process, the cake will rise and bake at the top and the flan mixture will sink to the bottom and cook there.

***

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of milk chocolate cake mix (follow the instructions as in the box to make the batter)

***

Flan Ingredients:

1 can of evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

1tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar (for caramel)

***

In a small saucepan, melt the sugar on medium heat until it becomes caramelized, pour on the bottom of a bundt pan.

***

Mix the chocolate cake mix according to the instructions on the box and then pour on top of the caramel.
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the flan: milks, eggs and vanilla. Make sure they are mixed well (mixture will be runny) and then carefully pour over chocolate batter.

Bake cake a Bain Marie for 1 hour at 350 degrees farenheit, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, let cool, invert onto a cake platter. Enjoy!!!!

Note: To bake a cake/custard A Bain Marie, you just need to insert the bundt pan into a larger container and partially fill the large container with water.

Lomo Saltado

I saw this picture on my friend Elizabeth's profile on facebook and asked her what it was. Elizabeth is from Peru and she is such a good cook I figured this dish would be pretty good. She told me what it was and included the recipe. I actually made this dish yesterday and asked her if it was okay to place this recipe on the blog and she agreed. Maybe she'll become a contributor on the blog (she doesn't blog)....but on the mean time she has given me the okay to place her recipes for her.

Below you will find the recipe exactly as she gave it to me (I translated the recipe from Spanish). I did make a few changes: I used less meat and therefore only used 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 pepper (green bell pepper b/c I didn't have yellow), I didn't have fresh cilantro or lemon juice so I skipped those.

Also, lately whenever I make french fries...I actually bake them. They are just as tasty and don't feel as guilty for eating them. To bake them, preheat your oven to 425 degrees farenheit. Add salt, pepper and about 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to the potatoes and then place on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes or so, it really depends on how you want them.

The finished product was very good, it sorta tastes like the fajitas I make only a mild version because they are not spicy. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs of top sirloin, cut in thin strips
3 medium onions, cut julienne style
2 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cut for french fries
4 fresh yellow peppers, cut julienne style
4 tomatoes, cut julienne style
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
oil (for the potatoes)
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice


Place a little bit of oil on a pan and cook the meat, remove the meat when cooked. In the same pan place the onions, sautee approximately 2 min. Add the yellow peppers, tomatoes, salt and pepper, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Cook for another two minutes and then add the meat to the mixture as well as the lemon juice. Mix well and add the cilantro.

Fry the potatoes and reserve. Serve immediately, mixing the french fries, meat and veggies. Serve with rice.

Spinach Salad

Delicious salad!

Sorry about the picture but I remembered to take it when the salad was almost gone.

***

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 gallon chopped spinach

1 c sliced fresh mushrooms

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 c grated cheese (Swiss, Mozzarella, or Monterrey Jack)

2 small cans of mandarin orange slices

***

Sugared Almonds:

1/2 c sliced almonds

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

Blend sugar and melted butter well. Coat almonds and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes. When lightly browned remove from oven, loosen with a metal spatula and let cool completely.

***

Place salad greens in a serving bowl and top with mushrooms, bacon, cheese, mandarin oranges and nuts. Serve with poppy seed dressing. Enjoy!

***

Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/2 c white vinegar

2 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 c extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c sugar

1 tbsp grated onion

1 tbsp prepared mustard

***

Blend all ingredients but oil until sugar is dissolved. Gradually add oil, whisking it into dressing.

Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls

This is another recipe found in my family cookbook. It was super fast and easy to make and most importantly...it was really good.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c chopped pecans

28 frozen Rhodes rolls

3 oz pkg regular butterscotch pudding mix (dry, do not use instant)

1/2 c butter

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c brown sugar

Place nuts in bottom of greased bundt pan. Add rolls. Sprinkle pudding over top. Melt together in saucepan the butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour over rolls. Leave rolls out overnight to rise. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

Note: Try and assemble everything late at night. I started mine about 9pm and by 7:30 am, the rolls had risen so much they were overflowing.

Apple Pancakes

This is a recipe found in a family cookbook. We tried it a couple of weeks ago while we had some family over. They turned out really good!

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp baking powder

4 tbsp sugar

2 c milk

2 eggs

4 tbsp oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c apple sauce

****

Mix dry ingredients, set aside. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk and oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Cook pancakes and top with cider sauce. Enjoy!

Cider Sauce

This is a syrup for apple pancakes

2 c sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

4 c apple juice or cider (or apple sauce)

4 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 c butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Boil in sauce pan until thick. Pour over apple pancakes.

