Weekend Eats and Bakes!

It's been a fun weekend with lots of baking and eating! I ended Saturday night after our Mother's Day dinner with some Cookie Chip Bars. These are made healthier with whole wheat flour and high fiber cereal but taste just like regular cookie bars. I did bump up the chocolate factor by adding more chocolate chips because I felt that 1/4 cup was just not enough!

We were feeling snacky Sunday afternoon so I made some Meatball Tortilla Cups. How cute are they right? No recipe required. I just filled Tostito's Scoops with pre-made meatballs, salsa, sour cream and cheese. Perfect bite-size nibbles!

For dinner, I made mini burgers inspired by Giada's Lamb Sliders. I used beef instead and added sliced tomatoes, which were hiding under all the cheese!

We had to end the weekend on a sweet note, so I made some mini Orange Cranberry Muffins. Super easy to make and super easy to eat!

Ingredients: (24 mini muffins)

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c milk
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c dried cranberries

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until well combined. 
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Add to the stand mixer. 
4. In a measuring cup, stir together the milk and orange juice. Pour into the stand mixer. 
5. Add cranberries to the stand mixer and mix until everything is combined but don't over mix.
6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling all the way to the top.
7. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until the muffins are light golden brown.

Goulash Tastes a LOT Better than it Sounds!

What do you think of when you hear the word Goulash? Something gross? If your answer is yes, you feel the same way as my hubby. Tonight though, I changed his minde with Rachael Ray's Pork Goulash with Apple and Onion. It was incredibly flavorful with the paprika, coriander and cumin and the apple really brightened up the dish. Of course, the extra cheesey sour cream topping helped too!

Restaurant Chef Inspired Asian Pork Meal

I watchd Anne Burrell make her Asian-Braised Pork recipe and immediately knew I wanted to make something similar. I LOVE braising pork cuz they come out super tender and moist. The main difference is that I made mine with pork cubes, which cook a lot faster. Everything else was pretty much the same except that I finished my dish on the stovetop. I browned the pork cubes that were dredged in cornstarch, added the seasoning and then finished it low and slow for about 30 minutes covered in the pot. I served my yummy pork cubes over rice noodles and it was an Asian feast made in heaven!

I'm a Throwdown Champion!

Throwdown with Bobby Flay is such a great show and I love how he gets beat but is always humble to the champion. When I watched his Meatballs Throwdown, I KNEW I had to make the meatballs that won. These were seriously AMAZING! Moist and so flavorful even served with store-bought marinara sauce.

Breakfast for Dinner, Paula Deen Style!

I get the Paula Deen Newsletter sent to my inbox and they're always filled with yummy recipes. Tonight, I tried her Classic Omelet and it did NOT disappoint! The only change I made was using Pancetta instead of bacon cuz my hubby doesn't like bacon. (I know, I think he's crazy too!) Anyway, it was a wonderful breakfast for dinner and we devoured every bite!

Paula is the BOMB Y'all!

I LOVE Paula Deen and her recipes never disappoint. Tonight, I made her Chicken Spaghetti and I couldn't be happier!

What to do with Chorizo

I discovered Chorizo a while back and fell in love. It's SO flavorful and makes Mexican meals a breeze. Tonight, I made Rachael Ray's Smoky Chipotle Mac and Cheese and it was comfort food at its best!

Gourmet Pasta on a Weeknight!

I watched Rachael Ray make her Seafood Pasta with Sherry Tomato Cream Sauce and knew right away we were having that for dinner. Being the frugal gal that I am, I substituted Imitation Crab for the Lobster, which my hubby LOVED and it as the PERFECT gourmet Pasta dinner! Quick and easy and incredibily YUMMY!

Easy Weeknight Meal Thanks to RR!

I love Rachael Ray and I don't care what anyone else says! I mean, sure she's a bit annoying sometimes with her giggles and talking to her food but her recipes are usually spot on and FAST! Tonight, I made her Chicken Parm Pasta Toss and I could not have been happier! Such a comforting meal with such little effort!

Emeril Never Disappoints!

