Greek Pastitsio

Happy 2013 everyone!  There's so many goals we have for the blog this year, but our #1 goal is to bring you great & fabulous recipes 3 times a week.  That's a big undertaking and will take lots of preparation on our part, but we're determined!  Also, Kyla is going to take a bigger role...she's going to have 2-3 recipes a month that she is in charge of.  I may still have to help her with the blogging side of it, but she's going to be finding, taking pictures and making it pretty much by herself!  She really is a great cook & I'm excited to try some of her stuff (and not have to cook a few times each month!)

Hope you are as excited as we are for this new year!  And with that we'll get on to today's recipe.

Pastitsio just means a casserole layered with pasta, meat and cheeses.  Nothing too fancy about that, although it's really fun to say & it sounds pretty impressive.  But this recipe is more than just pasta, meat and cheeses.  Add the spices and vegetables to it and you've got a wonderful main dish.

(You can make this dish healthier by substituting whole grain penne, using lean ground turkey, light cream cheese, skim milk and part-skim mozzarella...yeah for all of us with that certain new year's resolution that I seem to have EVER SINGLE YEAR!!):)

Greek Pastitsio

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1 pound (16 oz.) penne pasta
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons flour
8 ounces cream cheese (light works well)
2 cups milk (skim is great)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the penne pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking brown your beef or turkey with the onion in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drain grease from skillet and then add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and then stir to combine.  Break the cream cheese into pieces and add to the meat mixture.  Let it melt and little and stir to combine.  Pour in the milk, nutmeg, and tomatoes.  Stir to combine and then cook over medium heat until simmering.  Let simmer for 5-7 minutes until mixture is slightly thickened.

Stir the pasta into the meat mixture and then pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Sprinkle the mozarella cheese over the pasta and place until the broiler for about 3-5 minutes or until cheese is browned.  Watch it really closely or you'll have black cheese!!

Remove from the oven and serve.

Lil' Cheddar Meat loaves

We finally got some snow today.  It is freezing outside.  I'm going caroling tonight with Kyla and a group from church in this freezing cold weather.  Oh, and it's my Anniversary!

14 years...holy cow how time has flown!  Can't believe Tony has put up with me for this long, he is the most patient man on the planet!  And just in case you don't believe me, this fact will make you a believer...he's a teacher!  2nd grade for the last 10 years and 3rd grade this year.  Just think about trying to teach 25 7, 8, and 9 year olds for 7 hours a day.......my point exactly!

Anyway, since we have other obligations tonight, we can't go out to eat to celebrate like we usually do.  So, I'm making one of my husbands favorite meals.  He may be eating it alone with the boys cause Kyla and I will be caroling...what a romantic evening!:)  Don't worry we'll make up for it sometime.

Lil' Cheddar Meat Loaves

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1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground beef
2/3 cups ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into eight loaves; place in a greased 9X13 baking dish. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard; spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. (45 minutes has always been plenty for me!)

Tony loves this with mashed potatoes, white gravy, and corn.  The perfect "guy" dinner!

Beef & Broccoli for the Crockpot

My Crockpot has become my best friend lately.  It's so dang nice to already have dinner ready when it's dinner time...just throw everything on the table & it's ready to go!

And this recipe was really really good!  The beef was so tender it was falling apart on me.  When I stirred in the broccoli the meat just started shredding, so just be careful when stirring.

You can serve this over a pile of white rice or you can serve it with some Fried Rice.  Either way it is delicious!

Enjoy!

Beef & Broccoli for the Crockpot

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1 pound thin beef (whatever kind you'd like)
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons oil (you can use whatever flavor...if you like sesame oil that would work great, but I don't really like the taste so I always just use Olive oil.)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 bag (10 oz.) thawed broccoli florets

Add the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and crushed red peppers to your crockpot; stir to combine.

Slice meat into thin pieces (if not already) and place in crockpot.  Toss the meat with the liquid to coat.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

An hour before serving add the thawed broccoli.  Cover and cook for another hour.

