Rachel's Steak and Shrimp w/ garlic butter sauce

Case and I developed this recipe today for our Christmas lunch! we bought the ingredients for our dinner but, got invited at the last minute to dinner, so it became lunch!

1 Ribeye steak

1 package frozen pre-cooked extra large shrimp

1 stick salted butter (you can probably use less)

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp parsley

1/4 c. chopped onions

monterey steak seasoning.

crisco/butter/olive oil, your choice of oil

First, oil a pan with your choice of oil. Get it nice and hot so you can sear your steak to keep all those awesome juices in. Put your steak in the skillet. You should hear a nice sizzle when you put it in. Sprinkle the steak w/ Monterey Steak seaoning. Let it cook on one size until your desired temp (i.e. rare, med. rare, well done....etc.) Then flip it over and finish it off. When it's cooked how you like, take it out of the pan and put it on a plate to cool. Immediately after you take the steak out of the pan, add the entire package of frozen shrimp. I added 2 pats of butter, 2 cloves of pressed garlic, about a teaspoon of parsley and the chopped onion. I let it all saute in those awesome steak leftovers. It took less than 5 minutes to get the shrimp all hot. When they were finished, I took them out of the pan and put them on the plate w/ the steak. After that, i poured the lefty over juices into a bowl for dipping. For the garlic butter sauce I started with a stick of salted butter, then added a clove of pressed garlic and about a teaspoon of parsley. microwaved it for about 20 seconds so it was about half melted then i blended it all together. I mixed the two sauces together and it was AWESOME!!! We had a lobster with it too.

Alton Brownies

Yeah, I got this recipe from Alton Brown. I call them Alton Brownies and they're really delicious! They are moist and chewy, just right. This ain't no cake like brownie. And here is the recipe:

• 1 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 oz. butter, melted
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 and grease and flour a 8 inch square baking pan. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, well, but don't over beat them. Add the sugars, vanilla and butter and mix together. Then add remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined, again, don't over beat. Pour into prepared pan and back for about 45 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.

*note: I used a 9x13 pan and back at 350 until it was done, I don't remember how long though.

Lion House Rolls

I'm just going to copy and paste this recipe into my blog. I got it from the KSL website. I followed this one ALMOST to a 't'. The only thing I did differently was I let the yeast bloom for about 5 minutes before adding the butter, flour, egg and salt. They turned out really well. Hope you enjoy this!

• 2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
• 2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
• 1 egg
• 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.

Helpful Tips for Making Rolls

Always add flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.

It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour called for in the recipe—add only enough flour to make dough manageable.

To shorten dough's rising time, use one of these methods:

1) When dough is thoroughly mixed, oil bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap. Fill sink or larger bowl with about 2 inches of hot water or enough water to come about half or three-fourths the way up outside the dough bowl. Place bowl of dough in bowl of water and allow to rise until double in size.

2) Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.

Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.

How to consistently make attractive, good-tasting rolls? Practice! Practice! Practice!

Peach Cobbler

This recipe is pretty good. I think I'll try doing some variations to the recipe next time. My husband loves peach cobbler, I just like it. When I make it, it's because I love him! Lol. This recipe was from Foodnetwork.com, by Paula Deen. Usually her desserts have A LOT of sugar. This one wasn't so bad because I didn't add sugar to the peaches, and I didn't use fresh peaches, because It's not peach season here yet. This is where Paula's recipe is found and here is my variation:

• 1 large can of Peaches in heavy syrup
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 8 Tbl Butter or Margarine

First get your 9x13 baking dish and put the butter in the bottom. Turn on your oven to 350 degrees and put your pan in the oven to melt the butter. In the mean time, in a medium mixing bowl add flour and sugar and mix well, then add your milk and vanilla. I used a whisk to get out all the lumps. By the time you have the batter mixed up, your butter will be melted and your oven up to temp. Pull out the pan and open your can of peaches. Pour the batter into the pan w/ the melted butter and spoon the peaches over the top evenly, then pour the reserved syrup evenly over the top. Put your pan back into the oven and bake it for 30-45 minutes, until the top is golden, brown and delicious! Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or even plain!

