London Broil

Have you ever heard of London Broil?  It's an old-fashioned meal that sounds kind of fancy but it's actually just a made-up name used to make a cheap cut of meat sound high class.  It wasn't created in London, and from what I've read, they haven't even heard of it over in England!  You'll find packages of meat in the store labeled London Broil, but the name is really a method of preparation, not a cut of meat.  Typically, it's thick-cut flank steak or top round steak.

The dish may be a fraud, but I don't mind because it's so darn yummy.  Because it uses a tough cut of meat, the secret to great London Broil is marinating the meat and cutting thin slices against the grain.  Do that, and you'll have amazingly tender and flavorful strips of meat that are great plain or on a sandwich.

London Broil

Prep time: 5 min (plus 24 hrs marinating time) Cook time: 20 min
Serves 6

1.5 lbs London Broil
1 (10.5 oz) can beef consommé
Hoagie buns (if desired)

Marinade:
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp Accent seasoning
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup oil

Prick both sides of meat with a fork.  Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon ziploc and marinate meat for 24 hours.

Remove meat from marinade and grill or broil 8-10 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, combine leftover marinate and consommé in a large saucepan and heat to boiling.

Slice beef thinly against the grain and return to the marinade to serve.

Honey Ham Biscuit Sliders

I've been trying to teach my 14-year-old daughter to cook by having her help me make dinner every night. After a few years of this, I decided to have her cook one meal a week all by herself. So far, she's been doing great and learning important new things every week, like how to manage her time, how to make substitutions on the fly, and how to avoid setting the kitchen on fire! She's become quite adventurous and will sometimes tackle recipes that would scare away the average home cook.

Of course, I think it's great when she can create an amazing gourmet meal, but I also want her to learn some simple recipes that she can make when she goes to college or moves out on her own and doesn't have the time for anything grand. Too many people rely on the drive-thru when they need a quick meal because they don't have a collection of quick and easy recipes they can make instead. This came together in just a few minutes, used ingredients we almost always have on hand, and everybody thought it was yummy, so I can definitely see it on her monthly rotation from now on.

Honey Ham Biscuit Sliders
Prep time 5 min  Bake time: 15 min

Serves 5

1 can biscuits (10 count)
1/2 lb deli ham, shaved
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup honey mustard dressing
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a 9-inch pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Separate each biscuit into two layers. Spread each layer with honey mustard and top with Swiss cheese. Place half of the biscuits, cheese side up, in the bottom of prepared pan. Top with ham. Top ham with remaining biscuits, cheese side down. Brush biscuit tops with melted butter.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Heat honey in microwave for 20 seconds. Brush biscuit tops with warm honey. Serve immediately. 

293 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Turkey & Cranberry Spread Croissants with Grilled Peaches

Don't you just love simple suppers? You know, the kind that only take a few ingredients, whip up in minutes, and dirty just a few dishes? Yeah, I know, that's a pretty rare combination! Usually I try to blog about interesting recipes--the kind that look complicated and gourmet, draw oohs and ahhs, and will impress your friends and family.

This supper was none of those things, but it was so quick, so easy, and so yummy, that I figured maybe you would appreciate it just as much as I did. This is actually three recipes in one, though, so maybe that makes up for its simplicity. Make each one separately or make them all at once, but definitely make them!

Turkey & Cranberry Spread Croissant Sandwiches
Total time: 5 min
Serves 4

4 large croissants, split
1 batch cranberry walnut spread (recipe below)
8 oz shaved turkey
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 cucumber, sliced
8 lettuce leaves

Spread cranberry spread on insides of croissants then top with turkey, cheese, cucumber slices and lettuce.

Cranberry Walnut Spread
Prep time: 5 min
Serves 4

4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 Tbs cranberry sauce
2 Tbs chopped walnuts
1 Tbs honey
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 

Stir cream cheese until smooth then blend in remaining ingredients.  Serve as a dip for veggies or crackers, spread on a sandwich, or just eat by the spoonful! 

Grilled Peaches
Total time: 10 min
Serves 4

4 peaches, halved and pitted
4 Tbs honey
8 scoops vanilla ice cream

Preheat grill. Grill peaches flesh side down for 4 to 5 minutes over low flame. Flip and grill for an addition 4 to 5 minutes. Do not let skin blacken.

