Recipes

Rosemary Steak and Potatoes

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

I am not a steak-and-potatoes type of gal. Potatoes? Yes. Steak? No thanks, I’ll pass. But my husband is most definitely a steak-and-potatoes type of guy. In fact, it’s the meal he always gets when we visit his parents.

I was informed that I needed to add more iron to my diet – so that means you’ll see more red meat entrees floating around Sew You Think You Can Cook. I’ve always tried to limit the red meat to once a week, typically in the form of Mexican Monday. And I am guilty of enjoying a burger quite often.

For this recipe, par-boiled potatoes share the skewer with cubes of sirloin and the result is divine. The potatoes end up resembling fries and the marinade is full of flavor. I particularly like the rosemary. Serve these skewers with your favorite vegetable and you’ve got yourself a complete meal!

If you’ve had too much red meat this week, Mom made this recipe using chicken instead of steak and it worked just as beautifully.

Rosemary Steak and Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp steak seasoning
  • 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 C olive oil
  • 2 lb steak, cut into cubes
  • 2 C golden potatoes

Steps:

  1. In a bowl combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, steak seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
  2. Pour 3/4 C of the marinade over the steak and set in the fridge.
  3. Boil potatoes for 15 minutes, until slightly fork tender. Drain. Pour the rest of the marinade over the potatoes.
  4. Skewer the steak and potatoes. Grill until the steak is cooked to your liking and the potatoes are done.

*This recipe is adapted from Whitney at http://littleleopardbook.com/2013/10/16/rosemary-steak-skewers/*

Rosemary Steak

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

Today is my beautiful sister-in-law’s birthday. Audrey is another member of the Auburn family. She is finishing up her last year in Hotel & Restaurant Management. I have to admit, I am jealous of her path. She absolutely loves her classes and her job (working at the Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center. With her experience working the both hotel & restaurant sides of the conference center, the whole world is open to her following her graduation. Literally. She’s expressed dreams of running a hotel in Vegas, of working on a cruise ship, or even moving overseas. And here’s for my big head-in-the-clouds dream: Someday she’ll open up her own hotel and I’ll be the chef in her restaurant. 😉

AudreyWedding Photography by Cher Hanna

When I asked Audrey what recipe she’d like featured on Sew You Think You Can Cook for her birthday she responded with “Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole.” There wasn’t any hesitation, there wasn’t any doubt. This dish is her favorite – and I can see why! The creamy chicken casserole uses few ingredients, is easy to assemble, is full of flavor, and definitely qualifies as comfort food. We served it with broccoli and crescent rolls to sop up the extra sauce.

This recipe comes from one of my mother-in-law’s friends and looks to be an adaptation of a Paula Deen recipe. I made a few tweaks – I halved the recipe and it fed 3 perfectly. (To serve 4 I’d add another chicken breast but keep the sauce quantities the same.) The recipe I have calls for cooked, shredded chicken. But we decided instead to cut chicken breasts into tenders, brown, and then layer into the casserole dish. If you opt to use shredded chicken I highly suggest serving this casserole over rice. We liked the adjustment of chicken tenders because it gave the illusion of a lighter meal, providing the opportunity to have as much or as little of the sauce as desired.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cut into tenders
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 C sour cream
  • 1 can (10 oz) cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 – 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Season chicken with S+P. In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat brown chicken in olive oil.
  3. Place chicken in a lightly greased 7×11″ casserole dish.
  4. Combine sour cream and chicken soup. Pour over chicken.
  5. Place crackers in a plastic bag to crush into crumbs. Add the poppy seeds and combine. Top casserole. Drizzle with melted butter.
  6. Bake 35 minutes, until bubbly.

Note: This recipe feeds 3. To feed four add another half or whole chicken breast but keep the remaining ingredients as indicated.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Blueberry Iced Tea

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

When I planned out my blog posts for June I knew that I’d be posting an iced tea recipe on June 10th. Why? Because today is National Iced Tea Day! I didn’t have a recipe picked out at the time but had a few weeks to figure that out.

