Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!

 

Vanilla Chai Pancakes by The Salem Food Trials

 

Banana Cakes by How Sweet It Is

                                       Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes by The Salem Food Trials

                                            Lemon Blueberry Pancakes by Pioneer Woman Cooks

Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

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In case you were not aware I <3 Cilantro.
Cilantro + Hollis = Tru LV 4EVR!
Like, Yeah!
Do you think cilantro feels the same way?

Remember when peace signs and ying-yang signs were da bomb? Or when scribbling the name of your current "lover" on your notebook was the thing to do. Umm, how many notebooks did I go through in 7th grade?! That's not the point here. Moving on.
That has absolutely nothing to do with this recipe, except that I just displayed my mathematical love equation up there, and for the fact that this dish is loaded with cilantro. Cilantro just makes things better. Really. It's true! I cannot lie. Next time you are watching a sappy movie and just can't compose yourself and stop crying, run to the refrigerator and pull out some cilantro. Chop and eat. Or rub it into your 5 year old's knee and elbow scrape next time he falls off his bike. It's sure to do the trick.
Uhh... yeah. Not so much?
Well, this surely will!

Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
12 oz Pasta Shells (or whatever you have on hand)
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed, (or leftover shredded chicken, 2 cups)
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Flour
1 1/2 c Milk
1 c Shredded Mexican Style Cheese
3/4 c Shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
1/3 c Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce ( gotta use Frank's!)
1/3 c Crushed BBQ Potato Chips ( or bread crumbs)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 Crumbled Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese
1/2 c Cilantro
Buffalo Sauce for drizzle

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta according to directions.
While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, allow to melt then add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture becomes golden in color. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. Add in grated cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Grease a baking dish. Add pasta and chicken, then pour cheese sauce over and mix thoroughly until everything is coated. Sprinkle with chip crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with gorgonzola and cilantro. Drizzle with buffalo wing sauce.

Beef with Snow Peas

I have been craving some take-out. Like whoa!
I don't think I need to mention The Man of the House's dislike for food of "Asian descent" again.
But for those of you who have missed it, someone thinks that any amount, 1/16 of a teaspoon even, makes food "Chinese." Uhhh.... NO!
See what I have to live with?
Well let me put your minds to ease, this can be adjusted to suit your tastes. Add more soy sauce if you like that flavor. Yes, do it! It will make him red with anger, white with horror and green with nausea!
(But if you are more like "you know who" just sub out the soy sauce with a sauce of your choice.)

Beef with Snow Peas
adapted from PW
Serves: 4

1 lb Flank Steak,  sliced thin against grain
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 c Worschtesire Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Cooking Wine
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp Fresh Minced Ginger
8 oz Snow Peas, edges trimmed
1/4 c Green Onions, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Jasmine Rice or Noodles, for serving

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, worschtesire sauce, wine, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.
Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half thegreen onion. Spread out meat, but do not stir for a good minute.We are are charring here, baby! Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.
Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings. Mixture will thicken as it sits.
Serve immediately over rice or noodles. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some heat.
If you really want to be cool, serve this in those hip take-out style boxes!  

Italian Stuffed Steak Rolls

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my Crock Pot?
Well, I do. It saves me so much time and energy. Between the Facebooking and the Tweeting and the Blogging, and the 30 handfuls of this, let's face it I need more time on my hands.
Anywhoo...
Slow cookers are a fickle kitchen appliance. I feel like many meals get dried out and tire rubber like. Bleck!
So, I just always add more sauce. I keep a little on the side, too, just in case.
These rolls are really yummy. I really like them because it has all the flavors of an Italian pasta dish, while not compromising the big, juicy masculine meaty steak. Without such, someone in this house would bulk and kick and scream. (Excuse me, Mr. Marine.)  I also love the recipe because if you don't have quite all the ingredients, you can surely improvise.  And in case you needed a third reason, it's made in the Crock Pot, saving me time and energy.

Italian Stuffed Steak Rolls
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1/2 c Shredded Carrot
1/3 c Chopped Zucchini
1/3 c Chopped Red or Green Sweet Pepper
1/4 c Sliced Green Onion
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
6 Beef Round Steaks, tenderized
2 c Spaghetti Sauce or Marinara

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine carrots, zucchini, sweet pepper, green onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and black pepper. Spoon 1/4 c of the veggie filling onto each piece of steak. Roll up steak around the filling and secure with toothpicks.
Place steak rolls in a slow cooker. Pour spaghetti sauce over the steak rolls.
Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or in high heat for 4-5 hours.
Discard toothpicks and serve sauce with steak rolls.

