Onion Beef and Pepper Stir Fry

The girl child got her ears pierced yesterday.
Yup.

I didn't like the idea of piercing them when she was too small to have a say.
She got older and never wanted anything to do with it. OK. Her choice.

Last year she surprised me by mentioning it, so I waited, just in case she changed her mind.
She didn't.
(granted, she's a full consenting adult at this point)

Hubby and I made her an appt with a licensed piercer...which then promptly got cancelled due to a New England storm.
(between me and you, it was "the storm that wasn't"...more rain than snow!)
Anyhoo...one reschedule later and down the road we go.

She was nervous, I couldn't get her to eat all day.
The time came...and she was a rockstar.
Hubby on the other hand...he was a mess.
He had to leave for awhile, then came back and was making a big deal stating he heard her call out "ouch" and was convinced she would come out with only one ear done.
He was taking up all of my "sneak a peek through the window" time!

She came strutting down the hall with her new blingy studs, a huge smile on her face.

Love it!

Now, she was ravenous and decided she HAD to have Chinese!







Ingredients:

1 Lb Sirloin steak

3 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 (14 ½ oz) Can Beef broth (with onion if you can find it)

1 Tbsp Soy sauce

¼ Tsp Garlic powder

2 Cups Frozen bell pepper strips

4 Cups white rice (cooked)

Directions:

1. Slice beef into very thin strips

2. Stir fry beef until browned

3. Add peppers

4. Mix cornstarch, soy, and broth

5. Add cornstarch mixture to beef/peppers

6. Stir until mixture thickens

7. Serve over rice

Print

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Adapted from:
A random cut out recipe I have, but google led me to All Recipes

Sloppy Joe Casserole

For those who have been reading my blog for awhile know I am a NE Patriots fan.

This run to the superbowl is keeping us all on edge.
We'll find out next week if we will be in the big game or not.
Oh the anticipation!

Is your team still in the running?
What is your go to football food?




Ingredients:

1 ½ -2 Lbs Ground beef

2 Cans Manwich

2 Cans Crescent rolls

4 Cups Mozzarella (shredded)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray

3. Brown beef, drain

4. Mix Manwich with ground beef, simmer

5. Open one roll of dough and place on bottom of pan

6. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella on top of dough

7. Add meat mixture, spread evenly

8. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of meat mixture

9. Unroll second can of crescent rolls and place on top of cheese

10. Cook 10-12 minutes

Print

OK, I admit it. I got into a fight, and lost, with my top layer of dough. Sigh, It still tasted delicious though!

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Stuffed French Bread Cheeseburger

Merry Christmas to all!
No matter what holiday you celebrate, I hope it is spent with friends and family.


This is my first year with the girl child as "Santa's Helper".
Her and hubby sort of ganged up on me and used the whole "she's, um, an adult" reasoning. Any mama will tell you, it's a sad (yet happy) moment. I have to relinquish that part of her kid-ness and allow her to be part of the adult-ness of it all.
Oh how bittersweet.
Ingredients:

1 Lb Ground beef

¼ Cup Onion (chopped)

1 Can (10 ¾ oz) Tomato soup

½ Tsp Garlic salt

¼ Tsp Salt

¼ Tsp Pepper

1 Lb French Bread (whole)

1 Tbsp Butter (softened)

8 oz Velveeta (sliced)

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, cook beef and onions

2. Add tomato soup, garlic salt, salt and pepper

3. Simmer for 5-10 minutes

4. Slice the top third off the bread, scoop out middle

5. Spread butter on removed top

6. Spoon beef mixture into bread shell

7. Arrange cheese slices on top

8. Broil 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted

9. Replace bread on top

Print

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Adapted from: Moms who Think

Marinated Flank Steak

Oh what a Christmas-y weekend it has been!

Saturday we hosted hubby's side and did a yankee swap.
So much food, so very much food.
I always make too much, people bring too much, and then someone always ends up bagging out last minute. That's OK though, I have enough food for the three of us for the week!
To make it all the more holiday-rific, we had our first snowstorm of the season! 7 beautiful inches covering all the lights and making it all glow.

Sunday we went to Hubby's aunt's house.
Once again, so much food!
She was doing her best to send some home with us, but, we have no more room in the fridge!
Did yet another yankee swap (oh how I dislike them) and hung out with cousins and kittens! OMG there were two baby kittens there who were so snuggly and perfect!

This is IT my friends, I have no more Christmas on my calendar until the big day itself.
I'm not so sure I know how to deal with this!

What is on your calendar?





Ingredients:

½ Cup Soy Sauce

½ Cup Cooking Sherry

3 Tbsp Honey

2 Tbsp Sesame oil

2 Tbsp Ginger (minced)

3 Cloves Garlic (minced)

½ Tsp Crushed red pepper flakes

1 Whole Flank Steak

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients

2. Coat both sides of beef with marinade

3. Refrigerate for at least 3-6 hours

4. Cook in a hot grill pan until desired temperature

Print

And the honey! I forgot the honey!