And then I went to my baby shower thrown by my friends Kate and Tara. I’ve mentioned both of these wonderful ladies on my blog before. Kate is my partner-in-crime when it comes to both baking and quilting. Tara is my food blogging mentor – she blogs over at Tara’s Multicultural Table, check it out! Separately they’re both creative and way more artistic than I could ever dream to be. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that together they would create complete magic.

They threw a Winnie-the-Pooh inspired shower for me. And from the decorations to the food to the games they pulled out all the stops.

Winnie the Pooh Shower

The food table featured a dish for each character: The main course were Kanga and Roo Pita Pouches featuring shredded chicken and sandwich toppings, Owl’s Spinach Dip, the veggie platter was cleverly labeled Rabbit’s Garden, sweets included Tigger Tails for guests to take home (chocolate covered pretzel rods) and Pooh’s Honey Bowls (honey mouse in chocolate bowls), to drink we had Piglet’s Pink Lemonade and Eeyore’s Blueberry Iced Tea.

This blueberry iced tea was addicting and I knew that I’d have to get the recipe from Kate to feature on National Iced Tea day! This would also be a wonderful addition to your July 4th beverage collection, maybe serve it alongside my Strawberry Sparkling Lemonade? 😉

Blueberry Iced Tea

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 C frozen blueberries
  • zest of 3 lemons
  • juice of 4 large lemons
  • 8 C water
  • 6 bags decaf honey lemon green tea
  • 1 1/2 C sugar

Steps:

  1. Bring blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a boil. Mash. Pour through strainer, reserve liquid and let it cool. Discard the solids.
  2. Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat and steep tea bags. Discard the tea bags.
  3. Combine sugar with tea and blueberry syrup. Allow to cool and refrigerate. To serve, garnish with extra frozen blueberries.

Blueberry Iced Tea

Grandpa Ray’s Grapefruit Pie

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

Today marks Grandpa Ray’s 90th year (aka it’s his 89th birthday). Grandpa Ray married Busia in 1999 and fell into place with our family. He learned our card games, and introduced us to new games. He joined Busia in being a “snow bird” and absolutely loved spending time at the Lake. He would spend all day, every day, working in the garden. And he enjoyed Busia’s cooking and accepted our Polish traditions.

This recipe is one of his! It’s the dessert he would bring to any gathering, and might be the only thing he knew how to make. It’s a unique pie that’s become a family favorite – it’s usually the one my brother requests at holidays. Many people are surprised this is a grapefruit pie – they think it is a key lime or similar pie. The “secret ingredient” of grapefruit isn’t often revealed until after they’ve tried it.

Grandpa Ray’s Grapefruit Pie

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 grapefruit
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 graham cracker crust
  • 1 tub cool whip

Steps:

  1. Slice grapefruit. Use a strainer with a bowl beneath it and pull the “meat” or pulp from the rind and membranes. You will end up with less than a cup of “meat” – mix gently and break up larger pieces of grapefruit – do not press or you will lose the juice in the pulp. Pieces should be about the size of a corn kernel or smaller. (The juice in the bowl under the strainer is your treat – fresh grapefruit juice!)
  2. In another bowl, mix together the lemon juice and condensed milk.
  3. Pour grapefruit into this mixture dispersing the grapefruit evenly throughout the mixture.
  4. Pour into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  5. Top with cool whip before serving.

Grapefruit Pie

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Chicken and Potato Casserole

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

If you’re looking for a super simple weeknight meal look no further. This chicken and potato casserole uses only 5 ingredients and creates only 3 dirty dishes (knife, cutting board, casserole dish)!

Thankfully, Stuart isn’t afraid of helping out in the kitchen but I still didn’t want to assign him anything too complicated. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was a perfect! Not to mention delicious – this will definitely be a go-to recipe when life gets too hectic. The flavor all comes from the Italian dressing – so be sure to buy a bottle you know you like, or make your own.

