Grilled Ribeye Steak with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce

OK, This was seriuosly good! So easy and yet so yummy..just my type of meal. The creamy blue cheese sauce gave the meat just the right kick. The carmalized onions with the heavy cream was truly divine. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY! Made brown sugar carrots on the side.

Ingredients

■2 whole Ribeye Steaks
■2 Tablespoons Butter
■Salt
■Pepper
■4 Tablespoons Butter
■1 whole Very Large Yellow Onion, Sliced
■1 cup Heavy Cream
■½ cups Crumbled Blue Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. Grill in 2 tablespoons butter until medium rare.

Saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter over high heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in cream. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Serve steaks on generous portion of sauce.


CANDY CARROTS

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter, diced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1.Place carrots in a pot of salted water. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to a high simmer and cook about 20 to 30 minutes. Do not cook the carrots to a mushy stage!
2.Drain the carrots, reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting and return the carrots to the pan. Stir in butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until sugar is bubbly. Serve hot!

My New Toy

Don't ask me why I decide to buy one of these at the END of the summer. Could of used cold, fresh ice cream on some of those hot days! Well, it was on sale at crate and barrel.. actually half off! So, get one if your in the moood for some delisious homemade treats. I made some Ben 7Jerry's Heath Ice Cream the other night.. If that doesn't make you want to run out and buy one, I don't know what will.

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

I had to try out my new ice cream/frozen yogurt machine. (See post above) This recipe turned out great! It was very refreshing and the hint of banana was refreshing. If using a small ice cream maker like mine, that makes 1.5 quarts I would half the recipe.


Ingredients

8 Cups plain yogurt
8 Cups raspberries
2 whole smashed bananas
1/4 cup O.J
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
2 cup milk

Steps

Whip bananas and milk in a blender. Add orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and cream. Mix yogurt and berries in separate bowl, then add to the banana mixture. Freeze according to manufacture directions.

Pumpkin Pancake With Nutmeg Whip Cream

These pumpkin pancakes are a great way to kick off Fall. They have an awesome cinnamon/pumpkin flavor and taste great with the nutmeg whip cream and maple syrup. I enjoyed these a lot and will be making plenty more. I added about 1/4 cup more milk than what the recipe called for, the batter seemd a little thick. I would highly recomend these with the nutmeg whip cream.


Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions

1.In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.


Nutmeg whipped cream

1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin

This pork was packed with spice.. its amazing! The chipotle rub gave it a great smokey flavor and the brown sugar gave just the right amount of sweetness. This rub would be awesome on chicken too. I think I will try it on chicken and throw it on the George Foreman. The pork was rated a 10! A great marinade rub for future meals.


Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 3 tablespoons chipotle chile powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins

Directions

1. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle chile powder, salt, and brown sugar. Place tenderloins in bag and shake, coating meat evenly. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Lightly oil grill grate, and arrange meat on grate. Cook for 20 minutes, turning meat every 5 minutes. Remove from grill, let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Gourmet Sweet Potato

I've never made sweet potatos before and these turned out really yummy! I loved the topping. I actually boiled mine for 25 min. and then mashed them up in a bowl. If you cooking for smaller crowds I used two large potatoes and half the recipe. I doubled the topping recipe because I figure you can never have to much nuts and caramelized brown sugar right? Since I halved the recipe I put it in a 8x8 sized pan. This went great with our pork dinner (see above) I will definitely make this one again.


Ingredients

* 5 sweet potatoes
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup butter
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bake sweet potatoes 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they begin to soften. Cool slightly, peel, and mash.
3. In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and heavy cream. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of course meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and lightly browned

Cafe Rio Dressing

This dressing is a must have to top on the Cafe Rio chicken and pork. I even used as a topping on my Shredded Beef Enchiladas. (much better with the dressing)It keeps very well for a few months. Great for salads and any Mexican dish.

Ingredients

2 cups prepared Ranch Dressing (I usually use a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk mix)
1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed (about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
2 large or 4 small tomatillos
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 T fresh lime juice
1 tsp. Green Tabasco sauce

Directions

Prepare Ranch dressing according to directions on the package or recipe you're following and set aside.

Remove large cilantro stems, then wash leaves and spin dry or dry with paper towels. Add cilantro to food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until finely chopped. (If you don't have a food processor, I'd chop all ingredients well by hand and then blend dressing in a blender.)

Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and Green Tabasco sauce to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely pureed. Add the 2 cups of prepared dressing and pulse just a few times, until ingredients are well combined. Chill dressing for an hour or two and serve.

Cafe Rio Chicken

This is a knock off Cafe Rio recipe. Which I'm happy to announce Cafe Rio will be opening two more locations in the D.C. area by the end of the year! The chicken had awesome flavor and was so easy to just throw in the crock pot. I made pico de gallo , Cafe Rio dressing ( see recipe above), shredded cheese, and sour cream. This chicken is great on salads too with the dressing.

**After making the Cafe Rio pork and chicken, Brad and I both agree the pork is better. The chicken is still great and really yummy. I will post the pork recipe soon. Let's just say it's soaked in Dr. Pepper. Could life get any better? :)


Ingredients

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Buttermilk Pancakes

As you can probably tell I LOVE breakfast foods. Yes, even for dinner. I love these buttermilk pancakes. To be honest I always made pancakes with bisquick until I was married. Now, I could never go back to just plain bisquick pancakes. These pancakes are SUPER fluffy and taste super yummy. They actually taste even better made the next day. I like to add blueberries or chocolate chips to make them even more delicious. It's really important not to over stir these, the batter is supposed to be lumpy.

*** If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can make your own. 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp acid like lemon juice or vinegar.***

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

1.In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!
3.Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These cookies were awesome! The peanut butter cups were my favorite part. The cookie dough kept great in the refrigerator. I made cookies a few days later and they still tasted great. I cooked them for 9 minutes. Please make these and ENJOY.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
10 chocolate covered peanut butter cups, cut into eighths

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and peanut butter cups. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for 1 or 2 minutes on sheet before removing, or they will fall apart.

Basil Cream Ravioli

This is definitely one of my favorite pasta dishes! It's really very easy but taste so good. Costco or Sams club carries a two pack of raviolis. It's cheaper to buy that way and you can throw the unused pack in the freezer. This is seriously a must make!

Ingredients

1 (24 oz pkg) frozen beef ravioli
2 tbsp butter
1 (8 oz pkg) sliced fresh mushrooms
3 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 (10 oz can) diced mild tomatoes with green chiles, drained
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt

Prepare ravioli by boiling in a large pot of salted water according to directions. Drain and keep warm.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and next 3 ingredients. Sauté for 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Stir in tomatoes with chiles, basil and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add salt. Stir in cooked ravioli, toss to coat.

Classic BLT

This is great for a quick, yummy summer lunch.

Tomatoes from the garden
Butter Lettuce
Toasted wheat bread
Thickly fried bacon
Mayo with a hint of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Oregano

Asian Orange Chicken

I love putting the orange peels down my disposal after they've been used squeezed for juice. They give my sink a nice citrus smell.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.