Stir together (remember to stir carefully or you'll have shredded beef & broccoli!)

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

I love being a busy Mom.  And I love that my crock pot can help me be a busy Mom and still have dinner with the family in that 1/2 hour of free time we have in the evenings!  I think we'd get pretty sick of fast food as would my pocket book without my dear sweet crock pot.

This is one of my favorite crock pot meals.  I'm not really a traditional spaghetti fan.  I like baked spaghetti's & crock pot spaghetti, but just the sauce over cooked noodles...not so much.  I am also a lover of all things cream cheese.  It makes all the difference in this recipe, but even my "I hate cream cheese" son loves this it.

Try it out, you won't be disappointed!

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

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1 pound ground beef or turkey
salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 jars (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 pound spaghetti noodles
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

Brown meat over the stove with the garlic.  Salt & pepper to season.

Pour one can of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of your crock pot.  Break the spaghetti noodles in half and put them on top of  the sauce.

Spread the ground meat over top the spaghetti noodles.

Grate the Parmesan cheese.  I love freshly grated Parmesan, not a big fan of the pre-shredded stuff.

Put chunks of the cream cheese on top of the meat and then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.  (you can use the powdered Parmesan cheese here too...about 1/2 cup.)

Pour can 2 of your sauce over the cheeses.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.  After the 3 hours give it a good stir.  It will be thick!  Add the last jar of sauce & the can of chicken broth and stir to combine.  Let cook for 1 hour longer.  Serve or turn to warm/low until ready to serve.

Oh, and it makes quite a bit.  About 10-12 servings, but I think it's just as good if not better the next day warmed up in the microwave...perfect for lunch!:)

Steak Fajitas (or chicken!)

I've been getting some awesome fajita vegetable packs from Bountiful Baskets the last couple of weeks.  So we've been eating a lot of fajitas!  And I'm not complaining.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them!

 

The marinade for the meat is out of this world.  We've used both chicken and steak & I can't decide which I liked better, they are both awesome in the marinade.  And the peppers & onions...oh my!  They are to die for!  I could just eat them without any meat!

 

Steak Fajitas

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1 1/2-2 pounds steak or chicken
1/2 cup lime juice (from the bottle)
2/3 cup water
4 tablespoons canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced

Cut meat into strips, about 1/2" wide by 3" long...approximately.:)  Combine lime juice, water, oil, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, liquid smoke & spices.  Reserve about 1/4-1/2 cup marinade and keep in the fridge.  Place meat in a large Ziploc bag.  Pour the marinade over the meat and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

Grill meat over medium high heat.  During the summer this is perfect, but during the winter you could use an inside grill (like a George Foreman), or broil them in your oven, or pan fry them.

While the meat is cooking, slice peppers & onions.  Don't they look gorgeous?!

When you're done slicing, begin to saute your peppers & onion in a large skillet with the reserved marinade.  Cook until the peppers are crisp-tender, about 7-9 minutes.

When the meat is done, add it to the peppers & onions.

Serve immediately.

 

 

We love these with some fresh guacamole (my favorite way to make guac is just to mash avocado with some lime juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste!), Garden Fresh Salsa, sour cream, and cheese on either flour or corn tortillas (depending on which child you are:)).  And of course we always serve this with Caleb's (oldest son) favorite Spanish Rice!!



Red Sauce Enchiladas

This is my favorite red sauce Enchilada to date. 

I've got a green sauce Enchilada recipe that I absolutely LOVE, and a white sauce one as well (I need to get that one posted on here), but when it comes to RED, this is the way to go!

You have to do a couple of different steps in this recipe, but I've learned that it's the authentic way to make enchiladas.  My father-in-law is from Mexico and this is the way he made them for my husband growing up, except he wouldn't roll them up, they would just be layered kind of like a casserole. 

 But either way, don't skip the frying and dunking of the tortillas step!!

Red Sauce Enchiladas

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1 recipe of Red Enchilada Sauce (or you can buy a can of the stuff)

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can (7 oz.) diced green chilies

1/2 teaspoon salt

10-12 corn tortillas

1/2 cup oil

3 cups grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup black olives, chopped

4-5 green onions, chopped

Prepare sauce and set aside.