Pudding Cake

What I love about this cake is that it's light, it doesn't make you feel bad after you eat it. It's so delicious!! It's our new favorite cake, and it just made my mouth drool after seeing the photos again!

Bake a yellow cake by the directions on the package. Let cool.

When cake is cool, take the end of a wooden spoon and poke holes, moving the spoon around to make the holes a little bigger.

Make a large box of chocolate pudding and pour about half over cake, before pudding sets up. Spread over cake a few times to work pudding in to holes.

Take remaining pudding and mix with half regular container of cool whip. Spread on top of cake, as icing.

It's a "Piece of Cake" to make! Enjoy.

Spicy Chicken Shawarma

A few months ago I subscribed to "Cooking Light" magazine to check out their recipes. I came across this recipe and really wanted to try it, it is a Middle-Eastern dish. The recipe calls for a spice (Tahini) that I was not able to find and therefore made a small change to the recipe, the recipe still turned out great. You will need pita bread and you can find a recipe for this on my previous post. Let me also say, that this turned out to be such a good summery dish, it must be the cucumber in it. I suggest you read the recipe completely before making so you note the changes I made and see what works for you.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro instead)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used 1 tsp)

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground coriander

5 tbsp plain low-fat yogurt, divided

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided

3 garlic cloves, minced and divided

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp tahini

4 (6-inch) pitas, halved

1/2 c chopped cucumber

1/2 c chopped plum tomato

1/4 c chopped red onion

***

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon (I added just a bit more) yogurt, 1 tablespoon juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Add chicken; toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; saute 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring frequently. The chicken turned out delicious!

Ok, here comes the change I made, but before I tell you, I will write the original instructions for the sauce: While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita half.

***

I decided to skip the tahini mixture since I couldn't find the tahini. Instead I decided to use the sauce I make when making Pakora's (see Middle-Eastern label for recipe). The sauce is made with plain yogurt, fresh cilantro, jalapenos and salt. It is a very yummy sauce and personally thought it went great with this dish. I don't know the taste that the tahini gives, but just the mixture I made without the tahini didn't convince me at all and that's why I decided to use this sauce instead.Anyway, after spreading the sauce inside each pita half, divide chicken evenly among each pita. Fill pita halves with cucumber, onion and tomato.

Add more sauce to the top of each pita if you like. Enjoy!!!

Pita Bread

I wanted to try a recipe that required pita bread. I had actually never tried pita bread before and wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. I didn't want to go to the store to purchase them so I decided to look for a recipe and make them at home. The bread turned out really good and it was very easy to make, totally recommend it. I found the recipe on "about.com." I will write the recipe here, but you can also go directly to their site for the recipe by clicking here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 c warm water
3 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 c lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast water, slowly also add the 1 cup of warm water. Stir with a wooden spoon until elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. You have kneaded successfully when the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.

Coat large bowl with oil and make sure your dough is coated as well. Place covered bowl in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

When ready, roll out in a rope and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface, cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, preheat your oven to 500 degrees farenheit and make sure the rack is at the very bottom. You should also preheat your baking sheet.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles (about 5-6 inches accross and about 1/4 inch thick).
Bake each pita for 4 minutes until bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and continue baking the rest of the pita bread.

CHEESE STEAK SANDWICH

I found this recipe in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine (again), but of course tweaked the ingredients. I hope you enjoy the sandwich as much as we do!

SERVES TWO:

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pds. RIB-EYE or EYE-of-ROUND Steak

1 Tbs. OLIVE OIL (I do not have a non-stick skillet, so I doubled the Olive Oil)

1 WHITE ONION

1 RED BELL PEPPER [my addition]

1 SWEET YELLOW PEPPER [my addition]

1 RED JALAPENO PEPPER [my addition]

8 Slices PROVOLONE Cheese

COARSE SALT and GROUND PEPPER

Freeze the Rib-Eye or Eye-of-Round Steak 35 minutes.

Thinly slice the Onion, and Peppers.


Once you remove steak from freezer slice very thinly against the grain with a serrated knife and season with Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper.

In a non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil, and cook the sliced White Onion, and Peppers until onion has browned and all have begun to soften.

Transfer Onion and Peppers to bowl. Wipe non-stick skillet clean, otherwise add steak and cook until cooked through and browned around edges.

Gather meat evenly into two mounds and top with Onion, Peppers and 4 slices of Provolone per mound.

Cook until cheese melts. Serve on toasted Hoagie Roll.


ENJOY!

Basic Drip Beef

I made this for my in-laws and parents. My mother in law confessed that she has never made such a tender roast in all the years she's been cooking. Maybe I was just lucky that day.