Chicken and Potato Casserole

Chicken and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 3 chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise so they’re thin
  • 1 1/2 lb baby potatoes, cut into thirds
  • 1 1/2 – 2 C Italian dressing
  • 2 lemons, sliced into rings
  • Fresh rosemary (optional)

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease casserole dish.
  2. Season chicken with S+P and place in bottom of casserole dish. Top with potatoes and spread evenly.
  3. Pour dressing over chicken and potatoes.
  4. Place lemon slices on top of potatoes along with the rosemary, if using.
  5. Bake for 55 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender and chicken cooked through.

*This recipe is adapted from Kim at http://www.cravingsofalunatic.com/2014/04/chicken-and-potato-bake-with-meyer-lemons.html*

 

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

One of my favorite ways to incorporate salads into our menu is under the influence of Mexican Monday. Typically salads are just plain boring, but with big flavors in Mexican cuisine, no salad is ever boring. And creamy dressings are my favorite. This dressing gets a kick from the chipotle pepper in adobo, but is mellowed out by the sour cream and cilantro.

This salad makes for a great lunch or quick dinner – and can be assembled even more quickly if you have left over cooked chicken or stop at the store and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the deli. With black beans in the salad, you could even omit the chicken if desired for a Meatless Monday too.

For a little crunch in your salad, topped with crushed up tortilla chips or the tortilla strips salad topping from the store (they’re typically next to the packaged croutons).

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo*
  • 1/3 C packed fresh cilantro
  • 2/3 C sour cream
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • juice of 1 1/2 limes
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

*for a milder dressing remove seeds from pepper, for a spicier dressing include some of the adobo sauce

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 head of lettuce, chopped
  • grape tomatoes, halved
  • red onion, thinly sliced
  • canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • canned corn, drained and rinsed
  • avocado, diced
  • red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Steps:

  1. Season chicken with S+P. In a non-stick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat in a little bit of olive oil.
  2. Place dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  3. In a large bowl combine salad ingredients with cooked chicken. (Note: I didn’t specify amounts for the salad ingredients, use any or all to create your perfect salad!)
  4. Toss salad with as much dressing as desired.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-10000001215905/*

Chipotle Taco Salad

SRC: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

~ lk529 ~ 31 Comments

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Today is another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the secret recipe club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned Avril’s blog Baking and Creating with Avril. Avril and I couldn’t be more opposites. I am very hesitant when it comes baking (blogging helps me get over my fears), yet Avril’s blog is almost entirely made up of sweets! She’s also from New Hampshire. One of my best friends is from NH and I know from the amount of complaining she does about Florida summers and winters that this Florida girl lives a completely different lifestyle from Avril.

Despite my apprehension, I searched through her recipe index and saved five contenders to my secret Pinterest board. Funnily enough, all of them involved cinnamon. (Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake, Apple Cinnamon Rolls, Apple-Pear Bread, Applesauce Spice Cake, and Cinnamon Raisin Bread)

And when I was placed on bed rest and my mom was still in town, she tackled my Secret Recipe Club assignment for me. And my mom likes baking! I allowed Mom to pick what she wanted to make from my above list. I’m ecstatic that she chose the cinnamon raisin bread! (Hopefully I’m not breaking any club rules my having Mom make it for me… I watched and directed…)

This recipe makes three loaves of bread. I only have two loaf pans. So we divided the last third into 8 miniature loaves to fit my miniature loaf pan. I imagine this bread would make for phenomenal French Toast, but it didn’t last long enough for that to happen. I had 3-5 slices of cinnamon raisin bread toasted with butter a day!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

 Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients:

  • 2 C warm water (105 – 110 degrees F)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 1/3 C + 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, divided use
  • 2 pkts active dry yeast
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 6 1/2 C flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C raisins

Steps:

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water with the kosher salt and 1 1/2 tbsp sugar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until frothy.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast mixture with the buttermilk.
  3. Add the flour to the yeast and buttermilk and knead with the dough hook until it pulls away from the bowl and comes together around the dough hook. Add a little bit more flour if needed.
  4. Cover the dough with a dish towel and rest for two hours, or until doubles in size.
  5. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tbsp water to create an egg wash.
  6. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 C sugar with the cinnamon.
  7. Divide the dough into thirds. Roll each third on a floured surface to 1/4″ thickness. (Make sure the width of the dough will fit in your loaf pan.)
  8. Brush the dough with egg wash, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and top with raisins.
  9. Roll the dough width-wise and tuck the ends (see pictures above). Place in greased loaf pans. Cover with a dish towel and allow the dough to rise another 40 minutes.
  10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Let cool completely before slicing.