Brown beef with the onions until no longer pink.  Drain off any fat and then stir in the green chilies and salt.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Place one tortilla  at a time in the oil and let cook for about 30 seconds on both sides.  We don't want it crispy, just bendable.  Place on a paper-towel lined plate.  Repeat until all tortillas have been cooked. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you're putting the enchiladas together.  Pour about 1/2-1/3 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your 9 x 13 pan.  Now, take a tortilla and dunk it in the enchilada sauce until it is covered.  Place on a plate and fill tortilla with beef, onions, olives, and cheese.  Wrap and place in pan seam side down.  Repeat until all the tortillas are filled.

Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with the left over cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Top with cilantro if desired.

Taco Cupcakes

When Caleb (11 year old) told me he wanted Spanish Rice and Ravioli's for his birthday dinner, I was kind of grossed out. (ok, a LOT grossed out!)  Not because I don't like either one, but because they just don't go together.  So I made him choose.  He decided he'd rather have Spanish rice than the ravioli's and I told him I'd find something great to go with it.  And I did!

When you say the words taco's and cupcakes in the same sentence, it just doesn't sound appealing in the least to me.  But trust me when I say these are a kids dream!!  If your kiddo's like taco's they will love these!

And I love that they can be "dressed up" for adults too.  Add some sour cream and guacamole and you've got a little piece of Taco Cupcake heaven!! 

And to make these even more appealing...they are on the light side!  Each cupcake has 164 calories (without the sour cream or guacamole) and is 4 WW points!

Taco Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Emily Bites

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1 pound lean ground beef (or lean ground turkey or chicken)

1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)

queso dip (I used Tostitos)

Chunky Salsa

1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (use reduced fat for calories and WW points listed above)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brown beef (of meat of choice) with taco seasoning in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the black beans and cook a few minutes until heated through.

Grease 2 muffin tins lightly with cooking spray.  Push a wonton wrapper in the bottom each cup.  Spoon a teaspoon of queso into the bottom and spread.  Follow with a spoonful of meat mixture, then a spoonful of salsa, and then sprinkle with some cheese.

Take more wonton wrappers and place over cheese, with corners of wrapper in between the corners of the first layer wrappers. Repeat the layers.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the wonton wrappers are golden brown.  Let them cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Serve plain or topped with sour cream and guacamole!  YUM!



Sour Cream Noodle Bake

We made this recipe a while back & I had totally forgotten about it until this morning when I stumbled upon it going through my gazillion photos. 

It's kind of embarrassing how many pictures of food I have.  And it always makes me hungry when I go looking through them.  It's not good!:)

So, this recipe was really good and so easy to throw together.  Serve it with some green salad and Garlic Bread & you've got yourself a winner of a dinner!:)

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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1 pound ground beef

2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper

1 package (12 oz.) Egg noodles

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onion

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef in large skillet.  Drain fat and then add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper.  Stir together and turn to low and let simmer.

Cook the noodles until al dente (according to package directions).  Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl mix sour cream and cottage cheese and green onions.  Add the noodles to the bowl and stir to coat. 

Put half of the noodle mixture into a baking dish (9 x 13 pan works or a casserole dish is good too).  Top with the meat mixture and then sprinkle with half of the cheese.  Repeat layers. 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

Chili Seasoning Mix (with Chili recipe)

We had Chili the other night.  Eli (my 8 year old) asked me as I brought the chili to the table what kind of chili I made.  I told him it was the same one I'd always made. 

He responded, "you mean it's a homemade Chili?" 

"Yes Eli, I've always made homemade Chili."

"What?  I thought you just used the boughten Chili!  Wow, I knew you were a good cook, but you're even better than I thought!"

Glad that a bowl of Chili can excite my 8 year old!  And I'm surprised that it's taken him this long to notice that I don't just open a can of Chili every time we have it!:)

I've been using this recipe for years and it is so easy and so good!  We eat the Chili with Cornbread, over baked potatoes, and over our Scones for Navajo Tacos. 

