Italian Beef

I seen this recipe and knew I had to try it. I also knew it wouldn't taste ANYTHING like the Italian Beef that we get from Portillo's in Chicago but I had to see what it would taste like. My husband made his typical comment...good luck. After making it I thought it was good and spicy from the peppercini's but the kid's don't like the roast. Our kids taste with their eyes and if it doesn't look good, they don't wanna try it. I put it on a wheat hoagie but I think it would taste great as a roast with potatoes and such. Here goes the recipe (I found this recipe on Delectable Dining).

Italian Beef

Chuck Roast
1 jar mild pepperocini slices
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 green pepper, sliced
1 large can muchrrom pieces
1/2 chopped onion
chopped garlic to taste

Put all ingredients in the crock pot on low. (Do not drain the mushroom pieces or the pepperocinis. You want this liquid to cook the beef in.) After 8 hours, shred the meat with two forks. Continue cooking. Serve on sturdy rolls.

Things I changed; I didn't add the mushrooms. I also cooked this in my saladmaster pans and only had to cook it for 4 hours instead of the 8 that it called for. It shredded nicely and was tender.

Another note: My husband just woke up from his nap and tried the beef and said he really liked it. We just didn't care a whole lot for it on the wheat hoagie.

I will definitely make this again :P

Crunch Oven Bacon

1 lb bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange bacon on baking sheet in a single layer with the edges touching or slightly overlapping.
Bake in preheated oven to desired degree of doneness, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bacon from the baking sheet with tongs or a fork, and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

This recipe was posted by Tried-and-True cooking with Heidi. Thanks Heidi, this bacon was really good (I ate a few pieces before using it on the bbq bacon cracker spread.

BBQ Bacon Party Spread

I found this recipe in a coupon booklet that I received from our local grocery store. It looked good and I had all the ingredients, so I had to try it.

After making it it didn't take long to finish a sleeve of crackers between my husband and I. This recipe is great for an appetizer and a crowd pleaser.

SLAM-DUNK snack
BBQ BACON PARTY SPREAD

2 pkg. (8oz each) cream cheese
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 pkg. (2.8oz) bacon pieces, cooked
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 cup green peppers, chopped
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Crackers

Spread cream cheese onto a large platter or bottom of 12-inch pizza pan; drizzle with bbq sauce.

Top with remaining ingredients except crackers.

Serve with the crackers.

Wow, that was simple. Now; enjoy :P

Easter Bunny Cupcakes

I ran across this recipe/idea on familyfun.com. I used to get that magazine so Katrina likes going to their website to see what is new. After seeing them, I knew we had to make them.

EASTER BUNNY CUPCAKES

Things you will need:

-A cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) I used strawberry and one chocolate boxed cake mix.
-White icing
-Shredded coconut
-Pink decarators sugar
-Jelly bean nose (I used mini m&m's or other rounds candie's will work)
-Chewable Sweet Tart eyes (I used the mini m&m's here too)
-Large marshmellows
-mini marshmellows

Step 1: Frost a cupcake with white icing and sprinkle on shredded coconut for fur *Note* I didn't had coconut to all cupcakes and they still looked cute.

Step 2: Cut a large marshmellow in half widthwise. Squeeze each half slightly to give it an oval shape, then decorate the sticky side of each one with pink decorators' sugar and set them in place for ears.

Step 3: Add a jelly bean (or mini m&m) nose and either jelly bean or snipped Sweet Tart eyes (or another mini m&m), and mini marshmallows for cheeks. For a finishing touch, draw on decorators' gell pupils or whiskers if you like.

Easter Bird Nest treats

So tomorrow is Easter so it was time to bring out some festive treats. I seen this recipe in a magazine but once I went back to find it to make it, I couldn't. Instead, I just made them from another rice krispie treat recipe. I "borrowed" this recipe from Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi. The name of the recipe is "Old-School Peanut Butter Squares". I loved rice krispies when I was in school so knew I would love them; and I DID.

OLD-SCHOOL PEANUT BUTTER SQUARES

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups crisp rice cereal (puffed rice)

Combine corn syrup and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir until well blended and cook on medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Let boil for about 30 seconds and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix well until well blended. Stir in cereal and mix until blended. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Lightly spray hands with cooking spray and then press mixture into pan. Cool and then cut into squares.

Obviously we changed a few things. Instead of putting them into a pan, we shaped them into bird's nests and put in M&M's as bird eggs. We also shaped some into eggs and will decorate them tomorrow (will post a picture of those later).