Remove and drizzle with honey. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Perfect for Every Occasion Panini

Have you ever noticed the labels at the bottom of each of my recipes?  They are a handy way to help you find the kind of recipe you want.  If you look on the lower right side of each page, you should see a list of all the different categories of recipes on this site.  Looking for a side dish?  I have 14 to choose from and you can see them all by clicking on "side dishes."  Obviously, some recipes are going to fall into more than one category; in fact, most do, but this recipe wins the prize, hands down, for the most!  This scrumptious sandwich would be great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a late night snack or dessert.  It's meatless, so it's good for vegetarians and Lent-observing Catholics, it's quick and easy, so it's great for the lazy, and it's kind of fancy, so even the highbrow can appreciate it.  For you simpler folk, don't be turned off by the word "panini," it's nothing but a hot sandwich that's been squished into deliciousness.  You can make this in a gourmet panini press, in a pan on the stove like a grilled cheese, or even in a George Foreman grill, like I usually do.  However, and whenever, you make it, it will be great!

Apple Pie Panini
Prep time: 5 min   Cook time: 5 min
Serves 4

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (you can get this at Wal-Mart near the deli section with the fancy cheeses)
1 1/2 Tbs honey
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter, softened
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbs brown sugar 

Heat a panini press to medium-high heat.  Whisk the mascarpone and honey together until it’s well combined and fluffy.
 
Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread to flavor the outside of the sandwich. Flip over and spread 1 tablespoon sweetened mascarpone on each. Top 4 of the bread slices with a layer of apples and close the sandwiches with the other slices, buttered side up. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top.

Grill two panini at a time, with the lid closed, until the fillings are warmed and the bread is toasted, with a sweet crust, 3 to 5 minutes. Top each sandwich with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, if desired. 

328 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

On Demand Chicken Sandwich

Why is it that we always want what we can't have?  Rachel has stick straight hair but longs for luxurious curls, I wish for a waif-like physique but am flabby and plump, and Allen desires a miser but married a shopaholic instead.  Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who spends every Sunday pining for something I absolutely can't have: a Chick Fil A sandwich.  Every Sunday after church when my thoughts turn to lunch, my first response is always Eat Mor Chikin.  I greatly admire the Cathy family's decision to close their stores on Sundays to honor the Lord's Day, but gosh darn it if that closed sign doesn't instantly make me want some chicken!

You can get a chicken sandwich just about anywhere, but there's something unique about that Chick Fil A flavor that has always been a mystery - until now.  This is going to sound really weird, but the secret is....pickle juice!  Give your cluckers a good soak in it and they turn out juicy and tender with just a touch of tanginess.  Now, whenever I empty a jar of pickles, I like to freeze the leftover juice in ice cube trays and keep them handy for the next time I have a Sunday craving.

CopyCat Chik Fil A Sandwich

Prep time: 10 min (plus 1 hr marinating)
Cook time: 10 min
Serves 4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup pickle juice
1 egg
2 Tbs milk
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbs powdered sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp basil
Peanut oil for frying
4 buns (buttered and toasted)
8 pickle slices

Put chicken in zippered bag and pound gently with the flat side of a mallet until about 1/2″ thick.  Cut each breast into 2 equal pieces.  Marinate chicken in the pickle juice for an hour.

Heat the oil in a skillet to about 350°F.  Beat together egg and milk in a bowl.  Mix together the flour, sugar, and spices in another bowl.

Dip each chicken piece into the egg, covering both sides, then coat in flour on each side.

Fry each chicken piece for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through.  Drain, then serve on toasted buns with pickle slices.

265 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Whole Lotta Chipotle

All you friends here in bloggerland know me as Sweet P, but what you probably didn't know is that my friends in the real world occasionally call me by another, less innocent name.  It's a little naughty, so, Mom, if you're reading, you can skip this paragraph!  Believe it or not, the first time I cooked for my bestie Melissa and her husband TJ, I made these sliders and TJ fell in love....with my cooking.  He told me he would do pretty much anything for me if I cooked another meal for him, so Melissa dubbed me his Food Whore, and I've been bribing him with goodies ever since.  In fact, just tonight we were hanging out, and he offered to help me profitize my little blog here in exchange for a big bowl of curry.  I think it's a perfect win-win situation - I make lots of yummy new recipes to pay TJ for promoting my blog, and the recipes get posted on my blog, so my blog gets more page views than ever!  And to think it all started with a tiny little hamburger and a whole lotta chipotles!

FYI: These succulent little sliders are HOT!!!  They are definitely not kid-friendly, and even I start to look like a panting dog about half way through them, but they are fabulous and they disappear in minutes when I take them to parties.  Serve them with a gallon of milk to quench the fire if you must, but definitely try them!

