Marinated Tri Tip

Here's a yummy marinade for tri tip steaks or roasts. I used a roast. It was so nice to prepare this a day ahead and have it ready to throw on the grill tonight! I didn't have any mushrooms so I left them out. I don't really like mushrooms anyway, but I'm sure for those who do like them they'd be a great addition to this recipe.

Marinated Tri Tip

2 1/2 pounds tri-tip beef steaks or one tri-tip roast
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup A-1 steak sauce
1 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (12 oz.) can Sprite

1 (8-oz) package mushrooms, sliced

Stir together marinade ingredients. Pour into a large ziploc bag, then add steaks and onions. Marinate overnight. (You could do this step, then place the bag in the freezer. Before cooking, let thaw in refrigerator).

Remove steaks from marinade and grill for 5-10 minutes on each side (for roast it will take longer). While meat is grilling, strain onions from marinade. Place in non-stick skillet, add mushrooms, and cook over medium-high heat. Cook until mushrooms have softened. Serve sauteed mushrooms and onions with grilled steaks.

Creamy Chicken & Biscuit Bake

This is one of those dishes that tastes better than it looks. Especially since my picture is taken the next day as I'm reheating leftovers! It's an easy to make dinner. Hope you enjoy it!

Creamy Chicken & Biscuit Bake

3 cups shredded chicken (you can use cooked chicken breasts or leftover rotisserie chicken)
2 (5.2 ounce) packages Boursin cheese, crumbled (I use Garlic & Fine Herbs)
1 1/4 cups milk (or cream if you're feeling decadent)
1 (15 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I didn't have frozen carrots so I cut up one regular carrot and boiled it for about 3 minutes to soften)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cheddar cheese, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot combine the rest of the can of chicken broth, chicken, boursin, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, dry onions, and vegetables over medium heat. Stir often and cook until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a greased 9x13" baking dish.

Using spoons or a 2 Tbsp. cookie scoop, space heaping spoonfuls of biscuit batter (about 2 Tbsp. each) about 1/2 inch apart over chicken mixture (you will have about 20 biscuits). Bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

A friend of mine raved about this recipe and I had to try it. It's adapted from Becky Higgins' blog. I love that it's delicious and EASY! I made a few modifications from her recipe because I'm a wimp and don't like things with too much pepper, and I just can't bring myself to use heavy cream in my cooking. I think it was fabulous even without the cream. This recipe makes a lot, so if you're not cooking for a big group, cut the recipe in half.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

16 oz. farfalle pasta
1 cup half & half
3-4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry's mesqute marinade with lime juice

Cook chicken and bottle of marinade in the crockpot (on low for 6 hours). Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, half and half, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a bit more parmesan cheese on top.

Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

I've never been much of an enchilada fan....but now I know that it's because I have never made these enchiladas. Both my husband and I agreed that these are the best enchiladas we have ever eaten!









Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

For the Sauce:
4-6 anaheim chile peppers, stem removed, seeded, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomatoes, chopped (can use canned tomatoes)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

For the Enchiladas:
1 bag fresh spinach leaves (9 oz.)
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
8 flour tortillas (I really love the uncooked ones that you cook yourself)
1/2 cup scallions, sliced (green only), optional

Saute chiles, onion, and garlic in 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Cook until chiles and onions soften, about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes. Simmer 2 minutes, stir in broth, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree in a blender.

Saute spinach for the enchiladas in 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until wilted (about 1 minute). Add chicken, corn, 1 cup of the pepper jack cheese, and milk. Simmer 3-5 minutes and season with salt.

To assemble, pour 1/2 cup sauce in the prepared baking dish. Divide the filling between the eight tortillas and roll. Place enchiladas in the dish, seam side down, then top with 1-2 cups sauce, leaving the edges dry. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tortillas begin to brown on the edges. Garnish with scallions if desired. Warm remaining sauce and serve with enchiladas.

Baked Apple and Pear Oven Pancake

This is a delicious breakfast dish. We love having it for special breakfasts or even for dinner.

Don't worry about what kind of apples or pears you're using, I just use whatever I have. Sometimes I use all apples if I don't have pears. We serve this with real maple syrup and it's delicious! The kids love watching it grow in the oven too :)

(I'll add a photo next time I make this, for some reason we keep eating it too fast!)

Baked Apple & Pear Oven Pancake

6 Tbs unsalted butter
2 medium tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 medium firm pears, such as Red Bartlett or Comice, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the apple and pear slices over medium-high heat just until tender, but still firm. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Place a 12 inch round or 9 x 13 inch rectangular glass baking dish in the oven to heat for 2 minutes. Remove the baking dish with oven mitts and scrape the sautéed fruit into it.

2. In a bowl, using a whisk, or in a blender or food processor, mix together the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, and salt until well blended and smooth. Pour the batter over the hot fruit. Immediately place the pancake in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and brown. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

3. Serve hot from the oven sprinkled with powdered sugar and with
lemon wedges. You can also serve with a berry sauce or syrup.

Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

I always love the idea of casseroles, but don't usually love the outcome. This, however, is a delicious casserole! I saw a recipe on another blog and made some modifications. I'm a big fan of wild rice (and so are my kids, as soon as they taste it and remember that "black rice" is good). I also love that you make your own sauce, instead of opening a can. Granted, I dirtied quite a few pots and pans to make this, but I think it was well worth it. I split the recipe in half, making one serving for tonight's dinner and putting the other half in the freezer for a meal in the future. Since it does use a few pans, I think next time I'll double it and make 4 meals! Hope you enjoy!

WILD RICE & CHICKEN CASSEROLE

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup brown rice
1 (6 ounce) box wild rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

extra cheese for topping


In a large pot, combine wild rice, brown rice, and 4 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 45-50 minutes until rice is done. Cook chicken breasts if necessary (I cook mine in chicken broth with a little bit of dried onion added).

Heat oil in a large skillet or pot. Saute onion, celery, and carrots until softened. Stir in chicken, rice, and seasonings.

In a separate pot, melt butter. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper (it will look like a thick paste). Cook for about 30 seconds, then slowly add chicken broth. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens and is almost boiling. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add to chicken & rice mixture then transfer to a 9x13 baking dish (I divided it into 2 8x8 pans). Top with a little extra grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Easy, Juicy Pork Chops

The first few times I made pork chops, they were bland and dry. One day, I found a recipe in the Cooks Illustrated Book "The Best New Recipe." I learned about a technique called brining. It was like magic! All of a sudden my pork chops were moist and delicious. This is a simple recipe that results in a quick dinner. I use the thick boneless pork chops that I buy at Costco. The one thing you really need to make these chops is a meat thermometer, so that you don't overcook the pork.

Pork Chops

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup table salt
6 cups water
4 boneless pork chops (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon oil

Dissolve brown sugar and salt in 6 cups of water. Place in a gallon size ziploc bag. Add pork chops and seal the bag. Refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 hour. Remove the chops and rinse then dry completely. Season chops with pepper.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In an ovenproof skillet, heat oil. Place chops in the skillet and cook until well browned and a nice crust has formed on each side (about 3 minutes per side). Place skillet in the oven and cook (turning chops over once in the middle of the cooking time) for 10-15 minutes until chops register 140 degrees on a meat thermometer (sometimes this takes longer for me, it depends on how thick your chops are). Remove skillet from oven and cover with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes and check internal temperature (it should register at least 145 degrees). Serve immediately.