And some yummy homemade crescent rolls. Now you don't need to buy them in a can anymore.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Pineapple Fried Rice and Crescent Rolls
Make sure to check out our mouth watering pineapple fried rice over here!
And some yummy homemade crescent rolls. Now you don't need to buy them in a can anymore.
And some yummy homemade crescent rolls. Now you don't need to buy them in a can anymore.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes, okay I know when you read that title you thought "everyone knows how to make these". Everyone may but we all make them just a little bit different. What brought me to write about them and share my recipe is because on Wednesday I received a text from Aimee asking what I put in my sloppy joes. I preceded to share with her as detailed as you can with a text what I put in my sloppy joes. And than decided to make them for dinner.
Whenever I make sloppy joes I think of my brother Curtis. My "recipe" is from him. I don't even know what I used to make before. I just remember one time helping him prepare dinner and this is what we made and these are the ingredients he had me use and how to cook them.
Ingredients: for 2 people (adjust according to how many you are serving)
1/3 lb. ground beef
1/4 yellow onion - diced as small as you like
8 oz. tomatoe sauce
garlic salt to taste - probably about 1/2 tsp.
1 TBS yellow mustard
1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (depending on how tangy you want it)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
That's all, I don't add catsup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, or other ingredients but I know some of you have a recipe that calls for those items.
Directions:
In a skillet break up your ground beef and add your onions. Cook/saute until the ground beef is thoroughly brown and the onions are transparent (this was the secret Curtis shared with me, if you cook the onions to transparency the flavor is just right and the little guys are not crunchy - so I think about Curtis while I am doing this). While you are cooking the ground beef, break it up with a spatula to little, little pieces (unless you like bite size chunks of ground beef in your sloppy joes)
Add the rest of the ingredients; in the order listed. It probably doesn't matter that much what order but I would definitely do the tomato sauce first to have sauce to add the rest too.
Simmer until it is the right thickness about 10 minutes.
Serve on a hamburger bun or kaiser roll (because that is what we had)
If you are my husband, add miracle whip or mustard to your bun
Eat and enjoy
If you want to know a little more about my brother Curtis Brinkman - google him
Whenever I make sloppy joes I think of my brother Curtis. My "recipe" is from him. I don't even know what I used to make before. I just remember one time helping him prepare dinner and this is what we made and these are the ingredients he had me use and how to cook them.
Ingredients: for 2 people (adjust according to how many you are serving)
1/3 lb. ground beef
1/4 yellow onion - diced as small as you like
8 oz. tomatoe sauce
garlic salt to taste - probably about 1/2 tsp.
1 TBS yellow mustard
1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (depending on how tangy you want it)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
That's all, I don't add catsup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, or other ingredients but I know some of you have a recipe that calls for those items.
Directions:
In a skillet break up your ground beef and add your onions. Cook/saute until the ground beef is thoroughly brown and the onions are transparent (this was the secret Curtis shared with me, if you cook the onions to transparency the flavor is just right and the little guys are not crunchy - so I think about Curtis while I am doing this). While you are cooking the ground beef, break it up with a spatula to little, little pieces (unless you like bite size chunks of ground beef in your sloppy joes)
 |
| You can see I am not picky about onion size |
Add the rest of the ingredients; in the order listed. It probably doesn't matter that much what order but I would definitely do the tomato sauce first to have sauce to add the rest too.
 |
| About 1 TBS of mustard |
 |
| Take a little taste of the brown sugar before putting it away, its that good. |
Simmer until it is the right thickness about 10 minutes.
Serve on a hamburger bun or kaiser roll (because that is what we had)
If you are my husband, add miracle whip or mustard to your bun
Eat and enjoy
If you want to know a little more about my brother Curtis Brinkman - google him
Friday, January 13, 2012
Western Burger and Chocolate Coconut Bars
Friday, January 6, 2012
2011 Recipes In Review... Sneak Peak
Two thousand eleven (2011) was a great year for Nate and I. You can read about some of my favorite events from the year here.