• 1 whole 2.5 to 4 Pound Chuck Roast
  ¼ cups Butter
  1 whole Large Onion, Sliced Thick
  3 cloves Garlic, Peeled
  ½ cups Soy Sauce
  1 cup Sherry (cooking Sherry Is Fine) (I used 1 can beef broth instead)
  ½ teaspoons Salt
  4 cups Water
  I believe I added in some brown sugar as well
  Toasted, Buttered Deli Rolls
  OPTIONAL: Rosemary, Thyme, Other Spices

Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.

Put onions in to crock pot and set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover crock pot and simmer (very low heat) for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.

Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. I used Ciabatta Rolls that I got from Wal-mart.
Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.

Mushroom Soup

I found this recipe on thepioneerwoman.com. I was a little skeptical when I started making it, but it turned out really good! It only makes about four small servings. Make it with the sinful bread I posted earlier, it's a great combo. I also left out the white wine, because I didn't have any. I just used chicken broth in it's place.

***

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Small Carrrot, Finely Minced
1 whole Celery Stalk, Finely Minced
1 Tablespoon Garlic, Crushed And Minced
1 pound White Mushrooms, Sliced Thin
4 ounces, fluid Chablis White Wine
4 ounces, fluid Tomato Juice
4 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
¼ cups Water
1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste
***
Heat oil, over medium heat, in a large deep pot.

Mince the carrot and celery nice and fine. Too big and the soup will end up chunky. Toss into the pot and allow them to soften while you slice the mushrooms.

Next, add your garlic, right as the carrots and celery start to cook down.

Add the mushrooms to the pot and allow them to reduce and soften. Pour in the Chablis, and let it cook with the mushrooms for a few minutes.

Add the tomato juice, and the chicken broth. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes before adding the heavy whipping cream, and bring to a soft boil.

Grate Parmesan and add it to the pot. Let this cook for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and blended with the soup. Add the cornstarch to 1/4 cup of water, then pour into the soup.

Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until thickened. Salt and pepper the soup to your own tastes.

Sinful Bread

I made this bread one night with a recipe called Mushroom Soup.
It was truly delicious. I couldn't get enough of it.
Unless you have a large group, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half.

Sinful Bread

***

2 loaves French Bread

1 cup parmesan cheese (grated fresh)

I cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup minced onion

***

Combine ingredients. Split French bread horizontally, spread mixture and sprinkle with paprika (if desired... the above picture is minus the paprika). Broil to crisp up.

***

Enough for 2 loaves of French bread.

No Bake Cookies

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NO BAKE COOKIES
***
1 STICK BUTTER
½ CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS
½ CUP MILK
2 CUPS SUGAR
1 TBS. VANILLA
½ CUP PEANUT BUTTER
3 CUPS OATS
***
BOIL BUTTER, CHOCOLATE CHIPS, MILK, SUGAR, VANILLA AND PEANUT BUTTER FOR ONE MINUTE. ADD OATS AND MIX WELL. SPOON ON TO WAX PAPER AND LET COOL.
***
MAKES APPROX. 40 COOKIES.

Taquitos de Papa (Fried Potato Tacos)

This is a very fast, easy and yummy recipe.

INGREDIENTS FOR TACOS:

Corn Tortillas

Mashed potatoes

Cheese, you can use fresh Mexican cheese or Parmesan

Toothpicks

Lettuce, shredded

Salsa (see recipe)

sour cream

oil for frying

Note: I did not specify amounts because it really depends on how much you are making.


Put a little bit of mashed potatoes in center of warm tortilla and roll (if the tortilla is not warm, it will break when you try to roll it), secure with a toothpick and fry.

Top tacos with lettuce, salsa, cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!!

RED SAUCE FOR POTATO TACOS

3-5 roma tomatoes (or use a can of whole tomatoes if you don't have fresh)
2-3 fresh jalapenos
1 garlic clove
oregano
salt

Boil tomatoes and jalapenos and then place in blender along with the rest of the ingredients, remember to add a little bit of water from the boiling tomatoes and jalapenos otherwise your salsa will be super thick. cool

Calabazita con Elote (Zucchini & Corn)

This is a very light meal, but very tasty!

***

INGREDIENTS:

5 zucchinis, cut into small bite size pieces

1 small onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

3 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 can whole kernel corn, you can use fresh corn if you have some

salt

Shredded Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese, optional

***

Place first six ingredients in a skillet and cook without a lid. This dish should be ready in 15-20 minutes just until the zucchini is nice and tender. Top with cheese if you want and cover for a few minutes to help cheese melt fast. Serve and enjoy!!!