I think next time, I'm going to keep an eye on the cobbler in the oven and when it's starting to look done, but not yet golden on top, I'm going to sprinkle sugar on top to and then bake it till it's golden. I think a crunchy, sugary crust would be delicious. I think next time, I'm going to use fresh peaches or home canned peaches, I think the flavor will be richer. I might add cinnamon next time, like Paula's recipe calls for. *shrug*

Rachel's Chili

So, I'm making chili on my own for the first time, from scratch! I hope it goes well!

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium salsa
• 1 tbl chili powder
• 1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can green chili's
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• parsley
• salt and pepper

First brown the ground beef with green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Add everything to a large pot and let it simmer. Add your spices to taste. I also added a shake of red pepper flakes. :) So far, so good!

Crepes

Alton Brown has the best crepe recipe and it's really easy. It always takes me two crepes to remember how to cook them, and I decided I would double the recipe whenever I make them, because I like leftovers! Big fan of leftovers! Here is his recipe: *hint, I added a little extra water (about 1/4 cup) to make the batter thinner, I think it worked better.*

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan

Directions

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

*Savory Variation Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

*Sweet Variation Add 21/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.

We filled ours with fresh strawberries w/ sugar and bananas and topped them with chocolate syrup.

Super Moist Banana Bread

So, this recipe has the Casey Seal of Approval, otherwise known as CSA. Last night after I took it out of the oven, he wasn't sure if he liked it. But today, after it had cooled, he loved it. And I quote "This is really good!" So, here is the recipe, it's soooooo basic and it's a variation of the banana bread recipe I found on Simply Recipes. I only made some small changes to the recipe.

• 3-4 bananas, mashed
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of salt.
• lemon juice

Peel your bananas and place them on a plate and drizzle lemon juice over them. I used about 1/4-1/2 tsp. I didn't measure it, so I can't be sure how much I used. I then mashed them with a fork, there were still some medium sized bits. I poured the mashed bananas in a mixing bowl and added the sugar, egg and vanilla and mixed well. I then sprinkled the soda and salt over the banana mixture and mixed it in well. Then I added the flour and mixed it until it was all combined. I didn't want to mix it too much because I didn't want it to have too much gluten, which would make it tough and chewy. I poured the batter into my pampered chef loaf pan and baked it for 1 hour at 350 degrees. It was sooooooo good!

French Bread

So, I've been craving french bread lately. There is just something about the chewy interior, and the crispy, crunchy crust. Of course, a little sour dough wouldn't be a bad thing either, but I didn't feel like making a start and waiting days for it to be ready, I wanted fresh bread now. Anyways, my homemade bread has been lacking lately. It hasn't been very good. So, I'm making a VERY basic bread, hoping to remember what makes bread good.

French Bread

• 1 1/2 c. Milk, luke warm
• 2 tsp. Yeast
• 1 Tbl. Sugar
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 Tbl. Butter
• 3 c. Flour

First I combined about a half cup of the milk and yeast in my mixer bowl and let it proof. Then I added the rest of the ingredients and let it knead in my mixer for about 9 minutes. Then I formed it into a ball and put it into a lightly greased bowl and covered with plastic wrap to rise, about an hour, till it's doubled in size. Then, I'm going to bake it on my stones, rather than in a loaf pan. I guess we'll see how it turns out. *shrugs* I hope it has a chewy interior and a crispy crust, and a good flavor. Maybe I'll make a sour dough start. I'd love to make one of wild yeast, but it's winter....so it'd probably take a long time. I'll wait till spring!

Easy BBQ Chicken

This recipe is soooooo easy and really delicious.

Easy BBQ Chicken

• boneless skinless chicken thighs
• bbq sauce

First boil the chicken until it's cooked. I boiled mine in chicken broth and added 1 jumbo chicken bouillon cube. Then I prepared a glass casserole dish with a little pan spray and I covered the bottom with bbq sauce. Then I put the chicken into the pan and covered it with bbq sauce. I used two different kinds of sauce, a hickory brown sugar and a thick and spicy kind. I made sure every part of the chicken had bbq sauce on it. I then covered the baking dish with foil and baked for 30 minutes at 350. The chicken is so moist and I love the flavor of it. As you can see, this recipe is READY for alterations and I'd love to hear them!!!!