I've been saving Emeril's Pan Roasted Chicken with Cherry Beer Sauce for quite some time now and finally made it tonight. What a YUMMY and comforting dish! The sweetness of the dried cherries went so well with the slightly bitter beer and refreshing lemon. I served my chicken thighs over stuffing and we had the most amazing middle of the week meal!

Bolognese on a Weeknight?

Whenever I hear the word Bolognese, I think of hours of cooking resulting in obviously delicious meals so when I saw a recipe for a Weeknight Recipe, I was instantly intrigued. It did NOT disappoint! The sauce was so flavorful and we loved every bite of it!

I Promised a Rack of Lamb!

It's the holidays and my hubby loves nothing more than a rack of lamb so tonight, I made Sunny Anderson's Herb-Crusted version and served it with mashed potatoes. Simpy but VERY delicious!

Iron Chef Style Chicken!

I've been saving this recipe recipe for Michael Symon's Spog Au Vin for a LONG time and finally made it tonight. It's basically just chicken braised in red wine and it couldn't be a more perfect dish for a cold winter night!

$5 Lobster Tails!

Since Lobster Tails are on sale, I couldn't resist so I made Neely's Lobster Mac and Cheese. OMG it was yummy! I loved how they spiced it up with some Cayenne and I absolutely adore Gruyere so this was definitely a winner!

Something Other Than Turkey!

After a 4-day Turkey-fest, I definitely wanted to make something different so tonight's dinner was Rachael Ray's Carbonara with Sausage and Mushrooms. It was a very comforting meal and a great change from poultry!

Tuna Melt Meets Mac and Cheese...YUM!

I was so excited to try Rachael Ray's Tuna Melt Mac and Cheese since it's basically a marriage of 2 of my favorite things. I grew up having Tuna Melt as a special treat whenever my mom was home to make lunch. She worked fulltime so it was rare but whenever she made it, I would gobble up at least 2 of them! (No wonder I was a chubby kid! LOL) Anyway, this dish was so yummy and tasted just like what you'd imagine Tuna Melt and Mac and Cheese would be!

Piggy Pecan Goodness!

It's no surprise that my mom LOVE Pecan Shortbread Cookies, especially Ina's recipe. I haven't treated her for a while so I thought I'd make her favorite and make them even more fun by cutting them into her favorite shapes, PIGGIES! I love you mom!

Watching Rachael Ray ALWAYS Pays Off

I've been saving Rachael Ray's Sausage and Butternut Riggies for a while now waiting for fall to finally kick in. Instead of Butternut Squash, I used canned Pumpkin, which I think has very similar flavors. I can't begin to tell you how yummy this dish was and perfect for fall! I love how she always calls for broiling her pasta casseroles cuz it's such a time-saver and beats baking for 30 minutes to brown the topping anyday!

Dinner Inspired by Paula Deen

I just finished reading Paula Deen's It Ain't All About the Cookin and was just craving southern food for dinner! I highly recommend the book BTW because it's very inspiring with lots of good laughs and of course, LOTS of food talk! You really feel like Paula's actually talking to you and she's just as real as you can get. Anyway, I remember watching her make Grillades and Grits on a recent show and decided to make my version of it. Hey, I might not be a southern girl, but I do know how to make some mean grits! Do you know what the secret is? Stir in a lil sour cream at the end and you'll end up with some SUPER creamy grits with just a touch of tang.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp flour
1 c beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp dried basil
1 c tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Grits, for serving

Prep:

1. Dredge the pork in cornstarch and toss lightly. Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat for 5 minutes and remove to a plate.

2. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until browned. Add flour, stirring constantly and slowly until flour is a nice deep brown, being careful not to burn the flour.

3. Slowly add beef broth, bay leaf, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and basil. Stir and bring to a boil.

4. Add pork back along with tomatoes.  Turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork is cooked through.

5. Remove bay leaves and stir in the parsley. Serve over hot grits.

Watching Paula Deen Pays Off Y'all!

This morning, I watched Paula Deen make Crawfish Fettuccini and it looked SO good (just like everything else she makes)! I didn't have crawfish so I substituted imitation crabmeat instead since my hubby seems to love that stuff. I also have a thing against long pasta (they never cook right for me!) so I used fusilli. As with all of Paula's recipes, it was heavy on the butter which meant it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!