Chipotle Sliders
link to original recipe
Prep time: 15 min  Cook time: 10 min
Serves 10

1 package (12 oz) Hawaiian sweet rolls
1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

8 tsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, divided 

1-1/2 pounds ground beef 

10 slices pepper Jack cheese 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

 Place 2 rolls in a food processor; process until crumbly. Transfer to a large bowl; add the salt, pepper and 6 teaspoons chipotle peppers. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 10 patties.

Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Top with cheese. Grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.

Split remaining rolls and grill, cut side down, over medium heat for 30-60 seconds or until toasted.

Combine mayonnaise and remaining chipotle peppers; spread over roll bottoms. Top each with a burger. Replace roll tops.

357 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

French Dip-licious

After what I considered a long, cold winter, spring has finally arrived here in North Carolina!  Actually, we pretty much skipped spring and went straight from winter to summer, seeing how last week it was in the 40's and this week it's in the 80's, but I'm a heat lover, so that's just fine with me.

Spring time always puts me in the mood to freshen up my home, and, since I just celebrated my 37th 29th birthday, I'm also feeling the need to treat myself to some retail therapy.  So, I decided to redecorate my great room with a fresh new color scheme.  Between cleaning the house and shopping for accessories, I haven't had a lot of time left over to do pesky chores like cook a proper supper every night!

While I could happily survive on cold cereal and frozen pizzas, my husband and child have come to expect some sort of balanced meal on the table, so what's a busy girl to do?  Throw some stuff in the Crock-Pot and come home to a ready-to-eat supper, that's what!

This recipe makes a hearty, flavorful sandwich that keeps my man happy and requires very little prep time for me, which means I have time to go to the mall, and the hubs will be so satisfied, he won't even notice.


Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches 

Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 7 hrs
Serves 6

3 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
14 oz beef broth
1 10.5 oz can French onion soup
6 oz red wine (or more broth)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 French rolls
sliced provolone cheese, optional

Trim excess fat off of beef roast and season meat all over with salt and pepper.

Pour beef broth, condensed French onion soup, red wine and garlic powder into slow cooker and place beef roast into liquid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low for 30 minutes.

Lightly toast the bread and evenly distribute cheese between rolls, if using. Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the au jus (leftover roasting juices) into small bowls. Serve each sandwich with a bowl of au jus for dipping.

Releasing my Inner Dweeb!

So, the first time I heard of blogging I thought, "Well, that's for dweebs!"  Then a few of my non-dweeby friends started blogs and I thought, "Well, maybe blogging is okay, if you're into that sort of thing."  Then I joined Pinterest and started discovering how just about every good pin I found came from somebody's blog and I thought, "Well, I guess blogging is all the rage now, but you have to really think you're somebody special to expect people to 'follow' you just because you start a blog." And THEN I got asked for one of my favorite recipes for like the hundredth time and I thought, "Maybe I should just start a blog so I can share all these great things with everybody who wants them!"  So, I guess I owe all you blogging dweebs out there an apology.  And maybe a really good recipe to convince you to follow my blog.
 
My 13-year-old daughter likes to complain that I give WAY too many details (although, personally, I think I give just the right amount of details to keep the story nice and juicy) but I will take her admonishment to heart and promise not to be one of those annoying bloggers who thinks every post should include a five paragraph soliloquy on the highlights of my day.  This blog is about recipes, and maybe just a few juicy details to whet your appetite.  I won't promise to blog every day--I do have a life, ya know!  But when I find a great recipe, I promise I'll share it.

I thought long and hard about what should be the first recipe I post, but it's getting late and I'm hungry, so just about everything sounds fabulous right now.  So instead of trying to post the very best recipe I know or something incredibly impressive to start this blog out right, I think I'll just start from today and share what we had for dinner tonight, cuz it's a keeper.  Hope ya like it!

Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches
Prep time: 15 min  Wait time: 20 min  Bake time: 20 min
Serves 12

1 (12 count) package Hawaiian bread rolls
1 lb shaved Black Forest ham
12 slices Gruyere cheese (or provolone)
1/2 cup chive & onion cream cheese spread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbs dried minced onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut all rolls in half. Place roll bottoms in 9x13-inch pan.

Place equal amounts of ham on each roll bottom. Top with cheese.

On the cut side of each roll, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese spread. Return the tops to the bottoms making sandwiches.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion and Parmesan cheese. Pour over your sandwiches and let sit for at least 20 minutes. (You can make these ahead of time and allow to sit in fridge overnight.)

Place sandwiches, covered in foil, in a preheated 350 degrees F oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

262 calories per slider. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!