Steak Fajitas

This is a very satisfying meal. Trust me, you will be stuffed afterward. It's great for leftovers too so maybe cook it the night before a very busy day.

Since we had all the right food, Dan and I had this twice this week (trying to be wise with our "food dollar"). The first time we just did the steak, veggies and cheese but later we also added rice and beans. Either one is great although the latter, quite obviously, is even more filling.

Ingredients:
-Steak - I ate this with strips of Pepper Steak and two nights later another steak in my supermarket called Steak for Braciole. Both were very good. You could use flank or skirt steak as well.
-fresh peppers - I like green and yellow (I couldn't believe how much more expensive yellow and orange pepper were to green and red, how odd! Must be more exotic? I'm surprised it took me this long to notice).
-onion
-jalapenos (unless you can't take the heat...then get out of the kitchen!)
-fresh grated cheddar cheese
-some salsa



I also added white rice and black beans the second time we cooked this. Some freshly squeezed lime is also quite good.

If you are cooking the rice, you will need to start this first, based on the timing instructions. In a frying pan, simmer the peppers, onion and any other vegetables in some olive oil (can add beans too if you are using them). In another pan, you will want to sear the steak. It is so thin that it will honestly cook in about a minute so you should do this all just before you eat.



Dan and I are always trying to wash fewer dishes so we actually cooked all the veggies first, put them on a plate, and reused the pan for the steak. Then we just nuked the vegetables really quickly before dishing them.

Heat up the tortillas in the microwave (about a minute long) and put everything together as quickly as possible! mmm. The fresher the food, the more like a restaurant!

Penne With Kale, Sausage, and Roasted Peppers

This one's from the Mama!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 16 minutes


1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. hot Italian sausage cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 pound Penne pasta
1 pound Kale, leaves torn into 2 inch pieces, stems discarded
1 ( 12 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
shredded parmesan or other cheese to sprinkle on top before eating

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat: add sausage. Cook until browned and halfway cooked through, about 7 minutes. At this point add pasta to boiling water, stir a few times, and cook according to package directions.
3. Add kale to sausage: cover skillet and cook 2 minutes, tossing once or twice, or until kale is wilted. Stir in peppers and garlic: cook 7 minutes longer,or until sausage is cooked.
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return pasta to pot; add sausage mixture and reserved cooking water, and toss. Divide among 6 plates and sprinkle each with the shredded cheese. Serve

Veggie and Almond Shells

After a week of travel where I ate at more McDonald's and Steak & Shakes than I do in any one year combined... I need to eat light and healthy for a few days. This meal fits the bill. My dad may claim that the Black Angus Burger from McDonald's contains solid nutritional value...but I don't know if I can stomach that. Literally. Tonight Dan the man and I had this light meal and it was yummy and I don't feel like I'm still eating it a few hours later.



I made this with some leftover shells that needed to get out of my cupboard.

While cooking the shells, saute chopped peppers, carrots and onions and any other vegetables you want to get rid of in some olive oil. Add 2 gloves of chopped garlic and some almonds. Once the shells are cooked and drained, toss them together with everything in your saute pan and add some Parmesan cheese. Pepper and salt to taste and eat. yum.

Isaac's Mom's Cookies

This woman knows how to bake. These cookies were quickly devoured so I found a picture as close as possible to the delicacy rendered by Dee. It's funny though, I thought it would be easy to find a picture of a similar cookie, but none looked just right. Either they were too light colored, or too crackly looking... I did the best I could visually. After looking at about 300 cookies I had to settle.

Ingredients:
1+1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
large spoonful (can be 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup) nutella
1 egg (I use jumbo)
2 oz. (4 Tbls) milk
1+1/2 tsp vanilla
2+1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
lots of chips (I use at least 1+1/2 bags)
lots of Heath bits 'o brickle toffee bits

In mixer, cream butter and sugars very well. Add the nutella, beating until smooth. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla.

Combine (you can sift if you want, but I never do) the flour, baking soda and salt.

Beating slowly, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until well combined.

By hand, mix in the chocolate chips and toffee bits.

Bake in a 375 oven for 8 minutes exactly. Impt: Do not overbake. Take out even if they don't look cooked. The centers might even look a little bit uncooked. They will cook a little more as they cool.

I sometimes make the batter and freeze it (or part of it). It freezes very well, but needs a few hours to defrost before you bake.

hey all,

I'm away on vaca but I'll have some new posts soon!

Super Bowl

yahoo, Go Saints! Had a blast last night. Isaac and his friend Amit came over and we feasted. Yummy meatballs with fresh provolone (same recipe from a few months ago), fresh football bread, chicken wings, dip... and for desert.... oh mio dio.



Isaac brought some of his mom's cookies and these brownies covered in caramel... I can't even think right now. Isaac, if you are reading this, get the recipe from your mom. I'll take some pictures and post them when you do. sigh. love.



The dip was easy, just heat up some salsa, velveeta cheese, and black beans. It might not look terribly pretty but oh boy is it yummy.

SuperBowl Sunday

Having a little Super Bowl party today... pics to come!

From Scratch: Hamburger Patties and French Fries

mmmm mmmm, nothing like a healthier and more natural version of an American classic. Dan and I made this the other night and it was so filling and yummy. My Dad might claim McDonald's has the best burgers in the world (what???), but I would have to disagree...

When you make this, definitely get the potato wedges cooking first because the crispier the better.

For the burgers, we just bought a pound or so of ground beef and mixed it with parsley, salt, pepper, egg, bread crumbs, and a dash of garlic powder. Dan was pretty liberal with the seasoning and it was for the best. Don't be shy. Form into patties. We made 4, but only cooked 2. We froze the other two to eat sometime soon. Gotta love conserving that food dollar!



I was in charge of the fries (aka potato wedges). I cut up 2 potatoes, which was more than enough, (leave the skin, it has lots of nutrients) and put the pieces in a bowl. Next time I would suggest use one potato for every 2 people. Then I mixed it generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. I laid them out on a tin-foil covered cookie sheet for easy cleanup and cooked them at about 400/425 degrees.



The burgers we cooked pretty quickly on the Cuisinart. Make sure you toast the buns. Food is not truly grilled unless the bread is toasted. The same is true for hotdogs.

mmm. God Bless America.