Marinated overnight

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Adapted from: Pioneer Woman

Lisa's Beef Stew

I have lots of friends named Lisa. Seriously, sometimes there can be 6 of them in the same room!!
Craziness I tell ya!

One Lisa gave me this recipe for her beef stew.
I have my own that we are partial to, but always willing to try a new one!

I was laughing at myself while making this because she obviously typed it as she was trying to remember it all. There would be ingredients listed in the directions that were not in the ingredients list. So, my pictures are a little whacked, but it's all good!

This recipe makes a LOT of stew! We ate it for two meals, I brought it for lunch two days, and I have another couple of servings in the freezer!

Ingredients:

3 ½ Lb stew beef

5 Cloves garlic (crushed)

4-5 Medium onions (quartered)

2 Lbs carrots (chopped into large pieces)

6 Medium potato

2 Tsp salt

1 Tsp sugar

1 ½ Tsp pepper

½ Tsp paprika

3 Tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Bay leaves

Dash of tabasco

Dash of lemon juice

1 Cup flour

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Brown stew beef in a large pot with vegetable oil for about 20 minutes

2. Add 4 cups boiling water, spices (minus lemon), garlic, and 1 onion

3. Simmer (covered) for 1 hour

4. Add carrots, potato, and rest of onions

5. Simmer another hour

6. Add lemon during the last 15 minutes of cooking

7. To thicken, shake 1 cup flour with 1 ⅓ cup cold water until there are no lumps. Slowly add to stew.

Print

She forgot to tell me about the oil needed to brown the beef

Then I paperclipped over where it said to use potato!

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Poppin Fresh Barbecups

Hi ho hi ho, it's off to the mall I go!

It's my yearly in-between birthdays mall trip with my friend and her daughter! Our lives are so crazy busy, we set a realistic goal of getting together 2 times a year. Any more is awesome, but 2 is obtainable.
Our birthdays are just a couple of months apart, so we pick a date just in between and meet for lunch and a mall crawl.

It's so much fun just wandering around and getting caught up.

Her daughter has been joining us since she was born...my girl, well, this is the first year she has bagged out on me.
A better offer came along.
She's a teen, I get it.
Seriously, very OK with it...like this OK

Just kidding. I really am all about her spreading her wings and being who she really is
(did I convince anyone?)

:::sigh:::

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

½ Cup barbeque sauce

¼ Cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Can junior flaky layered biscuits

½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Spray 10 regular sized muffin cups with cooking spray

3. Cook beef and onions in skillet over medium heat, breaking up, until cooked through

4. Drain meat/onion mixture, return to pan

5. Add barbeque sauce and brown sugar.

6. Cook to blend flavors, stirring well

7. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each muffin cup.

8. Firmly press into bottom and up sides

9. Spoon about ¼ cup beef mixture into each cup

10. Sprinkle with cheese

11. Bake 10-12 minutes or until biscuit edges are golden brown

Print

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury

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Tamale Pie

My life has been a little freaking insane busy as of late.
I don't remember the last time I didn't have 500 things to do every day...until today!

I can sleep in!
Those words don't come out of my mouth!! Due to my normal M-F schedule (alarm at 4:30) my internal clock doesn't allow for this sleeping in thing...but due to the amount of stuff going on, I was the poster child for exhaustion last night.

Head hit pillow=Jay was out!

Yeah. 4:30am. I hear this noise.
Mr. Sir, cat master of the house, is having himself a jolly good time playing with the doors on the entertainment center. Seriously? :::sigh:::
Get up, chase him away...convince my body that it's not a work day, that I can go back to bed...and so I do.

Then 5:30am happens.
Mr. Sir...again. Now he has managed to wiggle his FAT bum into this 2 inch opening in hubby's sock drawer...and now he is stuck. He's wiggling all over the place making the dresser creak.
(how am I the only one in the house to hear all this noise?)
I get up...rescue chubby man...and that's it. I'm done.

So much for sleeping in.

Thanks fuzz butt. It's a dang good thing you are a handsome sir...otherwise you might become an outdoor cat.

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Medium onion, chopped

1 Green bell pepper, chopped

2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 ½ Lbs ground beef

1 ½ Cup corn kernels (canned, fresh, or frozen)

1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes (drained)

3 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp chili powder

4 Tsp ground cumin

2 Tsp salt

4 oz shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Topping:

1 ½ Cup yellow cornmeal

1 Cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

2 Eggs

1 Cup milk

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Filling: in a large skillet, warm the oil until hot

3. Add onion, green pepper, and jalapenos. Cook until softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

4. Add ground beef to pan, breaking up the meat, cook until browned.

5. Add onion mixture to the cooked meat in the skillet

6. Stir in corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and salt. Stir well.

7. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.

8. Topping: Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

9. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and melted butter

10. Pour the wet ingredients over the cornmeal mixture. Mix until just moistened.

11. Assemble: Stir cheese into beef mixture

12. Pour beef mixture into a 9 x 13 pan, smoothing top

13. Pour cornbread mixture over the beef mixture, smoothing for an even top.

14. Bake for 30-40 minutes

15. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving

Print

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

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