It was also a great year because I cooked so much and learned how to make so many new and delicious things! Last year I made the goal of trying at least one new recipe a week. And I think I was pretty successful too. I don’t know that I made exactly one new thing every week, but some weeks I made two, so that makes up for it, right? Anyway, I am going to stick with the goal of trying one new recipe every week this year. And I’m also going to tack the goal onto it that I will post at least twice a week on this blog. (though I can’t promise a recipe every time, because that would mean I’d be making 2 new things a week and with our busy schedules I know that won’t always happen).
I also want you to share your favorite recipes with me (maybe we’ll start a link party for this) and I promise I’ll try to make them sometime this year as well, and might even share them with the blog world if I like them enough 
.
.
What is your favorite thing that you cooked in 2011? What is your (or your family’s) favorite recipe?
The top 10 reader favorite recipes for 2011 were (based on total views – from high #1 to low #10):
#1 Baked Ravioli. The amount of views on this post absolutely astounds me, but it seems to keep getting repinned on pinterest and I'm really grateful for that. This ravioli was simply delicious and it's definitely one I'll have to try again in the near future.
And to see the rest of our top 10 you need to check out our post on lmld.org. :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Olive and Spinach Stuffed Chicken
I haven't had a guest post in a while on here and I am excited to share a good one with you today.
I decided to leave work a little early to make dinner for Aimee and I and wanted to have chicken be the meat of the meal since Aimee loves it. This is a pretty easy recipe we loved how it turned out- not to mention that it is extremely healthy.
Cooking may seem daunting at first but you have to not be afraid to try new things and match flavors that you know will be good together. In order to match flavors you have to try tons and tons of new foods. For this recipe I didn't use any other recipe as a base and hadn't eaten anything exactly like this before, but knew the flavors of each ingredient and how they would compliment each other.
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts (whole, thawed)
3 Cups Spinach (can be baby or regular, you will be steaming them and they will reduce in size dramatically. This measurement is before the spinach is cooked)
1 Full-Size Can of Whole Black olives (You will need some of the liquid from this can and the pre-chopped olives tend to not have very much juice in the can)
2 Teaspoons Olive Juice (not oil)
1/4 Bar of Non-Fat cream cheese (you can use low-fat or regular if you prefer)
2 Teaspoons of Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Onion Salt
2 Teaspoons of Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning (I haven't been to a Costco that doesn't have this stuff and its GREAT for poultry and pork recipes)
2 Teaspoons Corn Starch (for sauce thickening)
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
1/4 Cup water
1 Teaspoon Salt
Optional and recommended- steamed broccoli as a side
Whew! That's a lot of ingredients, right? Don't worry this recipe is easier than the ingredients make it appear and it's a delicious dish.
Lets begin!
Now the key to making this recipe is having things cooking simultaneously- while this is not necessary multi-tasking will save you time.
Start steaming the spinach (5-6 minutes is perfect, when that time is up put the cooked spinach in a colander and let them drip excess liquid out). In a small saucepan add the water, mesquite seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice (the other teaspoon will be added to the filling for the chicken later) and simmer on high for 5-6 minutes (yep, the same amount of time as the spinach). Once you hit the 4-5 minute mark add the corn starch. This is the sauce that you will spread on top of the chicken breasts so you want it thick enough that it will not just run off of the sides.
You have 5-6 minutes while your spinach cooks and your sauce simmers- lets get the chicken ready. Lay down some parchment paper on the counter and pound the chicken a few times with a large flat pan. The goal is just to flatten it out slightly and even out the thickness. It doesn't need to be paper thin- just thin enough that we can fold it in half on itself and it wont open up on its own.
Now take that drained spinach and chop it on a cutting board until the pieces are about the size of your thumbnails or smaller. Take the olives and chop them to about the size of your pinky nail or smaller. In another saucepan place the spinach, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, onion salt, mustard powder, olive juice, and olives on medium-low heat. The cream cheese will melt and it should only take 2-3 minutes before you have the stuffing for the chicken all done.
Alright- the hard parts are over. Take your chicken breasts and place them with the smooth sides down on aluminum foil squares that will be large enough to completely wrap them. Spread the spinach and olive sauce over the side of the chicken breasts that are facing the ceiling (not touching the foil). Fold them each in half and wrap them individually in the foil. Leave a small opening in the top of the foil to let some of the moisture escape. Now take the sweet lemon and mesquite sauce and spread it over the top of each breast. The purpose of the aluminum foil is to make sure that the delicious filling doesn't run all over the place when it gets hot. Don't worry-the sauce will stay in the middle when you finish cooking and remove them from the foil.
