Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ³⁄₄ cup long-grain white rice
• 1 can (10 ounces) Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
• ¹⁄₂ cup chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 3 green onions, sliced thin

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350*F.  Grease 8 inch square baking dish.  Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add rice and cook, stirring often, until deep golden, about 5 minutes.  Transfer rice to prepared dish.  Stir tomatoes and their juice, broth, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper into rice.  
2. Wipe out now empty skillet with paper towels.  Add beef, onion, bell pepper, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper to skillet and cook over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chili powder, garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in tomato sauce and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  
3. Add beef mixture to dish and spread evenly over rice.  Layer beans, then Monterey Jack, and finally corn over beef.  Spray 12-inch square of aluminum foil with baking spray and cover dish tightly with foil.  Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 60 to 70 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with green onions, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  

Comments

This recipe is from Cook’s Country and it was pretty tasty.  Sadly the exact taste is lost to my memory, but I remember we all enjoyed it.

Ingredients

• 5-6 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
• ¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
• 1 pound baby carrots, cut in half
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons thyme
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Instructions

1. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Cook half of beef until well browned all over, about 8 minutes.  Transfer to slow cooker and repeat with addition 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.  
2. Add onions, 1 tablespoon oil, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt to now empty skillet and cook until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste begins to darken, about 2 minutes.  Slow stir in broth, soy sauce, and bay leaves and bring to boil.  Transfer mixture to slow cooker.  Add tapioca and stir well.  
3. Toss carrots, parsnips, potatoes, remaining oil, thyme, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper in large bowl.  Place vegetables on one side of large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil.  Fold foil over vegetables to form packet that will fit in slow cooker.  Crimp edges to seal.  Place foil packet on top of beef.  
4. Cover and cook on HIGH until beef is tender, 6 to 7 hours, or cook on LOW 10 to 11 hours.  Uncover, carefully open foil packet, and allow vegetables and accumulated liquid to slide into slow cooker.  Stir in peas and cover.  Let stand 5 minutes or until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper, remove bay leaves when you find them, and serve.  

Comments

This recipe is from Cook’s Country.  I actually don’t like beef stew.  Really.  But I went through a period where I was craving it for some unknown reason.  I’d wake up in the morning and think, “man, I want beef stew.”  So I finally broke down and found a recipe.  This recipe in fact.  I’ve made it three times since.  This is pretty much the tastiest thing I’ve put in my mouth involving braised beef.  Amazing stuff.  I can’t recommend it enough.  You need to make this.  

What makes this so great is that the vegetables still retain their own taste and a lot of texture, since they’re just steamed and not cooked into mush with the beef part of the stew.

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon adobo seasoning
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground mustard
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¹⁄₄ cup milk
• ¹⁄₄ cup cream cheese

Instructions

1. Combine salt and spices in small bowl.  Sprinkle seasoning onto both sides of all chicken pieces and rub it into the meat to adhere.  
2. Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook 8 to 10 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add cream, milk, and cream cheese.  Stir to combine and turn chicken to coat in sauce.  Cook until chicken is done and sauce has thickened.  
4. Serve chicken topped with sauce.  

Comments

This recipe is from Running to the Kitchen.  It was very simple and came together quickly.  It was also tasty!

Ingredients

• 1 cup short pasta
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups scalded milk
• 1 cup soft bread cubes
• 2 tablespoons onion, grated or minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ³⁄₄ cups sharp chedder, shredded
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325*F.  
2. Cook pasta 1 minute less than instructed by packaging.  
3. Combine all ingredients except pasta and eggs.  Stir in pasta and eggs then pour into buttered baking dish.  
4. Bake 35 minutes or until set and starting to brown around edges.  

Comments

This is the Mac and Cheese Art grew up eating and I recently realized that I had never posted the recipe to the blog.  I don’t make it often since it’s not the type of Mac and Cheese I most prefer, but it’s super tasty regardless and delicious.  It’s less cheesy than standard mac and cheese which also means that Lance likes it better.  It’s easy to turn into a more complete meal with the addition of ham cubes and broccoli pieces.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
• ¹⁄₄ cup vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 onions, sliced into thin half moons
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 2 cups beef
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound baby carrots, cut in half
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Instructions

1. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef until well browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker insert and repeat with additional 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.
2. Add onions, 1 tablespoon oil, and 14 teaspoon salt to now-empty skillet and cook until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste begins to darken, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in broth, soy sauce, and bay leaves and bring to boil. Transfer to slow cooker.
3. Toss carrots, parsnips, potatoes, remaining oil, thyme, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Place vegetables on one side of large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold foil over vegetables to form packet that will fit in slow cooker; crimp edges to seal. Stir tapioca into slow cooker; set vegetable packet on top of beef.
4. Cover and cook on high until beef is tender, 6 to 7 hours (or cook on low 10 to 11 hours). Carefully open foil packet and dump vegetables and any accumulated juices into slow cooker, avoiding steam.  Stir in peas, cover, and let stand until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Comments

I don’t actually like beef stew, at least that’s what I would have told you a year ago.  But I woke up one morning with a huge craving for delicious beef stew.  I scoured the internet and found this recipe from Cook’s Country.  It’s got lots of well developed umami goodness and it seemed like it would be pretty amazing.  