Chili Seasoning Mix (with Chili recipe)

Budget Dinner Totals: Makes 8 (1 cup) servings (approx.) for $6.57, making each serving a whopping 82 cents per serving!

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For Seasoning:

1/2 cup Chili Powder

4 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 Tablespoon season salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on if you like it HOT!)

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

dash of red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container.  I put mine in a 1/2 pint jar.  This recipe can also be doubled or tripled for however much you think you may need.  This recipe is enough for about 6 Chili recipes.

For the Chili:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce

2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (I like the petite, but regular works fine too)

2 cans (15.5 oz.) kidney beans (dark or light)

3 Tablespoons Chili Seasoning (from above)

Brown beef with the onion in a large saucepan.  Drain.  Add the rest of the ingredients with their juices, don't drain and rinse the beans!  Stir together and bring to a simmer.  Turn heat to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

The Perfect Burger!

This burger is so wonderful!  It would be a great addition to anyone planning on turnin' on the grill this weekend for Father's Day!  It gets the man in my life's approval, so I'm pretty sure all the MEN out there will LOVE this one! (don't worry gals...you'll love it too...Promise!):)  The seasonings give the burger just the perfect amount of zip!

The Perfect Burger!

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1 egg

2 tablespoons chili sauce

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish sauce

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ranch mix powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

dash pepper

1 pound lean ground beef (we think 93% is the best!)

In a large bowl beat the egg slightly.  Add the chili sauce, onion, horseradish sauce, worcestershire sauce, ranch, salt & pepper.  Stir to combine.  Crumble the beef over the mixture and mix well.  I always get my hands in there to make sure it is thouroughly mixed, but if the feel of raw meat makes you sick you can use a spoon, just make sure the egg mixture is mixed well with your meat.  That will help the burger stay together instead of crumble on the grill!:)  Shape into 4 patties about 3/4 inch thick and place on wax paper.  Put in the frige for about 30 minutes before grilling.

Grill over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until done to your liking.  Serve on buns with whatever you like.

This is what we like:):

guacamole

red onion, sauteed

ketchup

mustard

lettuce

pickles

tomato

cheese (havarti is heavenly...my favorite!)

bacon (didn't have it this time, but we do love it!)

It's always a tough job getting my jaws to open wide enough to fit all that deliciousness in, but it is so worth it!!

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

This dish is simply so good!  I love the thyme in the cream sauce, it goes perfectly with the meatballs!  You can also use already cooked frozen meatballs if you would like.  Just cook them according to the package directions & add them to the sauce.  Both are really good!

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

Recipe fromTaste of Home

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Meatballs:

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (or 2 Tablespoons dried parsley)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

3 tablespoons flour

Cream Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

salt & pepper to taste

1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

2/3 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)

For the meatballs, combine everything but the beef & flour.  Add the beef and mix well.  Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in the flour, shaking off the excess.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Turn meatballs and continue baking for 12-15 more minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth.  Gradually add the broth and cream, and bring it to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or unitl the sauce is thickened.

Drain meatballs on paper towles and then transfer to a serving dish.  Pour the sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle the top with parsley.  Serve over rice or pasta.  Yield: 6 servings

Baked Penne (with cooking creme)

Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter celebrating with Family & Friends!  And of course good food!:)  I've got a to-die for dessert that I can't wait to share with everyone, but in the mean time try out this fabulous recipe! (I've got you all curious...huh!??)  Will post it by Wednesday...PROMISE!!

I have loved the new cooking creme's from Philadelphia!  They make some of those really hectic nights of trying to get dinner on the table easier, and they have some fabulous recipes!  Not to mention I stocked up on a whole bunch of coupons I found for $1.50 off each one!  That makes them about a buck each!!  SCORE!!:)  Anyway, this recipe is a definite crowd pleaser.  My kiddo's loved it, as did Tony (hubby) and I.  And it's simple enough that I can almost feel good about leaving Kyla to make it on her own!  And the cooking creme gives the dish a wonderful flavor that I have not ever had in a baked penne!  Enjoy!