Rachel's Chicken Salad

I was thinking about what to have for dinner tonight and I was thinking about the contents of my fridge, freezer and pantry. I didn't want something cooked...I wanted something fresh, with a crunch, that ruled out the pantry, unless I wanted to eat raw spaghetti. I thought about the contents of my freezer and I remembers we had some frozen chicken breasts. I thought "Wouldn't a chicken salad be great?" So, I pulled out my package of chicken breasts, which I had foolishly frozen them all together, and began thawing them at about 2:00 this afternoon. I began looking for recipes on all my favorite websites. I love allrecipes.com, recipezaar.com and the foodnetwork.com because they all have ratings and reviews and usually some good revisions to the recipes. I don't like cooks.com for that very reason. The recipe I found was on foodnetwork.com and it was similar to the taste I was looking for, here's the link: Almond Chicken Salad by Paula Deen but, it didn't have enough roughage! I wanted more flavors than just celery and almond and chicken. So, I got thinking, what makes good food....a little sweet and a little spicy! This is what I came up with!!!

Rachel's Chicken Salad

• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. light mayo
• 1/2 tb. lemon juice
• 1 c. grapes, cut in half
• 1/4-1/2 red onion
• 3 ribs of celery, finely diced
• 2 c. chicken, shredded
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 c. slivered almonds
  

First boil the chicken w/ some salt, to taste and the garlic powder. When cooked shred with with two forks and spread out on a cutting board to cool, you can place this in the fridge until it's cool. in a bowl, combine the mayo's and lemon juice. Add the grapes, celery, almonds (I tried toasting my almonds in the oven while I was chopping the veggies, but I didn't keep a close enough eye on them and they burned...so I added the rest of the package just as is. I'm sure toasting them adds a wonderful depth of flavor, maybe next time.) and shredded chicken and combine. You can serve in on rolls, croissants, or any type of bread you want. I had mine on lettuce leaves like a lettuce wrap, which was a nice crisp refreshing change, but it was really messy.

In the reviews of Paula Deen's recipe, one person suggested using yogurt as a mayo substitute, and I may try that. I also used 1/2 red onion and it was a little too much, so I'll cut back next time, but it's up to your tastes.

Oatmeal and Applesauce Pancakes

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I went looking for something to do with one egg, because that's all I had left in my fridge. I googled "What can I make with one egg" and it brought up a page about egg substitutes and I saw applesauce was an egg sub. So, I thought, I want breakfast and pancakes sound good and I had applesauce and voila! APPLESAUCE PANCAKES. I had some with my cousin Heather a few years ago and they were so good! So, I made some, using this recipe. I almost followed it completely.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir applesauce mixture and milk into the flour mixture until evenly moist and thick. Scoop about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto the prepared griddle, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.

I had some left over cinnamon sugar mixture that I added, it equaled just over 1/4 cup and I put in too much applesauce, so it was about 1 cup that I added. Because of the sugar I added it does make these pancakes really sweet, so next time, I'm not going to add it. These were really soft and tender so you have to be careful when you turn them. I topped them with a little butter, applesauce and maple syrup, it was so delicious.

Rachel's Thick and Creamy Tomato Soup

So, I was looking for a recipe that is a mock of Paradise Bakery's Fire Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup and I found several different, even one that claimed it was really close. So, I decided to take those recipes and make my own and this is what I came up with. I haven't dined on it yet, I'm waiting for my grilled cheese sandwich to be done, but I have tasted it and I'm satisfied with it. :) This was really easy to put together and there was little mess because I used soo few dishes!

Rachel's Thick and Creamy Tomato Soup

• Olive Oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 ribs of celery
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 6oz. can of tomato paste
• 1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 2 tsp. chicken bouillon
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 c. milk
• 4 c. chicken broth
• shake of red pepper flakes

Peel tomatoes and core and cut into quarters (an easy way to peel tomatoes is to dunk them into boiling water for 30 seconds then dunk them into a ice water bath until you can handle them and the skins will slip right off.) Place the tomatoes on a pan and drizzle about 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Place the tomatoes under the broiler, turning every so often, don't let them burn! While those are roasting, dice your onion and celery and saute in your pot until slightly translucent. Add your minced garlic and saute for about another minute more. check your tomatoes and if you think they're ready put them in your pot along with the butter, tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and broth. Stir it all together and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add your spices and let simmer another ten minutes. Check the flavor and adjust to your tastes. When it's ready, use an immersion blender to blend to your desired consistency. I like mine thick so I don't blend that much and I let it simmer for a total of 40 minutes so there was less water in my soup. At this point add the milk or cream or half and half, which ever you prefer. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend it in batches in a regular blender, just be careful because it's HOT! I hope whoever reads this enjoys it like I do!

