Beef Stew with Gnocchi ~ Slow cooker

Beef Stew with gnocchi

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What you need:
1 pound chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 medium-sized carrots, cut into 1/4 inch-thick coins
1 package (10 ounces) mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound frozen pearl onions
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 package (17.5 ounces) gnocchi

How to Make it!:
1.  In a large bowl, toss together steak, flour and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place steak in slow cooker with carrots, mushrooms, garlic, onions, broth, red wine and 1/2 teaspoons thyme.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 7 hours.
2.  Remove lid and stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and dried thyme and the gnocchi.  Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes or until gnocchi is tender.

This is one of the best stews I have ever made. The gnocchi adds a terrific flavor to the stew. The very first time I was buying ingredients for this recipe, I could not find frozen gnocchi at my grocery, so I found a recipe and made homemade gnocchi. I have since found gnocchi in the freezer section at my local grocery.  If you can't find it and decide to make it on your own, it is very simple to make and very tasty!!

Nutrition info:
322 calories
4 g fat
20 g protein
45 g carbs
4 g fiber
604 mg sodium

Beef Stew with Gnocchi ~ Slow cooker

Four Cheese Pasta Florentine



Four Cheese Pasta Florentine

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The Essentials:
4 cups Penne Pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese
2 eggs
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Making It:
1.  HEAT oven to 375ºF.
2.  COOK pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, cook spinach as directed on package; drain well. Place in large bowl. Add cream cheese; stir until melted. Stir in cottage cheese and eggs until well blended.
3.  DRAIN pasta. Add to spinach mixture with mozzarella; mix lightly. Spoon into a 13 x 9 baking dish and then top with Parmesan.
4.  BAKE 15 min. or until center is set.

This dish is DELICIOUS! However, for those of you out there like me who are counting calories or following a diet program, I am going to add the nutrition facts.  I'm not sure what a serving size is, but to be on the safe side, I am assuming 1/2 - 1 cup. This stuff is Amazing, so if calories don't matter to you, then I suggest just digging in. The flavor is great!

Nutrition Stuff:
Fat:  28 grams              
Calories:  690
Carbs: 69 grams
Fiber:  5 grams
Protein:   42 grams
Sodium:  950 mg
Sugars: 6 grams

Four Cheese Pasta Florentine

Firecracker Cupcakes!

Happy Memorial Day!

Firecracker Cupcakes!

Italian Sausage Rigatoni



Italian Sausage Rigatoni

This is a really great, filling meal.  Served with some garlic bread and a salad, you will find yourself in comfort food heaven!

PRINTABLE VERSION
you will need:
1 pkg. (19.76) Italian Mild Sausage Links, grilled and coin-sliced
1 pkg. rigatoni pasta
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red pepper, chunked and sauteed
1 jar (26 oz) of you favorite pasta sauce
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped

how you will make it:
cook sausage according to package directions, keep warm.  Cook the rigatoni according to directions, keep warm.  In a large pan, place olive oil and garlic, saute lightly for 30 seconds.  Add peppers and cook until crisp-tender. Combine cooked sausage and pasta sauce with peppers and heat until warm.  Mix with the pasta.  Top with fresh parsley.  Serve warm.

simple, comforting and delicious!

Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Rigatoni

Cocoa Banana Bars

cocoa banana bars...yum!

these were more cake-like than i expected them to be. however, i waited for them to completely cool and they sliced very nicely into beautifully shaped bars. the kids loved their after school snack so much, they kept sneaking into the kitchen for seconds...and thirds....

PRINTABLE VERSION
what you need:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
chopped walnuts (optional)

how to make them:
1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in the mashed banana, set aside.
3.Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the banana mixture into the well and stir just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
4.Remove half of the batter from the bowl. Mix the cocoa powder into the batter remaining in the bowl and stir well. Spread the cocoa batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon the remaining batter on top and use a knife to swirl the batter into a marbled design.
5.Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into 24 pieces.

Enjoy!