Beef Taco Skillet

I tried this recipe from another fellow blogger http://tried-and-truecookingwithheidi.blogspot.com/. This was good but was almost expecting it to have a crunch to it since "taco" is in the name. Nonetheless, it was a good recipe but will add more seasoning to it next time.

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
6 (6 inch) flour tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion

Cook beef in skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat. Stir in soup, salsa, water and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir and top with cheese.

Other add in's could be onions. I did top mine with sour cream. Do as you please.
This recipe was enjoyed :P

Taco Pizza

I used to eat Taco Pizza when I was a kid and we ordered it from Casey's. Well, we dont have a Casey's gas station here so I had to make one from scratch (better that way anyway).

Taco Pizza

1 lb. loaf frozen whole wheat bread dough, thawed (I used pillsbury pizza dough)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
12 oz. extra lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup bottled chunky salsa
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded lettuce and/or spinach
1 cup baked tortilla chips, coarsley crushed
light dairy sour cream and/or salsa-optional

Preheat the over to 425. Lightly coat a 12-inch pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pat dough evenly into a prepared pan, extending edges over pan slightly. Sprinkle half of the cheese in a thin strip around the edge of the dough. Moisten edge of dough. Fold down edge over cheese and seal tightly to enclose the cheese. Prick crust all over with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the beef and inion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in 2/3 cup salsa. Top hot crust with meat mixture. Bake 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with tomatoes and remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes more or until cheese melts. To serve, top with lettuce and tortilla chips. If desired, serve with sour cream and/or additional salsa.

Homestyle Chicken

We are big chicken eaters so this recipe looked appealing. I found it on the coupon page that was in the Sunday paper.

Homestyle Chicken

1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. LAWRY'S Less Sodium Seasoned Salt (I used regular seasoned salt)
1/2 tsp. LAWRY'S Garlic Pepper (I used 1/4 garlic powder and 1/4 pepper)
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (we used breasts)
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Spray a foiled-lined baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. *important note* Do a good job when doing this so the flour coating does not stick to the aluminum foil.

Mix flour, seasoned salt, garlic/pepper in a shallow dish. Moisten the chicken with milk. Coat evenly with flour mixture. Place chicken in single layer on prepared pan. Drizzle with oil (I didnt do that part).

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning halfway through cooking time *this is where the important note comes in handy*

Prep time: 5 min. Cook Time: 20 min. Makes 6 servings

This chicken had a great tasting coating.

Homestyle Chicken

Cerveza-Marinated Chicken Skewers

I found this recipe in one of our BeachBody books, so it is a healthy dish. The cerveza marinade gives the grilled chicken a delicious malty tang.

Cerveza-Marinated Chicken Skewers

1 lb. of skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup beer
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray

Combine the beer, lemon juice, oil, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper in a zip-lock bag; add the chicken. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; shake lightly and turn to coat the chicken. Refrigerate 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally.

Transfer the marinade from the bag to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.

If using wooden skewers, soak them in hot water 30 minutes (to prevent them from burning).

Spray the broiler or grill rack (I made them on the grill) with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray; preheat; or alternatively-spray a nonstick ridged grill pan with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray and set over high heat.

Divide the chicken among 12 8-inch skewers. Grill or broil the skewers 4 inches from the heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes; turn and brush with reduced marinade. Cook until the chicken is thoroughly done, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately.


*We had company over (we always do) and my sister-in-law loved this; as did I. She said that it tasted like something you would order from a restaurant.

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

Here is another version of Tilapia fish using lemon (which is very common on fish).

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

4 Tilaia fillets
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
pepper to taste


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley and pepper.

4. Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork. About 30 minutes.


This version was also enjoyed :) eat it up.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Finally, here I go with a post. I have decided to add a few recipes on here to share that I/we enjoy. I say "I" and "we" because I am usually the one that likes them and my family are super picky.

I wanted to make fish for some family that have never had it and I knew this would work. I actually made two different recipes but using the same fish (that recipe will follow after this one). I purchased the fillets at Walmart when they were on sale for 2.99/lb at Kroger (Walmart matches other store ads). Making this under $2.00 a plate. I scaled this recipe for only 3 fish. You can find the original recipe at www.allrecipes.com to scale it for more.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. and 1-1/2 tsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. and 1/4 tsp mayonnaise
2-1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
3/4 lb. tilapia fillets

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line a pan with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

3. Arrange the fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes (love how this recipe is so precise on the times..lol). Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan Cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

This was a hit for our company and so they now like Tilapia.