Chewy Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe looks good, I think I'll try it. Supposedly it's just as good as Paradise Bakery and Cafe Black and White Chippers. I found this recipe on picky-palate.com . I guess this'll be the next cookie recipe I try. I really like looking for new recipes on the internet, I also like trying them out. Like I did with the chow mein. The first recipe sucked, which is why it's no longer on MY blog. The second one, with some intervention from my husband was fabulous! It was even better the next day because all the flavors were melding together. Soooo Good! So, I'll let you know how this one goes.

Chewy Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsps. baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet. (I used a cookie sheet with a silpat liner)

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addiction. Add the salt and vanilla.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until fluffy but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I guess if you can't tell, I like to try mock recipes!

Panda Express Chow Mein, again

So, I'm going to try a new variation on the panda express chow mein recipe. Hopefully this one is much better. I'm going to try a few things too. We'll see!

1 T vegetable oil
1/4 c white onion, sliced thin
1/4 c Napa cabbage, sliced thin
1/4 c celery, chopped
1/8 c bean sprouts
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 T vegetable oil
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T water
1 T dark sesame oil
1 package Mie Noodles (Chinese style) boiled according to package directions

Place 1 T vegetable oil in wok or non-stick skillet and heat to 375 degrees. Stir fry onion, cabbage, celery, bean sprouts, ginger, pepper flakes and garlic until cabbage is wilted and garlic is fragrant (1-2 minutes). Stir in soy sauce and water. Add cooked, drained pasta and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Chicken Curry

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 - 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 1/2 c. cooked chicken chunks
• 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• cooked rice

Mix and heat soup, sugar and broth. Combine curry powder and ginger in a small bowl; add about 1/4 cup of soup mixture to it and stir out the lumps. Pour into soup. Add chicken and lemon juice; heat through. Serve over rice and top as desired.

I love this recipe and it is sooo quick and easy to make. I also like to add onions to the sauce. Here are some of our favorite toppings.

Peanuts, cashews, apples, mandarin oranges, coconut, pineapple, crumbled bacon, banana, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, shredded cheese, chinese noodles and raisins.

Beef Back Ribs

I like to go shopping at Smiths. They have a section of discount meats and I have to say that on occasion there are some real gems in there. About a month ago I found a package of Beef Back ribs for like $4.00. When I got home they went straight into the freezer and I'm making them tonight. I'm really excited about them too! I went in search of ways to cook them and I found Alton Brown's method for Baby Back Ribs intriguing, so I'm using it for my beef back ribs, because I can. You can see his recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/who-loves-ya-baby-back-recipe/index.htmlBelow is the recipe I put together.

Beef Back Ribs

Rub:

• 8 parts brown sugar
• 3 parts salt
• 1 part chili powder
• 1 part your stuff

In my stuff I put garlic powder, paprika, old bay, ginger, onion powder and pepper

Braising Liquid:

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 TBS. rice wine vinegar (because it's what I had)
• 2 TBS. soy sauce (because I didn't have worchestershire sauce)
• 2 TBS. corn syrup (because I didn't have honey, personally I think honey would be leaps and bounds better but, I had to work with what I had)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder

First lay down aluminum foil shiny side down and lay your rib on it. Pat your rub on to both sides of the ribs and don't be a pansy about it either. I wrapped them up in the foil, so I could open them again later, and let them rest for 1 hour. While they were resting I made the braising liquid and microwaved it for 1 minute on high. Then I poured half the liquid into each package of ribs. Then I baked them at 250 degress for 2 1/2 hours. After that I put the packages of ribs over a sauce pan and punched holes in the foil and let the liquid drain into a sauce pan. I put the sauce pan on the stove on a med/low heat and let it reduce, about half. In AB's recipe it says to brush the ribs with the sauce and then placed them on a baking sheet in the oven under the broiler and let it caramelize. Then cut the ribs into sections and toss in a bowl with some of the sauce to coat. I just drizzled a little bit of the sauce on them and then ate it with a side of mashed potatoes and a piece of bread. Really good. It was really hard to eat but, really delicious. :)