White Samich Bread

"Samiches! Samiches! Dirty, rotten Samiches!"
Yum, right?
It's actually the wrong lyrics.
My younger brother Josh used to sing said lyrics while singing along to the "Pocahontas" movie. You know the part when the English men are trying to find and capture the Indians? The actual lyric is " Savages! Savages! Dirty, rotten Savages!"
We have a problem mixing up lyrics in my family. That's not really the embarrassing  part. The sad part is, we don't care. We just sing the song anyway. Never paying much attention to the fact that the words don't quite make sense. We are just content singing along with the words that we choose. It's creative lyric writing.
The cutest thing about baby Josh is that he has always said words wrong. He had a wittle bit of lisp. L's and R's were W's. He didn't care. Neither did we. It only made him that much cuter.
Ya think I could do that? Walk into a store now and speak like that and gain instant cute points? Errr... not so much. I think Josh could still pull it off.


White Samich Bread
Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients: 
2 cups Warm Tap Water
1 1/2 tbsp Dry Yeast 
2/3 cups Sugar, Use 1 tsp of sugar in the yeast mix
1 1/2 tsp Salt 
1/4 cups Vegetable Oil 
5 1/2 cups  All Purpose Flour 
Melted Butter, For Brushing The Top Of Finished Loaves, Optional

Directions:
Put water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl, set aside for 10 minutes while yeast proofs.
Meanwhile pour the rest of the sugar as well as the salt, oil and flour into mixer bowl. When yeast proofs, add to other ingredients in mixer bowl and using a dough hook, mix for 8 minutes on 1 or 2 setting.
Pour into a large greased bowl and place in a warmed turned off oven for 1hour or until doubled in size. When through rising, punch dough down and divide the dough in half. Fold and shape dough into two loaves and place in two 9 x 4 greased loaf pans. Let rise for 30-45 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.
Turn out of pans onto a cooling rack and brush tops with butter. Test for doneness by thumping on bottom of loaf – it should sound hollow.
Cut off a piece and slather with soft butter. Mmmm... Try not to eat the whole first loaf in the same day.

Be kind and make your "lovee" a samich.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi always reminds me of summer time.
Summer time in Virginia Beach is a beautiful thing. The smell of salty sea water in the air. Crisp white polos and plaid shorts. Mini skirts and too teeny bikinis. Beach towels and suntan lotion. It reminds me of dining out on the patio over looking the Atlantic Ocean with the sun setting in the west. Young love and first dates. Sigh.
Anyway, yea, Shrimp Scampi is like that for me.
What are your summer time memories?

Shrimp Scampi
Serves: 4

Ingredients: 
2 Tablespoons Butter 
1 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
1/2 Onion, Finely Diced 
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced 
4 oz Grape Tomatoes, halved
1 lb Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined 
1/4 cup White Cooking Wine 
1 Lemon 
2 dashes Hot Sauce, more to taste 
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste 
6-8 ounces Angel Hair Pasta 
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste 
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Boil water for pasta; have it ready.
Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp and tomatoes, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.
Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water.
Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.

Eat outside on your patio as the sun sets and reminisce about your summer memoirs. I promise it adds to the deliciousness of the dish. 

Steak Fajita Nachos

I have a little confession to make.
We are all friends here, right?
Good.
So it begins like this. While I was working out one morning, in my half awake attempt to duke it out with Jillian Michaels I could only think about 2 things. One being how badly I wanted to fling my dumbell at her face, and two what was on tap for dinner that evening. I ran through the list of meals I had previously planned for that week, but as usual, nothing struck me. I started to think about cheese. Melty, gooey cheese. Cheese turned into nachos. Nachos reared it's ugly head and turned into fajitas. Dang. Which one?! Let's go nachos. Nachos with fajita style toppings! And so it went, I plugged through my workout, all the while my brain was on nachos.
Are we still friends?
If you are anything like me, this story does not strike you as odd. Totally normal, right?
That's what I said.

PS. I probably gained like 4 pounds just thinking about this. Which really means my workout was all in vain. Yeah, that sounds about right.


Steak Fajita Nachos
Serves: 2 or more

Ingredients:
1 lb Flank Steak, cut into bite size pieces
Corn Tortilla Chips, 2 platefuls
1 1/2-2 c Shredded Mexi Style Cheese
1 15 oz can Black Beans
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced fajita style
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
On a grill or skillet, cook the steak to desired (wellness/doneness?) Remove from skillet.
Turn the heat to medium high, melt butter in skillet. Dump the peppers in the pan. Let sit for 1 min. Do not touch. After 1 min, toss to coat. Allow to get a bit charred. Remove from pan.
On 2 oven safe plates, arrange chips. Divide the cheese in 2 and sprinkle on chips. Place in the preheated oven, warming until cheese melts. Remove from oven.
Top the chips with black beans, peppers and steak. Place back inside the oven and allow to heat through.
Remove from oven top with guacamole, pico and sour cream. Share with friends! ( Or go hide in your walk in closet and eat fast!)