Peppery London Broil

If you ask my husband, he'll tell you that taking me to a fancy steakhouse is a waste of money. Mainly because I eat mine well done with a lot of A-1 steak sauce, which he considers a waste. He on the other hand likes his medium-rare (closer to rare) and considers A-1 an insult to steak. So the fanciest we get with our steak is a night at Outback where I order off the kid's menu and usually have to ask the waitress for a bottle of A-1 sauce cause the little cup she brought me won't cut it.

This was my first time making steak and if you can tell from the picture, I kept mine under the broiler almost double the time that Neil's cooked. We were also unfortunately without A-1 sauce so I had to enjoy the steak plain. And it wasn't too bad. I know that doesn't sound like the best endorsement but coming from me that's like an "A" rating. Neil thought it was delicious and has asked me to add steak to the menu more often!

Peppery London Broil

Source: Taste of Home Cookbook

1 beef flank steak (about 3/4 pound)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

With a fork, poke holes in both sides of the meat. Make a paste with the garlic, seasoned salt, and red pepper flakes; rub over both sides of meat. Place the steak in resealable gallon-size plastic bag. Add Worcestershire sauce and refrigerate for at least four hours.

Remove meat from bag and discard marinade. Broil or grill over hot heat until meat reaches desired doneness, about 4-5 minutes per side. To serve slice thinly across the grain. Enjoy!

Chicken Stir-Fry

Unless we have company, we usually just have the main dish for dinner. It's just a huge hassle to make sides when there's only the two of us. I love making stir-fry because you get your carbs. veggies, and meat all in one. Because who has stir-fry without rice?

Chicken Stir-Fry

Source: Taste of Home Cookbook

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup celery, sliced

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 small onion, cut into wedges

1 cup water

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

Place chicken strips into a re sealable plastic bad and add cornstarch and toss to coat. Add soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder to bag and shake well. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Stir fry chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Add remaining oil. Stir-fry broccoli, celery, carrots, and onion for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add water and the bouillon and return chicken to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken

Here is the second recipe for bruschetta chicken! This one comes from The Taste of Home Classic Cookbook, my favorite cookbook. It has a nice breaded coating but doesn't require an extra dipping step so it's still an easy weeknight meal. I added a little balsamic vinegar to the tomato mixture because I love me some balsamic vinegar!

Bruschetta Chicken

Source: Taste of Home Classic Cookbook

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp butter, melted

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 tbsp minced fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, optional

Preheat oven to 375º. Place flour and eggs in separate bowls. Dip chicken into flour, then in eggs; place in a greased baking dish. Combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and butter; sprinkle over chicken. Loosely cover baking dish with foil. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until top is browned.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over chicken. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes until mixture is heated through. Enjoy!

Chicken Cheese Lasagna

My Taste of Home cookbook is probably the best cookbook I own. I received it as a birthday present from my mother-in-law and it has yet to disappoint. This recipe was no different. It was a nice change from our normal lasagna and the cream sauce was perfect! If you are having company over this is a perfect dish to serve!

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove,minced

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cups milk

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 tsp each dried basil oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

15 oz ricotta cheese

1 tbsp minced parsley

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drain

2 packages, 10 oz each, frozen spinach thawed and well drained

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter til tender. Stir in flour and salt; cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, basil oregano and pepper; set aside. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, parsley and remaining mozzarella; set aside. Spread a quarter of the cheese sauce into a greased 13x9x2 in baking dish; cover with 3 noodles.

Top with half of the ricotta mixture, half of the spinach and half of the chicken. Cover with a quarter of cheese sauce and three noodles. Repeat layers of ricotta mixture, spinach, chicken and cheese sauce. Cover with remaining noodles and cheese sauce. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over all. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cooking. Yields 12 servings.

Meatloaf

Okay, I have a confession: I never had meatloaf until I got married. While taking pictures for this post I realized why-it looks kinda gross. I couldn't take a picture that looked appetizing and even when I googled it to see if it was just my sub par picture taking skills that made it look bad, I couldn't find a good image. I choose my food like a choose my books- by the "cover." However, the hubby loves meatloaf although he always had the pre-made kind growing up. So I decided to give it a try- and I loved it!

This is the best recipe I've tried and hubby says it even beats the store-bought kind!

2 eggs

3/4 cup of milk

2/3 cup of finely crushed saltines

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

Dash of pepper

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 cup of ketchup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcstershire sauce

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk, saltines, onion, sage, salt and pepper. Add beef and mix well. Shape into a loaf and place in an ungreased shallow baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients and spread 3/4 cup over the meat loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until no pink remains; drain. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining sauce.

Enjoy!

Homemade Manicotti

There is nothing better than homemade manicotti. Tons of cheese and loads of marinara sauce-the thought of it makes me hungry. Whenever I make these, people are so amazed that the noodles are homemade. I prefer the taste of the homemade noodles and they are also a lot easier to stuff than the store-bought variety. It's actually not too hard once you get the hang of it.

This recipe is from the Taste of Home Classic Cookbook. It is just cheese stuffed but I like to add beef or chicken occasionally.

Ingredients:

Crepe Noodles

1.5 cups of flour

1 cup of milk

3 eggs

dash of salt

Filling

1.5 pounds ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

Shredded Romano cheese, optional

Whisk flour, milk, eggs, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour about 2 tablespoon onto a

hot greased skillet and spread to a 5 inch circle or smaller. Cook over medium heat until set; do not brown or turn. The top

will still be a little doughy. Repeat with the remaining batter, making around 18 crepes. Stack crepes between waxed paper and set aside.

Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into an ungreased baking dish.

For the filling, combine the cheeses, egg, and the parsley. Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons into each creep. Roll or fold up and place the crepes over the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. uncover and bake 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with Romano cheese.

The first time I made these I didn't have anything to stack the crepes on so I decided to do it all at once. I made the batter and the filling and then began making the crepes. As one crepe was finished I would put it on plate, add more batter to the skillet, and then stuff the finished crepe and then put it the baking dish. It requires all your attention but I prefer to do it this way. Once you start making a few, you will get the hang of how much batter to use.