I’ve made it three times between then and now and it’s still amazing.  The beef pieces are tender, the veggies all retain their own textures and tastes unlike traditional beef stew where everything is cooked into a mush in the same pot.  This fixes everything that is usually wrong with beef stew and makes it perfect.  

If you’ve got a slow cooker like the Ninja, feel free to skip the skillet and just cook the components in the slow cooker insert using the stovetop function.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• ³⁄₄ cup yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 (8 ounces each) cans tomato sauce
• 4 cups beef or chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounces) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked
• 1 (15 ounces) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounces) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• Romano or Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add sausage and cook, stirring, until cooked through.  Transfer sausage to sieve set over bowl to drain.  
2. Heat remaining olive oil in now-empty pot.  Sauté carrots, celery and onion over medium high heat until tender, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.  
3. Reduce heat to low, add tomato sauce, broth, canned tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and sausage.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft.  
4. Meanwhile bring large pot of water to boil and prepare ditalini to al dente as instructed by packaging.  Drain well.  
5. Add pasta and beans to soup and cook 5 minutes longer until heated through.  Serve with cheese.  (If soup is too thick, thin with extra broth.)  

Comments

This recipe is from Cooking Classy and I only vaguely remember making it.  I’m sure it was enjoyable.

Ingredients

• 2-4 patty pan squash
• Olive oil
• 1 cup orzo, cooked and cooled
• 2 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Romano cheese, grated
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ¹⁄₄ tsp sea salt
• ¹⁄₈ tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400*F.  
2. Trim stem off squash to create a flat bottom surface.  Rub with olive oil then place in baking dish, stem side down.  Bake until tender, about 30-60 minutes depending on size of squash.  Remove from oven and cool until ready to handle.  
3. Mix together orzo, cheeses, basil, salt and pepper in bowl.  
4. Using a small paring knife, but the top off each squash.  Gently scrape out the seeds to create a small bowl.  Divide orzo filling evenly between squash, return to baking sheet and oven and bake 5-7 minutes longer or until everything is heated through.  

Comments

This recipe is from Fake Food Free and I made it a very long time ago.  It was a big finicky and I ended up with way more filling than squash.  It might work well with zucchini boats instead, or larger patty pans, or any other type of summer squash.

Ingredients

For the bread crumb topping

• 6 slices white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

For the pasta and cheese

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon table salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons powdered mustard
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 5 cups milk
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

1. For the bread crumbs: Pulse bread and butter in food processor until crumbs are no larger than ¹⁄₈ inch, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside.
2. For the pasta and cheese: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in colander.
3. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne (if using) and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly (mixture must reach full boil to fully thicken). Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.
4. Sprinkle casserole evenly with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating pan if necessary for even browning. Cool about 5 minutes, then serve.

Comments

This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated.  Sadly I made it so long ago that I don’t remember anything about it.  But I’m sure it was tasty since Cook’s Illustrated recipes are pretty much always spot on.

Ingredients

• 3-4 pieces halibut, 4-6 ounces each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 slices bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked until crisp
• 4 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375*F.  
2. Place halibut on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice then season with cayenne pepper and salt and pepper.  
3. Bake 15-20 minutes or until fish is cooked through and flakes easily.  
4. Meanwhile, mix together butter, bacon, parsley, basil, garlic powder, and salt in small bowl with spoon until well combined.  
5. Top cooked fish with butter and serve.  

Comments

I’ve been trawling a lot of Paleo blogs recently since the recipes they have are in line with the way I want to be eating and this was a gem that I found on PaleoOMG.  This butter was fantastic and would go with many things - I think we tried some of the leftovers on skirt steak a few days later.

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half to make strips
• 2 squares Italian Herb Sauté Express Sauté Starter 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ¹⁄₂ yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• ²⁄₃ cup sundried tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounces each) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Melt sauté starter in large skillet over medium heat until it begins to bubble.  Pat chicken dry and cook in skillet for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until well browned.  Remove chicken to plate.  
2. Add oil to pan and sauté onion for 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.  Add garlic, zucchini, and sundried tomatoes.  Cook 2 more minutes.  Add diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and balsamic vinegar.  
3. Return chicken to pan, spoon some of the sauce over chicken and cook, covered, until chicken is heated through and sauce is bubbling.  

Comments

This recipe is from Good Life Eats and the only way I know I made it is because I’ve got that sauté starter remaining in my fridge.  Sauté starter?  Seriously?  Why does this need to exist?  Why are there so many processed foods even in aisles of the grocery store that always used to free of that stuff?  Argh.  I’ll get off my soapbox now.  I’m sure this was a tasty recipe and Art likes using the leftover not-butter stuff for grilled cheese sandwiches.