I LOVE stir frys. They are quick, easy and so flavorful. This one is probably my favorite that we have tried so far. We use a wok to cook it but a large pan would be fine too. I serve this with sticky brown rice (recipe below). This makes 4 servings.
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped into small florets
12 oz of lean steak (flank steak chopped into small pieces, or pre-cut steak tips)
1 Medium onion, sliced into thin strips
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Sherry or Vermouth (originally we used Sherry, but sweet vermouth works great too)
1 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp Sriracha Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp. Peanut oil
2 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
Directions:
1) In a medium saucepan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli by putting the florets into the boiling water for about 1 minute, then immediately place the broccoli into an ice bath (a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking process). Drain and set aside.
2) In a bowl, combine beef, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, and 1 Tbsp. of the Sherry. Stir until well mixed. Then add 1 teaspoon of the oil and stir.
3) In a small bowl, combine Sriracha, hoisin, and remaining 1 Tbsp of sherry. Set aside.
4) Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. add 1 Tbsp of the peanut oil into to wok. Add onions and sir fry for bout 30 seconds, then push the onions to the side of the wok and add beef to the pan. Cook the beef undisturbed for about 1 minute, letting the beef begin to sear. Then stir fry the beef and onions together for about 1 minute.
5) Swirl another 2 teaspoons of oil into the wok and then add the broccoli and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. stir fry for another minute. Then add the Sriracha mixture to the pan and cook for about another minute until the veggies are tender.
For the Rice:
1) Boil 2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Then add 1 cup of brown rice. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the rice is almost finished cooking, add a few splashes of water and continue to cook until you get that "sticky" texture. There is no concrete science to this, just add a small amount of water at a time until you reach the desired texture.
If you like Greek food you will love this easy meal. You can make the chicken the day before and let it marinate over night, or you can just let it marinate for about 30 mins. You can add whatever toppings you like. If you don't want to use pita bread, you can make this into a Greek chicken salad.
Ingredients:
For the Marinade:
2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 Tbsp garlic
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch bit size pieces.
Tzatziki Sauce:
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced into small pieces
2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 (8 oz) container plain greek yogurt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (to your taste)
pinch of salt and pepper
Toppings:
Pita bread
chopped tomatoes
chopped onions
lettuce
Feta cheese
Directions:
1) In a large bowl whisk together all of the marinade ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 30 mins or up to overnight.
2)While you are waiting for the chicken, make the Tzatziki sauce by combining all ingredients in a bowl. You can also chop up your toppings and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 for the pitas.
3) When the chicken is ready, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook 10-12 mins, until chicken is cooked through. While chicken is cooking, brush both sides of the pita bread with a little olive oil and bake in the oven 2 mins, then flip the pitas over and cook 2 more mins.
4) Serve on a pita and top with the sauce and whatever toppings you choose.
My parents' wonderful neighbor, Jennifer, made this delicious spinach dip on Christmas Eve. It was so cheesy and delicious! I will definitely make this soon, maybe for Superbowl!?! Merry Christmas!
Ingredients:
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup swiss cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 - 8 oz package frozen spinach, chopped, thawed and drained really well
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all cheeses and reserve 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Then mix in all ingredients.
3. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish.
4. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 25-30 mins or until warm and bubbly. Let cool about 10 mins before serving. Serve with crackers, bread, or pita.
Enjoy!
I made this cake for our early Christmas dinner. It is extremely moist and delicious! The recipe can make 1 large Bundt cake or 2 small ones (I did 2 small).
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1 1/2 cup softened butter (3 sticks)
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup chopped pecans, plus a little extra for topping
For the Glaze:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Directions:
For the cake:
1) Preheat the oven to 325 and spray and flour a bundt pan. This will fill one 12 inch bundt pan or 2 smaller bundt pans.
2) Beat butter and sugars together until fluffy. Then add eggs, one at a time until well combined.
3) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to batter, starting and ending with the flour.
(Buddy is helping)
4) Stir in the pecans and spoon batter into the pan. If you are using 1 large bundt pan, bake for about 80-85 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you are using 2 smaller bundt pans, bake 40-50 mins, until a toothpick comes out clean.
5) Let the cake cool about 10 mins, then remove from pan. Let the cake cool completely before glazing.
For the glaze:
1) Heat the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Let cool until thickened, then use glaze immediately. Top the cake with chopped pecans.
Enjoy!!
~ Amanda
These are one of the easiest and yummiest desserts to make. They are great to take to a party (which is what I am doing. Our Family Christmas party is tomorrow), or to wrap up in little treat bags as gifts. You can change them up by using different flavored Oreos or using different chocolate to dip them in (like white or dark). You can also make them a lot prettier than mine by drizzling white chocolate over them or adding some festive sprinkles. You will need a food processor for best results. This makes about 30-40 truffles, depending on how big you make them.
Ingredients
1 package of Oreos
1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
4 oz. milk chocolate chips
4 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1) Place Oreos in a food processor and turn on High until they are fine crumbs.
2) Transfer crumbs to a mixing bowl and tear pieces off of the cream cheese and drop them in the bowl. With your hands, knead together the crumbs and cream cheese until you have a soft dough-like texture and you do not see any white from the cream cheese.
3) Roll the mixture into small balls, a little smaller than a golf ball. Place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and put them in the freezer for about 10 mins to set.
4) Place both kinds of chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave for about 2 mins and stir until smooth and melted. (add time in 20 second increments if it is not melted)
5) Dip Oreo balls in the chocolate and place back on the wax paper. There is no clean way to do this, you will get messy. I mainly just use my fingers, but a toothpick can come in handy too. If you are going to add any sprinkles or decorations, you would add it now while the chocolate is melted. Allow the Truffles to set in the fridge for at least 30 mins before serving.
My dogs are always great helpers! :)
Enjoy!
This is a simple delicious Israeli dish. It is officially called Shakshouka, but we just call it eggs in spicy tomato sauce. We try to do meatless Mondays, and this is a great dish for that. It is really hearty and filling. Serve it with toasted pita bread. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, more or less to taste, this make it pretty spicy (in my opinion)
pinch of sugar
pinch of slat and pepper (to taste)
4-6 eggs (It really depends on how many you can fit in your pan, it is just the 2 of us so we normally just make 4)
optional toppings: Feta cheese, parsley, Sriracha
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes until soft, then add garlic to pan and continue to sauté for about 2 more minutes. Then add the chopped red peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes until peppers are soft.
2) Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste and stir. Then add chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir until combined. Simmer mixture over medium heat for 5-7 mins.
3) Crack the eggs, one at a time, into the tomato mixture. Cover the pan and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the skillet and make sure that there is still liquid so the tomatoes do not burn.
4) While the eggs are cooking, prepare the pita bread by slicing each pita into 8 triangles (you will need about 1 pita per person). Arrange on a baking pan and brush one side lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
5) Serve with pita bread and garnish with parsley, feta, and sriracha if desired.
Enjoy!
~ Amanda
These snicker doodles are simple to make and so delicious. This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar plus 2 Tbsp
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
2) With a mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, 1 cup of sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
3) In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
4) Roll dough into 1 inch balls.
5) In a small bowl, mix together the 2 Tbsp of sugar and the 1 tsp of cinnamon.
6) Roll the dough balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture to lightly coat the balls with sugar.
7) Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 for 15 minutes. I did mine in 3 batches to ensure the pans weren't too crowded.
8) Let cool on a cooling rack and ENJOY!!
~Amanda
