Best Lasagna Ever!

            On to round two of recipes that I stole from my little sis.  When I was scrolling through her blog roll, and saw this same subject line that I am now sharing with you, I will admit that I was a little suspicious.  How could this possibly be the “best lasagna ever?”  Isn’t that maybe going a bit too far?  Deciding I would never know unless I gave it a try for myself, I went out and got the ingredients to give it a go!

            The one downfall that I will share with you about this recipe, is that it was way more ingredients than I typically use in the dishes I prepare.  I wasn’t upset at all about more involved preparation the increased ingredients led to, but Chris was getting a little antsy when I kept tossing ingredients in the cart and responding to his question of “what dish is that for? “ with the response, “don’t worry about it, it is for the best lasagna ever.”  I figured if I was wrong, I could let him take it up with Brooke!

            With that said about the plethora of ingredients, we will just say I was starting to feel the pressure of preparing a wonderful dish.  The verdict?  She was right!  This just might be the most delicious lasagna I have/will ever taste!!  Chris was also absolutely beside himself with joy as it seemed he offered up a compliment after each bite!

            So, if you are wanting to test this one out and see if you are in agreement that this is the best.lasagna.ever, I would encourage you to try it out soon!  Be sure to keep me posted with the results!

Slainte!

Recipe and Preparation:

http://brookethefamilycook.blogspot.com/2011/04/best-lasagna-ever.html

Enjoy!

Notice the adorable puppy sleeping on the floor :)

Spaghetti Salad

            This last weekend, I finally made a virtual stop by my sister Brooke’s blog.  If you have not checked her out yet, I highly recommend that you do!  I spent what felt like an eternity going through her entries and eating up (not literally though I wish I was) her fun family recipes and kid friendly dishes.  It had been a bit since I had last went through it thoroughly and I was so impressed! 

            I was working on my own meal plan for the week, and stole 3 ideas from her!  Being the younger sister, she always jokes that she copies me.  I shot her a text telling her all of the meals that I was going to try of hers and joked, “Who is the copy cat now?!”

            This first recipe, is a recipe that I first remember trying when my Aunt Deb would serve it at the Pioneer Seed Corn supper every year.  The taste of the dish takes me back to my youth almost like no other.  My mom often makes this one as well, and it was just what I needed to take to my friend’s barbeque that weekend! 

            The other fun thing about this dish that reminds me of family, is that I chose to make it a day after Chris and I brought home our puppy!  Chris had to swing by his work, and I really needed to get the dish made, so I laughed at myself thinking that rather than “sleep when the baby is sleeping” I needed to “cook when the puppy is sleeping!”  Do you think I can officially coin that phrase?  Anyway, in this season of barbeques and pot lucks, I strongly encourage you to give this dish a try.  And of course, stop by my sister’s blog and check out her yummy recipes!

Slainte!

Recipe and Preparation:

http://brookethefamilycook.blogspot.com/2011/03/spaghetti-salad.html

Enjoy!

Herb Garden!

Since the time this photo was taken, Chris has made me these adorable little labels using sticks shaved down with the name of the herb written in permanent marker...so cute!

    

            This year, after making the commitment to prepare more meals at home and improve my skills as a home cook, I have began to realize that I blow through herbs like it is my part time job.  Being a lover of home and garden stores, early this spring, I started scheming with Chris as to what would be the best plan for growing our own herbs.  Because I know that I would one day like to have a full vegetable garden, but also realize that I do not have the time for such an undertaking now, I knew I needed to start small.

            We went back and forth between wanting to do a container garden or disguise our herbs amongst our other plants and flowers.  Ultimately, after much debate (and many trips to Home Depot), we decided a container garden would be best for this first year.  So, we purchased 5 pots (3 bigger and 2 smaller) and just purchased 5 different started herbs.  We settled on basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, and rosemary, as these are what I find myself using most frequently.

            So far, this has been an excellent decision, and it makes me feel like a culinary champion when I go out to the deck to cut the herbs for that evening’s dish.  I would almost recommend doing this solely for that feeling, as it’s quite exquisite!  If only I could feel that “masterful” everywhere I go!

            Please let me know if you or someone you know has a successful herb garden or larger vegetable garden.  Like I mentioned, I am hopeful that one day I will be able to expand mine to a full-fledged vegetable garden so all ideas are welcome and appreciated!

Slainte!

Orange you gonna give these delicious skewers a try?!

            With the weather here in Nebraska keeping us guessing whether or not summer is actually upon us, I guarantee that if you give this delicious meal a try, you just might feel like you are enjoying a meal in the middle of June!  I found this recipe for grilled chicken and orange skewers in the May 2011 issue of Real Simple Magazine.  While I was preparing it, Chris’s interest was certainly piqued as he saw me stringing the kabobs together.  “Is that chicken AND oranges?” He asked, turning away thinking something to the effect of “what is she attempting now?”