Cocoa Banana Bars

Bruschetta

Bruschetta from the movie Julie & Julia

if you know me, then you know about my recent obsession with the movie Julie & Julia.  There is a scene from the movie where Julie makes this wonderful looking Bruschetta, which causes my salivary gland to water every time I watch it.  So, thanks to google I was able to find the recipe, try it and just as I expected it was just as delicious as it looked.

PRINTABLE VERSION
Ingredients:
Loaf of french bread
olive oil
butter
garlic cloves
kosher salt
ground pepper
heirloom tomatoes or vine ripe tomatoes
fresh basil

Directions:
1. Cut tomatoes into chunks and chop lots of basil leaves into small pieces. In a bowl, toss tomatoes and basil with a good quality olive oil. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. Cut bread into slices about 3/4 inch thick

3. Pan fry the bread in butter and minced garlic to get it toasted on the outside while retaining some softness in the center. After pan frying, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper about a half hour before serving. The salt makes the tomatoes release their juices and you don’t want that happening too soon.

5. Top bread with tomato mixture. If the bread is really crunchy, let the tomatoes sit for a few minutes before serving to soften the bread.

Bruschetta

Strawberry Cake

this strawberry cake is Fabulous! I made this cake, for the first time, to serve at church and it got wonderful reviews.  I did, however, tweak the recipe a bit.  I used a bunt pan instead of the 'three round pans' and I also did not use the icing in the recipe.  Instead I used a store bought cream cheese icing, scooped some out into a bowl, softened it for about 8 seconds in the microwave and mixed in some smashed strawberries to make a drizzle. 

*I used fresh strawberries instead of frozen.

**please note if you use a bunt pan as I did, you will need to increase the cook time of the cake to about ONE HOUR or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.   

Ingredients:
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed *(I used fresh strawberries)
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). **Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.
2.In a large bowl, dissolve the gelatin in cold water; stir in the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, flour and 1/2 of the strawberries. Beat for 5 minutes on the medium speed of an electric mixer. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
3.**Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the layers spring back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool cakes in the pans on wire racks.

I did not use this frosting...but this is the suggested frosting to use when making the layered cake.  I will try this frosting the next time.
4.To Make Frosting: Cream the butter, sugar and the remaining half of the strawberries in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, adding additional confectioners' sugar if needed for a spreadable consistency. Spread the frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake.

I hope you enjoy this strawberry cake as much as we did. 

Strawberry Cake

Fried Okra

this is a pretty basic recipe, but wanted to post it because i figured, like myself, there might be someone out there who wanted fried okra, but had no idea how to do it! my two oldest boys love fried okra and this recipe got their stamp of approval!

Ingredients:
10 pods okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1.  In a small bowl, soak okra in egg for 5-10 minutes.  In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt and pepper.
2.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Dredge okra in the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly.  Carefully place okra in hot oil; stir continuously.  Reduce heat to medium when okra first starts to brown, and cook until golden.  Drain on paper towels.

that's it. simple, quick, and ridiculously delicious!

enjoy! 

Fried Okra

Meal Planning Rut

so, this year so far I have fallen into a little bit of a rut as far as my meal planning goes.  Don't get me wrong, I am still doing it, because for one it makes my grocery trips much easier and sticking to my detailed list saves me money and secondly, it also makes dinner time a little less stressful and more organized. So, what is the problem?  My husband traveling and working in Alaska for four months has caused me to slip into an eating more quick, kid-friendly foods, get them fed, bathed, and to bed as fast as I can kind of rut!  Hence, the reason why I haven't been posting my meal plans on here.  I mean, who wants to see menus of frozen pizza, spaghetti, chili dogs and mac and cheese? So, brace yourself come mid-March/first of April, because I will be blowing up this blog with tons of new recipes and more yumminess than you can stand! 

I'll leave you with this picture of some amazing stuffed poblano peppers my husband grilled when he was home this past weekend.  Now, if I can get him to share his recipe with me, I'll blog it!

Meal Planning Rut

Banana Nut Bread

i'm always on the look out for new banana nut bread recipes. tried this one and loved it! secret ingredient: cornflakes cereal! i blogged this recipe at Bright Copper Kettles this morning.  Check out the site and grab this banana nut bread recipe, you're sure to love it!

Banana Nut Bread