Baked Penne (with cooking creme)

(for some reason this is the only picture I have...I usually take a GAZILLION to make sure I get a half descent one...sorry...the picture really doesn't do it justice!)
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1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 tub (10 oz.) Philadelphia Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme, divided

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

3 cups cooked penne pasta

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Brown meat with vegetables in large nonstick skillet.  Stir in the spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella.  Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until mozzarella is melted.  Add the pasta and mix lightly.

Spoon into a 2 quart casserole dish and top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella.  Cover. 

Bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover after 15 minutes of baking.

Mexican Lasagna

This was SOOOO yummy!  Pretty easy to make!  And we have about half a pan leftover that we've been enjoying for lunch!!  This is definitely one that we will be making over and over!!

Mexican Lasagna

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

dash of ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 (6 oz.) can olives, chopped

9-12 no-boil (or oven-ready) lasagna noodles

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9X13 inch pan and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef or turkey with the onion until meat is no longer pink.  Drain the grease.  The the garlic and tomato paste and stir to combine and cook for about 1 minute.  Stir in the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and stir to combine.  Add the black beans, corn and olives.  Mix well and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of the 9X13 inch pan.  (I used a little more...just use enough to cover the bottom of the pan)  Layer 3-4 noodles over the sauce.  I used about 3 3/4 noodles...3 length wise and then I broke the 4th one to fit width wise...worked perfectly!  Now spread 1/3 of the leftover sauce over the noodles.  Dollop 1/3 of the sour cream and 1/3 of the cream cheese across the sauce.  Just use your fingers for the cream cheese and pinch off a little and throw it on!  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses.  Repeat the layers two more times until all the ingredients are used.

Cover the lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into and serving.

I made this in the morning and put it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it and it turned out wonderfully!!  I'm telling you...super delicious!!

Easy Peasy Beef Stew

Be prepared for a really easy and scrumptious dinner!! Just make some homemade rolls (or cheat like I did and do some Rhodes Rolls...or even just buy your favorite kind) and you've got an instant hit! Perfect for these wonderfully cold winter days!

Beef Stew

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1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat

5 potatoes, cubed

3 cups cubed carrots (I just halve my baby carrots)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)

1/2 cups frozen corn (optional)

In a dutch oven (or skillet) sear meat in a little oil. (I like to boil my meat in water for a few hours before I do this to help tenderize the meat...there's nothing worse than gnawing on a piece of meat for 10 minutes, and this works like a charm!) Add potatoes, carrots, soups, water and pepper. Mix well. Cover. Bake in 300 degree oven for 2 hours or until veggies are tender or bake 250 degrees for 5-6 hours. Or use your crock pot...this is what I usually do and it takes about 2 hours on high and 4-5 on low.

Add the frozen peas and corn the last 30 minutes of cooking if desired...I usually don't just because I forget, but I really like them in there. The kids and hubby could do without the peas but they all really like the corn in there!

Aloha-Soyu Marinade (Hawaiian Beef)

OK, so much for my promise!! I'm just barely getting back around to cooking (and just because it was Father's Day!:)). So this recipe I got from my sister-in-law Candy. They use the Aloha soy sauce straight from Hawaii, but I didn't have axcess to that so I just used regular soy sauce and I really couldn't tell a difference...it was still really yummy!

Aloha-Soyu Marinade (Hawaiian Beef)

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1/2 cup water

1 cup aloha soyu sauce (or just the regular stuff)

3 Tablespoons garlic, minced

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons ground ginger
2 lbs (or so) beef roast (any kind), sliced 1/4 inch thick

Stir together the sugar and ginger. Add the rest of the ingredients and then pour marinade over 1/4 inch sliced beef and let sit overnight.