            Because that cutie husband of mine also happens to be the resident grill master in our home, he was in charge of grilling the skewers after I finished the preparation.  From start to finish the meal took no more than 45 minutes to prepare, and the end result was fantastic!  I myself would have never mixed the oranges, onions, and chicken on the skewers, but the combination was absolutely delicious! 

            If you, like me, have had a husband who has been cooped up and away from his sacred grilling post all winter, I would highly recommend that you try this one soon.  After all, we know that you will really be the one doing the meal preparation, but sometimes I think guys secretly want to lend a helping hand, especially if it involves a little smoke and fire!

Slainte!

Recipe:

-1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 to 7), cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

-1 small red onion, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

-1 navel orange, cut into 16 pieces

-1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the grill

-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

-kosher salt and black pepper

Preparation:

*I use metal skewers, but if you use wooden ones, do the following:

-Soak 8 small wooden skewers in water for at least 15 minutes

-In a large bowl, toss the chicken, onion, and orange with the oil, cumin, cayenne, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper; thread onto the skewers.  Heat grill or grill pan to medium, lightly oil the grate and grill the skewers, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the onion is just tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Rib-Eye Steaks with Whiskey Cream Sauce

            If you have ever met my husband, Chris, you would know after reading the title of this post that there are two reasons he would be all about this dish.  Steak and whiskey.  In fact, those two things might just rank right up there with his wife!  So, when I suggested we try this dish from my friend the Pioneer Woman, he was game.  However, when I was preparing it a few days after and asked for him to go grab me some whiskey, he thought we needed to have a talk.

            After assuring him that I have not taken to drinking whiskey while cooking, he obliged and brought me up a bottle.  Handing it to me with care, he said something to the effect of, “this better be good.”  He was handing over to me one of his most prized possessions after all!

            So, after an easy prep, it was judgment day.  Would this dish be worth the whiskey? Er…wait?  Well friends, I am pleased to say it was!  We both enjoyed it thoroughly, and it just had a really unique taste that we both loved.  If you have a whiskey-loving, carnivorous husband like I do (or if you are a whiskey-loving carnivorous individual yourself) I would recommend you give this one a try soon!

Slainte!

Recipe:

-5 tablespoons butter

-3 tablespoons diced onion

-1/4 cup whiskey

-1/4 cup beef stock or beef broth

-Dash of salt

-Freshly ground black pepper

-1/4 cup light cream

-2 rib-eye steaks

Preparation:

-Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a small skillet.  Add the onion and cook until brown, about 4 minutes.

-When the onion is brown, turn off the heat for a moment so you won’t catch fire!  Pour in the whiskey.

-As soon as the whiskey evaporates, turn the burner on medium and pour in the beef stock or broth.  Add salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add another tablespoon butter. 

-Allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low.  Over low heat, pour in the cream.  Whisk, adding more cream if the mixture looks too brothy.  Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the steaks.  Stir occasionally.

-Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Generously salt and pepper the steak on both sides, then add it to the hot skillet.

-For medium rare, cook for to minutes on each side for a thin steak, or 3 to 4 minutes on each side for a thick steak.  Place the steak on a plate and spoon the sauce over the steak!!

*Also, we enjoyed this steak with a great red wine my parents brought us from Napa Valley…I recommend you do the same!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to ME!

            

            Hello everyone!  I’m sure many of you are wondering, “What does it take to get a blog update out of this girl?”  Well friends, the answer seems to be that it takes a day off and some free time, which have been, sadly, very rare recently.  However, because today is my BIRTHDAY, I decided to treat myself, take the day off, and do the things I enjoy most. 

            So, today I have been getting things done at home, running errands, and even made myself a delicious carrot cake!  I found the recipe for my birthday carrot cake on the Pioneer Woman’s website.  After I found it last week, I couldn’t wait to give it a try!  I didn’t really care what I accomplished today, but just knew that I must make time to make that cake!

            The recipe and preparation are super easy, and the result is very tasty.  I will say that it is not super “carrot-y” which I was a little disappointed about, but overall it was a great recipe and I will likely use it again as I LOVE carrot cake.  Now, this morning I baked in my robe (which was fun), but I also need to mention here that I received an incredible gift from my friend Sota (her real name is Amy, but I refuse to call her that) as she sent me a gorgeous apron that she sewed herself!!  It was such a beautiful, thoughtful, and unexpected birthday surprise that I nearly started crying when the UPS man delivered it to me!

            

         This beautiful apron reminds me that I have been blessed beyond measure in my 26 years to encounter so many wonderful people and call them my friends.  Each birthday I try to count my blessings and recall the past year I have been blessed to live.  This past year has taught me a lot about life, love, and loss and I am looking forward to the year ahead.  One think I can guarantee is that there will be more delicious recipes to come!  Hopefully I can just get my poop in a group so they can come to you faster!

Slainte!!