This rich, beefy pasta dish was a big hit with my boyfriend. He said it reminded him of Hamburger Helper without all the salt, and I agree! This dinner comes together quickly and doesn’t require too many dishes.
Ingredients
8 oz fettuccine noodles
12 oz white mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the kind from a jar)
2 T butter
1/2 pound ground beef (I used a full pound)
1/3 cup red wine (use good wine…not cooking wine!)
2 T tomato paste
2 T grated Parmesan
Directions
1. Boil water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook mushrooms and garlic in butter over medium-high until browned, 5 minutes.
3. Add beef to skillet; cook until browned, 5 minutes.
4. Add wine and tomato paste to skillet; simmer 5 minutes.
5. Add pasta and reserved cooking liquid to skillet; toss to coat. Top with Parmesan.
From Rachael Ray
The warm weather means it is time for fruity, light desserts! I love berry picking and making pies in the summer, but it is not berry season in Michigan yet. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t whip up something with frozen berries! I made this over the weekend and served it warm with vanilla ice cream, yum!
Ingredients
3 cups of frozen berries (I bought a pack with a mix of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
2 T white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
3/4 cup butter
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss together berries and white sugar; set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.
Altered from AllRecipes
Your house will smell amazing as this easy pudding cooks in your crock pot. It was the perfect way to welcome some friends over on Saturday. This pudding is very fluffy and dense; I found that a small serving goes a long way. The combination of vanilla and cinnamon make this dessert warm and comforting.
Ingredients
3/4 cup long grain rice
3 cups milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Directions
1. Grease your slow cooker stoneware with a little butter.
2. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for 3 hours (I did) or low 4-5 hours.
4. Serve warm.
From About.com
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, many websites are offering fun ways to include everyone’s favorite St. Patty’s drink (beer!) in your favorite dishes. I saw a few recipes for Blue Moon cupcakes and thought I would give them a try since I enjoy citrus desserts and these are made with oranges. They are incredible! The cakes are moist and the frosting has a sweet orange flavor. I started gobbling them up, but I hope to save a few to share at work!
Cake Ingredients
1 Boxed Cake Mix (Yellow or White)
1 Bottle Blue Moon
1 tsp Orange Zest
Cupcake Liners
Tip: You’re going to prepare the boxed cake mix exactly like the directions on the box, the difference being you are going to substitute the water with beer.
Directions
1. Open a bottle of beer and it sit. It’s best to work with when it’s a little less foamy.
2. Pre-heat the oven per the cake box instructions.
3. Mix the cake batter, replacing the water with beer and add in 1 tsp of orange zest. I also recommend substituting apple sauce for the oil. It makes the cakes moist and fruity! Fill the cupcake liners just under 3/4 full. These cupcakes will rise.
5. Bake to the low end up the box baking instructions.
6. When the cupcakes are done, let them cool before frosting.
Frosting Ingredients
12 oz cream cheese, cold
6 T butter, at room temperature
1 T freshly squeezed orange juice
1 t orange zest
4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
1. Set out the butter for about an hour so it reaches room temperature.
2. Cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the citrus juice and zest and gradually add the powdered sugar until well-combined. Beat until smooth for about 2 minutes.
4. Load frosting in a piping bag fit with a large star tip and pipe cupcake tops once cooled.
Note: To speed things up, you can skip making homemade frosting and just mix 16 oz of canned vanilla frosting with a tablespoon of orange juice.
Cake from Brittany, Herself
Frosting from Erica’s Sweet Tooth
I don’t like to “wing” anything, even for a simple stir fry dish, I start with a solid recipe. I can always adjust it, but this one didn’t need any adjusting – it has some of my favorite veggies and it uses flank steak, which my boyfriend loves. This quick dish is great for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
2 T soy sauce
2 t cornstarch
12 oz flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1/2 T peanut or vegetable oil
8 scallions, greens and whites separated, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cups sugar snap peas
2 T hoisin sauce
Directions
1. Chop scallions and set aside.
2. Stir together the soy sauce and cornstarch with a fork in a large, shallow dish.
3. Slice the steak and add to the dish. Toss the steak to coat and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. When the wok is screaming hot, add the scallion whites and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned. Add the mushrooms and sugar snap peas and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, using a spatula to keep the vegetables in near-constant motion.
3. Add the beef, along with the soy sauce, and continue to stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the beef is fully browned on the outside. Stir in the hoisin and chili sauce and cook until the sauce lightly clings to the surface of the meat and vegetables. Garnish with the scallion greens.
Adapted from Men's Health
I enjoy juicy citrus fruits in the winter and thanks to this recipe, I’ve now tried blood oranges – they are delicious! Think of them as extra-sweet oranges. This simple tart is great for a quick dessert, or even breakfast.
Ingredients
1 blood orange
1 navel orange
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup orange marmalade
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Directions
1. Thaw puff pastry overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Peel oranges, remove seeds and slice into about 8 rounds.
4. Place pastry on parchment-lined backing sheet, spread with marmalade.
5. Top pastry with oranges and bake until crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool.
6. Beat cream and sugar until thick, serve with tart.
From Rachael Ray
My boyfriend loves swordfish and has been asking me to make it for years, but I did not think it would be worth it to buy such expensive fish since I was sure when I cooked the fish it would not live up to restaurant dishes. But, when I got my iron skillet and made the best salmon ever, I decided that it was time to give swordfish a try using the same method I used for the salmon. Voila! This recipe has a very buttery sauce for the fish that makes it taste as rich as a restaurant entrée. My boyfriend raved about it!
Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed peppercorns, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon (packed) grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 1-inch-thick swordfish fillets (about 6 ounces each)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Mash butter, parsley, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed peppercorns, and lemon peel in small bowl. Season to taste with salt.
3. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle swordfish with salt and ground mixed peppercorns. Add swordfish to skillet. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn swordfish over and transfer to oven.
4. Roast until just cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer swordfish to plates. Add seasoned butter to same skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits, until melted and bubbling. Pour butter sauce over swordfish and serve.
From Epicurious
