Ma Dukes Hot Potato Salad

My mom made this pot salad for us this summer and it instantly became a favorite of mine and a staple in my house.  Ma dukes doesn't measure anything when she cooks, so you will have to feel the measurements out and adjust to your liking (when I made this for just me and Chris, I used half a bag of red potatoes).

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of red potatoes
1/2 onion diced
2 green onions, chopped
garlic powder
onion powder
parsley, chopped
oil oil
red wine vinegar
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop potatoes into chunks, add to a medium pot and add just enough water to cover potatoes.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

Drain and add to a medium bowl.

Add the onions, garlic and onion powder and mix well.  Drizzle olive oil on top, then drizzle red wine vinegar (i usually use a bit more vinegar because I like the extra tangy taste).  Add salt/pepper, mix well, then top with chopped parsley.

i love potatoes

Chicken Pesto Pizza

I love Pesto.....and I love pizza.  I remember when I was in sixth grade and Domino's came out with a Pesto pizza, I thought it was the greatest thing ever.  I have since tried to create the best version I could.  This one is pretty great.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of shredded chicken (rotisserie, or boiling and shredding 2 chicken breasts works too)
Pesto (I used pre-made from Trader Joes)
1 Beefsteak tomato, sliced into thin pieces
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
1/2 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 bag of garlic herb pizza dough from Trader Joes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Flour counter top.  Take dough out of bag and let sit for about 20 minutes.

Prepare chicken.  In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp pesto with chicken to coat. Set aside.

Sprinkle the bottom of a pizza pan with cornstarch.  Stretch dough out to sides.  Spread a thin layer of pesto over top. 

Layer thin slices of tomato over pesto.

Add fresh mozzarella slices. 

Add chicken, and cover rest of pizza with shredded mozzarella.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I could eat you all day every day.

Greek Salad

My apologies that it has been so long since my last post.  This past month has been crazy with weddings, parties, hurricanes, you name it.  Therefor, I haven't made as many new recipes as I would have liked, and have opted for Sushi a majority of nights.  This Greek salad is a classic easy recipe, and I only have added ingredients that I like (tomatoes? no thanks). Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Iceberg lettuce
1/2 red onion, chopped into 1 inch pieces
feta cheese
chopped Kalamata olives (yup, I depitted them, then chopped them)
croutons
Trader Joe's Feta Greek Dressing
Oregano

Directions:

Combine all ingredients above.  Top with extra feta.

Beef Stroganoff

Chris' mom used to make this dish for him all the time growing up, so since she has passed away, I have tried to master it.  I have tried a few different variations, but after making this recipe, we both decided that it is by far the best.  It is simple, easy to make, and fast.  This recipe will be in our rotation for years to come.


Ingredients:


1/2 package of egg noodles
4 ounces of fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1lb lean ground beef
2 tbsp flour
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:


Bring large pot of water to a boil.  Cook egg noodles according to package, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.


In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of butter of medium heat.  Add mushrooms and onions and cook until soft.  Remove from pan.


Using the same pan, melt remaining 1 tbsp of butter.  Cook ground beef in melted butter until browned.  Mix in flour.  Stir in beef broth, and cook until slightly thickened.  Add mushroom and onion mixture.  Stir in sour cream.  Taste, and season with salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until sauce is hot, but not boiling.  Pour sauce over noodles and serve.

Nancy K. would be proud :)

Steak Tips, Leftovers, and Steak and Cheese!

This past weekend, I bought a bunch of steak tips, and decided to make kabobs, using the marinade from my previous Honey Chicken Kabob post.  They came out wonderful, and Chris snapped a few shots with his new Iphone.

I look so determined to get all those veggies on the skewer

Perfectly lined up. Who do you think did that?

They came out real well, and we had a nice dinner of Kabobs and salad on Saturday night.  The next day, we had a few skewers left over so I decided to make steak and cheeses with them.  I took the steak tips, and sliced them very thin, along with a few skewers of peppers and onions.  I heated a skillet over medium heat, and added the shredded steak and vegetables and  cooked until heated through, then added 2 pieces of American cheese to the skillet and mixed all ingredients together.  Placed the mixture on toasted white bread, and then had an instant steak and cheese!

Grilled *Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork* Cheese

When I was in college, my roommate Teddy and I would look at this website called "this is why you're fat.com".  It is basically a site where people make up the most ridiculous food combinations, take pictures, and send them in (they have actually made a book of this site, which you can buy, here).  We would look at the different combinations of food and just laugh at the ridiculousness of it.  When I saw this recipe come into my inbox from Food Network, I knew I had to make it for Chris, because those are 3 of his favorite foods.  I only took a few bites, but Chris said the combination of the three different dishes worked real well together.  He could only eat one sandwich.  How many can you eat?


Ingredients:


3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 box of Kraft Mac and Cheese
2 onions, caramelized
BBQ pulled pork
4 slices of white bread
4 slices of cheddar cheese


Directions:


Spread newly cooked Mac and Cheese in an 8-inch baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 45 minutes.  Cut the Mac and Cheese into 4 squares.


Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.


Soften butter and mix with mayo.  Generously spread the butter-mayo mixture on one side of each bread slice.  Place bread spread side down on skillet, then add cheddar cheese, Mac and Cheese square, pulled pork, caramelized onions, second piece of cheddar cheese, and then top with bread, spread side up.


Cook sandwiches until cheese melts and bread is golden brown, about 5 minutes each side.

Eat. Me.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork Sammies

I am super excited to post this recipe.... not only because of how good and easy this recipe is, but because I accomplished something this past weekend that I have never done before - I caramelized onions for the first time!  Now I'm sure a lot of you are thinking, who cares, its simple, you're an idiot... but like baking, caramelizing onions is something I could not get right.  I have tried COUNTLESS times to do it, always changing something to get it right, following directions to a tee, but it never worked.  I burnt onion after onion, and after many wasted onions, I figured they just weren't in the cards for me.  I'm not sure how or why it worked this time (ok, I do know, I stopped stirring so much), but the food gods shined down on me and allowed me to make a large batch of caramelized onions for these sandwiches. I don't usually eat sandwiches, but this recipe is my only exception. It is that good.

Ingredients:

1lb boneless pork ribs

1 can beef broth

1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce

Caramelized onions

Brioche rolls (they have mini ones at Trader Joes that work well for mini sandwiches)

Directions:

Add boneless ribs and beef broth into slow cooker.  Cook on high heat for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove meat, and shred with two forks. Transfer meat to iron skilled and stir in BBQ sauce. Bake in preheated over for 25-30 minutes.

Add BBQ pork to Brioche roll, and top with caramelized onions.