Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

I've decided that spaghetti is one of my favorite meals ever. We had it pretty much every week growing up, and it serves as a comfort food for me. It's also quick and easy...what's not to love?! For this dish, you will need:

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
1 package sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
1 14oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
8 oz. water
1/2 Tbsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 lb. noodles
shredded parmesan cheese

*Warning!!!* I've actually never gone through and measured out the spices I use in this recipe. I just kind of sprinkle everything in and taste as I go. Those values should be pretty close, but add a little less at first and taste the sauce before you add more.

Start by browning the meat with the diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and minced garlic.

Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and stir. Then, add the spices. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, boil the noodles. Top with shredded parmesan cheese and serve with french bread and a salad. Enjoy!

Beef Stir Fry

I love me some stir fry! I thought I would never say those words in my life...a dish full of vegetables? Well, I'm a big grown-up now and it's a whole new world. Yum! I adapted a recipe from the always wonderful Pioneer Woman for the sauce/marinade part of the dish. She is fabulous, and I am loving her new cooking show on the Food Network! For this dish, you will need:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp. cooking sherry (if you have it...I didn't have it, and it tasted great.)
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 bag frozen yellow, red, and green bell peppers (You can use fresh, too. I went for easy!)
broccoli florets
1 pound beef strips for stir fry

Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, fresh ginger, and garlic. Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a wok on medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, toss in veggies and let cook until desired consistency. I like my onions and peppers to be soft, so I usually throw them in first and let them cook for about a minute. Then, I toss in the bamboo shoots, carrots, and broccoli and let them cook for about 2 minutes with the onions and peppers. Then, I add the zucchini and let it cook for another couple of minutes. It just depends on how you like your veggies for the order you put them in the wok. I also put a little bit of salt and pepper in the wok while they're cooking. When the veggies are done cooking, put them in a separate bowl.

Return wok to heat and allow it to get hot. Add remaining tablespoon canola oil. Throw in the marinated meat without the sauce. Cook the beef about a minute on each side until it is browned. It will start smelling really good in the kitchen! When the beef is done, turn down the wok to low and add the vegetables. Add the remaining sauce (the marinade that the beef was in) and stir. Allow the mixture to simmer on low for a few minutes. If you don't want to use the same liquid you used for the meat, you can whip up an extra batch in a separate bowl.

After the mixture has simmered for a few minutes, it is ready to enjoy! Serve over rice. Yum!

Brazilian Stroganoff

Stroganoff is one of my absolute favorite dishes when I go to Brazil. Now, I know stroganoff is Russian, but to me it is Brazilian because I had it for the first time when I was there! When I was in Itu last year doing my internship, I had it many times and requested it for my last "Brazilian" meal. Their version is served with rice instead of noodles. To make it even more Brazilian, I picked up some picanha, or top sirloin for the meat. Picanha is most Brazilians' favorite cut of meat...it is roasted over open flames and is one of the meat cuts served in the rodizio style restaurants (think Texas de Brazil or Fogo de Chao). For this dish, you will need:

butter
1 pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms
1.5 - 2 lbs. beef or chicken
1 medium onion, minced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 (14 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. mustard
2 cans media crema (known as creme de leite in Brazil), found by the sweetened condensed milk
salt
pepper
Ruffles potato chips (Brazilians top their stroganoff with shoestring potatoes. Crushed Ruffles do the trick, too!)

Brown mushrooms in about 1 tablespoon butter and set aside. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat with garlic and onions in another 1-2 tablespoons of butter. (You can also use extra virgin olive oil, or do half butter, half EVOO.) After meat is browned, add the browned mushrooms and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Then, add the tomato sauce and mustard to the pot. At this point, I added a little more salt, pepper, and threw in some garlic powder. Cover your pot with a lid and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After it has simmered, turn the burner off and stir in the media crema. The sauce should be a pink or light orange color. My Brazilian friends would probably add more cream than I did, but I like the more tomato-ey (yes, that's a word) flavor that comes from not adding as much. Serve over rice and top with crushed Ruffles, if desired!

Roasted Vegetables

So, last week I made some fantastic beef stew in the crock pot but forgot to take pictures! Boo. Guess that means I'll have to make it again! :)

Tonight, I made some roasted veggies to go along with my chicken kabobs and wild rice. I ventured to the Dallas Farmer's Market on Saturday morning to pick up some home grown fresh veggies and couldn't wait to use them! This recipe SUPER easy and so good for you! I am an extremely picky eater...like annoyingly picky. If you know me, you know this is true and are probably laughing right now. Vegetables are definitely not my favorite thing in the world, but I crave these roasted veggies! Way to go, mom...this recipe comes from her!

You will need:

cooking spray
extra virgin olive oil
pepper
salt (I like to use Lawry's seasoned salt.)
okra, bell pepper (any color), broccoli, onion, zucchini, mushrooms...whatever your favorite veggies are!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop up all of your veggies into bite sized pieces. Place them on a sprayed cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

These are great served as a side dish to chicken or fish. YUM!

Jessica's Brownies

This dessert is super simple and so yummy! I call these "Jessica's Brownies" because my good friend Jessica is a fantastic baker and found a way to make brownies even more delicious. Here is what you will need:

1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1 stick unsalted butter
6 Tbsp. milk
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. cocoa

Cook the brownies as directed on the back of the box. Let them cool while you mix up the frosting. For the frosting, first melt the butter on the stove. Add the milk, cocoa, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Take the mixture off of the burner and add the powdered sugar. Start with 1 pound and add more until you get a slightly thickened consistency. Pour the mixture over the cooled brownies. Let the frosting set. Enjoy with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Pasta e Fagioli

This is a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli. I found the recipe online here. I am a big soup lover and usually make a big pot to eat on throughout the week. This is a really simple soup that tastes better as the week goes on! You will need:

1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 c. onion, diced

1 c. celery, chopped

1 c. carrots, julienned

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can red kidney beans (with liquid)

1 15 oz. can great northern beans (with liquid)

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 12 oz. can V-8 juice

1 1/2 t. salt

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 lb. (1/2 pkg.) ditalini pasta or small shells pasta

To begin, brown the meat in a large pot over medium heat. When the meat has browned almost all the way, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes.

 Add the remaining ingredients (except for the pasta), and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When there is about ten minutes left for the soup to cook, boil the pasta in a separate pot and drain when al dente. Spoon 1-1 1/2 cups of the soup mixture into serving bowls. Then, spoon about 1/2 cup of pasta into the serving bowls. Mix together. I have found that the soup keeps better during the week if the pasta and the soup are stored separately. If you leave them together, the pasta will soak up the excess liquid in the soup, and it will become really thick. Serve with a piece of garlic french bread. Enjoy!

Welcome!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my little food blog. I wanted to create this blog so that I could have an online record of my favorite recipes, and also so I could share them with you! Cooking has always been a hobby of mine, and it serves as a way to help me relax and unwind from a crazy day. Hope you find some things that you like! Thanks for reading!