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. If you have a food thermometer now is the time to use it. The chicken will cook faster because it has been pounded and is not as thick as a whole chicken breast as well as being inside of aluminum foil.
Remove from the oven/foil and enjoy!
If you have any questions about the steps please feel free to comment and I will respond quickly.
Remember to check out our new site as we will be moving there completely in another 4 weeks
I decided to leave work a little early to make dinner for Aimee and I and wanted to have chicken be the meat of the meal since Aimee loves it. This is a pretty easy recipe we loved how it turned out- not to mention that it is extremely healthy.
Cooking may seem daunting at first but you have to not be afraid to try new things and match flavors that you know will be good together. In order to match flavors you have to try tons and tons of new foods. For this recipe I didn't use any other recipe as a base and hadn't eaten anything exactly like this before, but knew the flavors of each ingredient and how they would compliment each other.
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts (whole, thawed)
3 Cups Spinach (can be baby or regular, you will be steaming them and they will reduce in size dramatically. This measurement is before the spinach is cooked)
1 Full-Size Can of Whole Black olives (You will need some of the liquid from this can and the pre-chopped olives tend to not have very much juice in the can)
2 Teaspoons Olive Juice (not oil)
1/4 Bar of Non-Fat cream cheese (you can use low-fat or regular if you prefer)
2 Teaspoons of Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Onion Salt
2 Teaspoons of Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning (I haven't been to a Costco that doesn't have this stuff and its GREAT for poultry and pork recipes)
2 Teaspoons Corn Starch (for sauce thickening)
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
1/4 Cup water
1 Teaspoon Salt
Optional and recommended- steamed broccoli as a side
Whew! That's a lot of ingredients, right? Don't worry this recipe is easier than the ingredients make it appear and it's a delicious dish.
Lets begin!
Now the key to making this recipe is having things cooking simultaneously- while this is not necessary multi-tasking will save you time.
Start steaming the spinach (5-6 minutes is perfect, when that time is up put the cooked spinach in a colander and let them drip excess liquid out). In a small saucepan add the water, mesquite seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice (the other teaspoon will be added to the filling for the chicken later) and simmer on high for 5-6 minutes (yep, the same amount of time as the spinach). Once you hit the 4-5 minute mark add the corn starch. This is the sauce that you will spread on top of the chicken breasts so you want it thick enough that it will not just run off of the sides.
You have 5-6 minutes while your spinach cooks and your sauce simmers- lets get the chicken ready. Lay down some parchment paper on the counter and pound the chicken a few times with a large flat pan. The goal is just to flatten it out slightly and even out the thickness. It doesn't need to be paper thin- just thin enough that we can fold it in half on itself and it wont open up on its own.
Now take that drained spinach and chop it on a cutting board until the pieces are about the size of your thumbnails or smaller. Take the olives and chop them to about the size of your pinky nail or smaller. In another saucepan place the spinach, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, onion salt, mustard powder, olive juice, and olives on medium-low heat. The cream cheese will melt and it should only take 2-3 minutes before you have the stuffing for the chicken all done.
Alright- the hard parts are over. Take your chicken breasts and place them with the smooth sides down on aluminum foil squares that will be large enough to completely wrap them. Spread the spinach and olive sauce over the side of the chicken breasts that are facing the ceiling (not touching the foil). Fold them each in half and wrap them individually in the foil. Leave a small opening in the top of the foil to let some of the moisture escape. Now take the sweet lemon and mesquite sauce and spread it over the top of each breast. The purpose of the aluminum foil is to make sure that the delicious filling doesn't run all over the place when it gets hot. Don't worry-the sauce will stay in the middle when you finish cooking and remove them from the foil.
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. If you have a food thermometer now is the time to use it. The chicken will cook faster because it has been pounded and is not as thick as a whole chicken breast as well as being inside of aluminum foil.
If you have any questions about the steps please feel free to comment and I will respond quickly.
Remember to check out our new site as we will be moving there completely in another 4 weeks
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