*This recipe is adapted from Avril at http://bakingandcreatingwithavril.blogspot.com/2010/03/cinnamon-raisin-bread.html?m=1*

Cinnamon Raisin Bread 1 Cinnamon Raisin Bread 2

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

With Memorial Weekend here, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite lemonade recipes for you to make and enjoy at your holiday barbecue. I make this every year for the 4th of July along with blueberry and original flavors.

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients for the simple syrup:

  • 1 C water
  • 2/3 C sugar

Ingredients for the strawberry syrup:

  • 1 heaping C quartered strawberries
  • 2 tbps sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Ingredients for the lemonade:

  • 1 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
  • 4 1/2 C plain seltzer water

Steps:

  1. Make simple syrup: in a saucepan heat water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
  2. Make the strawberry syrup: in a blender puree all ingredients until smooth. Strain into pitcher and discards the remaining seeds/pulp.
  3. Make the lemonade: combine simple syrup, strawberry syrup and lemon juice. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. Before serving add the seltzer water.

*This recipe is adapted from Annie at http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/05/27/sparkling-strawberry-lemonade/*

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

Asian Chicken Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Hello, Salad Night. It’s been quite a long time since you’ve stopped by for a visit. I’m glad you popped in to say hi. You were a crisp, fresh, and light change of pace to our routine. I do hope you come by again soon.

Asian Chicken Salad 1

Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp canola oil, divided use
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 head lettuce, shredded
  • 1 large carrot, shredded
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1/2 C slivered almonds (optional)
  • Chow Mein Noodles(optional)

Steps:

  1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Season with S+P. Cook in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat in 1 tbsp canola oil until cooked through. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl whisk together the garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, zest and juice of limes, sesame oil, and honey. Taste and adjust if needed.
  3. Assemble salad: toss vegetables, chicken, and almonds with the dressing. Garnish with crispy chow mein noodles, if desired.

*This recipe is modified from Vicky at http://avocadopesto.com/2014/02/12/napa-cabbage-almond-chicken-salad/*

Asian Chicken Salad 1

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Beef and Bean Tostadas

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

I was first introduced to tostadas by really good friends of ours. They invited us over one Mexican Monday and I have to say it was nice to not be the one preparing our weekly tradition. They served tostadas. I’d never had them before, in fact I’d never heard of them! I’m sure I’ve seen them on menus at Mexican restaurants before but they clearly didn’t make a lasting impression.

A tostada is essentially a flat taco. So if you’re looking to mix up your Taco Tuesday this is a great alternative. The ingredients are the same, but the vessel is different. I actually think tostadas are easier to eat than crunchy tacos. My beef with crunchy tacos (see what I did there?) is that after the first bite you’re no longer holding a taco, if you’re lucky you’re still holding something. You now have a taco salad on the plate that was hopefully below you, otherwise you have a taco salad on your floor. But with a tostada, everything is “glued down” with refried beans. The vessel is flat, so when it does break apart, you still have at least half a tostada in your hand and what fell is still mostly in tact. The tostada is my solution to crunchy taco night!

An Original Recipe

Beef and Bean Tostadas

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 – 3/4 C water
  • crunchy yellow corn tostada shells
  • 1 can (16oz) refried beans
  • your favorite taco toppings: shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, tomato, scallion, etc

Steps:

  1. In a small bowl combine seasonings. (Alternately, you can use a 1 oz packet of taco seasoning.)
  2. In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat brown the beef. Drain any fat.
  3. Add the seasoning and water to the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook 5 minutes.
  4. Heat the refried beans.
  5. Assemble tostadas by spreading refried beans on a tostada shell, adding the meat, and any toppings you like!

Beef and Bean Tostadas