The beef we got was sliced a little too thick, they look like steaks!! But it still soaked up the marinade really well and was still really good. This beef is perfect for sandwiches too, and I'm guessing it would make some awesome quesadillas. I'm going to have to try that! Also, I bet chicken marinaded in this would be awesome as well! (I was right...it is delicious!!!:))

Mom's Sloppy Joes

For those of you who know my wonderful Mom knows she is a Bullseye fanatic!! She loves the stuff and uses it for most things instead of ketchup. Even on hamburgers, which I think is wierd, and I like the stuff too! When it comes to bbq sauces it's the best I've found! Anyway, here's my Mom's sloppy joe recipe...which is made with...surprise...BULLSEYE!!!:) It is the best sloppy joe recipe EVER!

Mom's Sloppy Joes

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2 lbs. lean hamburger

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon Whorchestershire sauce

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

1/2 cup BULLSEYE bbq sauce (I have used others, but trust me bullseye is the BEST!)

Cook hamburger and onion together until burger is no longer pink. Sift the flour over and then add the remaining ingredients. Heat the slop throughly and serve on buns.

I like to use deli rolls or something like that (the picture is taken with just regular old hamburger buns...which is still good too!) and then I will spread a little butter on the insides and then place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until a little crispy.

Place sloppy joe on bun and add a slice of cheese. I think some good old havarti cheese would be so DELICIOUS on these...something I'm going to have to try soon, but I just used plain old kraft cheese slices!

SO GOOD!! Enjoy with a salad or coleslaw!

Canelones

I woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful breakfast made by my sweetheart and some beautiful tulips in a vase on the table. He made biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs (seriously...he makes the world's BEST scrambled eggs!), and bacon. It was SO good. Anyway, I wanted to show you the beautiful tulips he bought. What a sweetie!

I forgot to take a picture of breakfast, so I thought I'd blog my Mother's Day Dinner. My hunny asked me what I wanted for my Mother's Day dinner and after thinking about it for a little while I thought of these!! Tony had never made these before and so he told me I had to think of something else that he could make and I told him that I would just help him and that he and the kids could just do the dishes and that would be just fine with me!! Anyway, I haven't had or made these for probably a few years now and they are one of my favorite that I grew up with. It is a dish from South American that my Dad loved while he was serving his mission there. After my Dad & Mom were married my Mom found this recipe and it has been one of our family favorites ever since. My Dad says it's not quite the same as the authentic stuff from Uraguay, but it sure is tasty. It's a little time consuming, but pretty darn easy. You've got to try these!

Canelones

(South American Dish)

PRINT RECIPE

Crepes:

2 1/4 cups flour

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

milk

Beat eggs. Add flour and salt. Add enough milk to make a runny batter. It needs to be pretty thin. Heat skillet between medium and medium high heat. Lightly grease skillet then pour batter (about 1/4-1/2 cup) and turn skillet around to spread the batter as far our as you can thus making them thin. Brown it on both sides and then pile on a plate. It browns quickly so keep an eye on them!

Filling:

1 lb. hamburger

1 onion chopped

2 cups tomatoes (I just use one can of diced tomatoes)

1 can kernal corn

1 can (4oz.) green chillies

salt & pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and onion together in a large skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

White sauce:

1 cube butter or margarine

1/2 to 3/4 cup of flour

4 cups milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in the microwave in a large microwave safe bowl. Add the flour, starting with 1/2 cup and stir into the butter. Add more flour as needed. The mixture should be pretty thick. Then slowly add the milk a little at a time and whisk in between. When all the milk is added put it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Whisk real good. Return to the microwave for 2 more minutes. Whisk. 2 more minutes. Whisk. Keep doing this until the mixture thickens to a gravy consistency. Sometime during this process add some salt & pepper too!:)

Assembly:

Pour a little bit of white sauce in the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. Then put some of the filling inside of a crepe and roll tightly and place in the pan.

Keep doing this until the pan is full.

Pour the rest of the white sauce over the top of the filled crepes and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce bubbles.

The picture just doesn't do these guys justice. They really are so good and my kids (who pick out tomatoes from everything) DEVOURED this dish. They all loved it! YUMMY!