Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Sauce

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I have three brothers. All who love to eat. However, none of them are very talented in the kitchen.

My oldest brother, Eddie, isn't too bad. Since my family is so large, we pick names out of a hat so that whenever a birthday comes around, someone new has to make the birthday cake. He made me an awesome Spongebob Squarepants ice cream cake for my birthday this year (yes, I realize I'm 26..but it's all about the challenge!). So if push comes to shove, he more or less knows what he's doing.

My youngest brother, Louis, could probably cook if he wanted to. He's good at making stuff on the grill, and when he really tries he doesn't do half bad. But he also eats things like chicken patties with pancakes. Or fried chicken cutlets and queso. Not because he doesn't know what he's doing, but because he thinks it tastes good. He's weird like that.

And then there's my second oldest brother, Mike. He really tries, but overall my mom and I worry that he's eating enough. You see, Mike boils pork chops. And he thinks it's supposed to be done that way. Mike doesn't know that boiling pork chops is gross. He has gotten better recently, but I'm still dedicating this recipe to him. I think he originally wouldn't make it since it seems intimidating, but I'm promising it isn't hard at all.

Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you. They're all pretty basic and making this took me less than 10 minutes. You boil some water and cook the noodles. Then you brown the meat. Then you throw some more stuff in a pan and let it cook. Done. How simple is that? And it looks so elegant. The end result is this pretty little dish that is more than satisfying, great for entertaining or just a nice weeknight meal. I think even Mike could handle this recipe :) Plus it's super, super delicious, so why wouldn't you want to try it?

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked egg noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, fat trimmed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 1 (10-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides.

Remove from pan; cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes.

Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in Worcestershire Sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Gradually add broth, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs.

Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan;  cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light January 2010

Breakfast Pizza

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What do you get when you combine two of my favorite things? George Beckham. 

Okay, but food-wise, it would be all of my favorite breakfast items, including eggs and bacon, and a hearty pizza crust. You can pretty much put any of your favorite breakfast foods on top of this and it will work out. I'd suggest maybe substituting or adding crumbled breakfast sausage for a different taste. But whatever you do, don't skimp out on the tomatoes. They act as the "sauce" for the pizza since they add some juiciness and a burst of flavor into each bite.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Boboli pizza crust
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 eggs, scrambled
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preaheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Brush crust with the olive oil.

Layer the ingredients in the order given.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chicken and Steak Fajitas

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Happy Cinco de Mayo! If you're craving a traditional Mexican meal to celebrate today's holiday, I've got the perfect recipe for you. Have these fajitas alongside a refreshing margarita and you'll be in paradise. Add some guacamole, rice and beans and it's a done deal.

I enjoy ordering fajitas in restaurants because it's so exciting when the bring out the steaming tray of freshly cooked meat and veggies. You all know you love when you're sitting at your table and you see your food on its way over. It's just a lot more noticeable when your fajitas have a smoke trail.  But no matter what you order, the waiter bringing the plates over to your table is something we all notice and get antsy about. You'll softly whisper to your table, "Here it comes" without making it too obvious. Peaking at the tray from the corner of your eye to make sure it really is coming to your table. We've all done it. No need to be ashamed. 

Since I'll be home having "girls night" tonight, I wanted to share fajitas you can also make in the comfort of your own home. This recipe I put together kind of has a kick to it from the chipotle peppers, but if you're like me that's what you'll want. Just dab some sour cream on top and it will be the perfect balance. If you want less heat, add less chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sauce from chipotle peppers
• 2 limes, juiced
• 3 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 flank steak, fat trimmed
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Flour tortillas

Serve with:

• Guacamole
• Cheese
• Lettuce
• Sour Cream

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Place steak in a zip lock bag and chicken in a separate bag. Pour half of the marinade into each bag. Allow to marinate for at least 8 hours.

Drain the marinade. Grill the steak over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side (or to your desired temperature). Grill the chicken until no longer pink. Transfer the steak and chicken to a cutting board.

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the peppers and onions and cook until they start to get soft, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Slice the steak and chicken into thin strips.

Heat the tortillas up according to the package directions. Fill with meat, onions and peppers and top with your favorite garnishes!

Fresh Mex Sweet Corn Tomalito

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Have any of you been to Chevy's? The Mexican restaurant? They have the best flautas. Seriously, the best. And they have pretty awesome quesadillas. And their fajitas are pretty terrific, too. But the show stopper is the little pillow of sweet corn tomalito they put on each plate. It's light and fluffy and delicious. That's my favorite part of the meal whenever I go there. Corn casserole is my favorite thing at a Tex Mex restaurant? Yes. Trust me.

They are able to get it light and fluffy because they cook it over a double boiler instead of baking it. The steam cooks the corn mixture, but it doesn't dry it out. Pure genius. I love this stuff and will be making it again and again. Enjoy and happy Cinco de Mayo eve!

This is what it looks like over the double boiler. You can see the condensation on the plastic wrap.

This is what it looks like when it's done. Soft and moist.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup Masa Harina
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed, divided
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk

In a small mixing bowl, mix the margarine, masa and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

In a blender container, blend half the corn kernels with the water until smooth.

Combine this mixture with the margarine mixture, stirring well. Add the remaining corn kernels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix well.

Pour the corn mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan.

Tightly cover with plastic wrap and steam by setting atop a medium saucepan of water on top of the stove.

Bring water to a boil and steam corn mixture for 50 minutes to one hour (check to see whether you might need to add more water), until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tomalito should have a smooth, moist texture.

NOTE: The pan must be tightly wrapped at all times.

Source: Razzle Dazzle

Crock Pot Queso Dip

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Happy Monday! Today we're kicking off Cinco de Mayo week. There's nothing like a good, hearty queso to ring in the holiday. Whenever we go to my favorite Mexican restaurants, I always make sure we order queso. There's something about that gooey, melty delicious cheese dip that has got me addicted. Most of the restaurants we go to serve it with chips or warm tortillas, but you can also try the Melting Pot way by serving it with apples, carrots and bread. Anything you dip into this will be delicious. I mean, you can't really go wrong with cheese dip!

This recipe is great since you can make it in your crockpot, so once everything is cooked and in there, there's really nothing left for you to do. I browned the meat ahead of time so that when I went to go make this all I had to do was throw it all together. Since Cinco de Mayo is on a Thursday this year, I'm sure this will come in handy to a lot of you who have to work all day. Then you can come home to this creamy, meaty queso dip. Whip up a refreshing margarita and you're set!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 package Taco Seasoning
• 1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
• 2 pounds Velveeta
• 2 cans Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)

Brown the beef in a large frying pan. Drain the fat and return to the pan. Mix in the taco seasoning as instructed on package. Once done, add to crock pot.

Brown the hot sausage in the same pan. Once cooked through, drain the fat and add it to the crock pot with the beef.  

Cut up Velveeta into cubes. Add the cheese and tomatoes to the crock pot. Stir until well combined.

Cook on low until all melty and gooey, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Serve with chips, veggies, or on top of hot dogs. 

Source: Adapted from Tasty Kitchen