Maple Glazed Beef Briskett

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon  cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 - 2 lbs beef brisket, scored on both sides

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

juice of 1 orange

2 cloves garlic, smashed

4 slices ginger (1/16 inch thick)

4 slices orange peel

Directions:

Combine cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.

Rub all over brisket and place in a ziplock bag.

Combine remaining ingredients and blend to mix.

Pour over brisket.

Marinade for 2 hours or overnight.

Transfer to crockpot and cook on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hour or low for 7-9 hours

Turn once or twice while cooking.

Serve with liquid served over the briskett.

Verdict:

You've got to love crockpot meals. Although they sometimes take some earlier preperation, like doing it all the night before, it's worth it because of how easy it is the next day. Basically effortless! Our briskett was a little on the fatty side.. so maybe we'll try for a better piece of meat next time.

Rating:

Ashley: belches       Scott: grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Five Cheese Ziti

Ingredients:

1 lb penne pasta

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Sauce: 4 cups tomato sauce

2 cups alfredo sauce

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

3 tablespoons fontinella cheese

1 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Topping: 3 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons romano cheese (grated)

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (grated)

1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons parsley (chop)

Directions:

Combine sauce ingredients and cover and refridgerate til ready to use.

Topping: whisk mozzarella, breadcrumbs, romano cheese, and parmesan cheese

Add garlic, oil, and parsley and mix til blended.

Cover and refridgerate til ready to use.

Whole dish: Cook the pasta as directed on package and drain.

Pour 1/2 of sauce mixture into the pan and spread evenly

Add pasta to remaining sauce and pour into the pan.

Spread 1 cup mozzarella cheese over pasta and then add the topping.

Cook for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees (til the topping is brown and the cheese is bubbling)

Verdict:

I didn't use any parsley

Rating:

Ashley: belches       Scott: grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

2 cups mushrooms

Chicken breasts

2 tablespoons oil

Salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

Zest of one orange

1/2 red bell pepper, diced small

8 ounces water chestnuts (drained and chopped)

3 scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered

Directions:

Cut chicken into small bite size pieces.

Add oil to skillet and heat up.

Cook the chicken in the oil.

Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook for a minute or two.

Finely chop the garlic and ginger and add to skillet.

Zest the orange into the pan.

Dice the bell pepper into small bits and add to skillet.

Drain and chop water chestnuts and scallions and add to skillet.

Add hoisin sauce and toss to evenly coat the mixture.

Spoon mixture onto lettuce leaves and wrap up and enjoy

Verdict:

Another pretty time consuming meal. I researched how to zest, thought I could pull it off, but I think I need a little more practice with it.. it all seemed to stick to the grater. I also couldn't find scallions anywhere, so I just didn't use any of those. Hoisin sauce is asian bbq sauce and is found on the asian food aisle of the grocery store. Scott enjoyed this one more than I did. I wasn't very impressed with the meal though and probably wouldn't make it again, but Scott really enjoyed it, more than the pf chang's version he said, and he's going to ask for it to be made again. For some reason I think whenever I cook with ginger I don't end up enjoying the meal. Not that I don't like the ginger in it, but the smell when you are cutting it isn't my favorite.. This is a fun meal to kind of change up your every day dinners though to something a little different and out of the usual.  

Rating:

Ashley: 6 belches       Scott: 9 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Stuffed Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

Stuffing: 1/2 cup smoked provolone cheese

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup  grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Chicken: chicken breasts

4 ounces cooking oil

2 cups flour

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce: 1 small onion, chopped

6 cups sliced mushrooms

24 ounces beef broth (or marsala wine)

8 ounces heavy cream

Directions:

Combine all the stuffing ingredients in a bowl.

Butterfly cut the thickest section of the chicken.

Spoon desired amount of stuffing on one half of the butterflied chicken.

Gently press the stuffing down and fold over the other half of the chicken.

Add oil to a skillet and heat up.

Put flour in a pan and salt and pepper to taste.

Dip chicken in flour mix and then into the skillet. 

Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Once they are browned, move chicken into a baking pan.

Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Add onions and mushrooms to the skillet.

Saute until onions are translucent then add the broth.

Bring to a simmer and add heavy cream.

Simmer on low until the sauce is reduced by half. 

Pour sauce over chicken and serve. 

Verdict:

Do not be deceived.. If this recipe looks at all simple to you.. it's not!! It took me forever to make. Lets see, where to begin. It was really good, just a lot of work! It needs some definite tweaking. The sauce was too thin, and I used chicken that was too thin. Basically this meal should have been more thick all around. I also need to improve my butterfly cutting skills, but having thicker chicken might help that problem as well. Oh and I didnt use sun-dried tomatoes, just some cherry ones cut in half and thrown on the skillet for a bit. Don't use 2 cups of flour, you don't need it all and you end up wasting tons!!

I had to knead the stuffing mixture with my hands to get it to all mix together and I accidentally left out the tomatoes and had to shove them in my chickens later. This dinner is super tastey though!! Very fattening and time consuming but really really good!! Just gotta thicken that sauce and it'll be perfect!

Rating:

Ashley: 9 belches       Scott: 9 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Chicken breasts

Directions:

 Add ranch and flour together and stir well.

In a seperate bowl add the cheddar and parmesan.

Coat the chicken breasts first in the ranch mixture and then in the cheese.

Place on a glass cooking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until chicken is cooked through

Verdict:

I got this recipe from the back label on the ranch. I saw it on the back when I first bought the ranch and have been wanting to try it since! I'm glad I tried it because it was delicious! Funny that it sat in our fridge for a while and the day I decide to cook the meal Scott had just opened a new bottle of ranch and thrown out the old one.. (new bottle had a different recipe...for tuna... barf!) But I was determined to make the chicken so I hunted down the recipe. It is soo good!! Nice and cheesey, so of course I loved it!! And it really was pretty simple to throw together too. All the ingredients are pretty basic so it's one you could cook often if you dont want to run to the grocery store.

Rating:

Ashley: 8.8 belches       Scott: grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 package of fajita steak

Peppers

Beans

Onion

Flour tortillas

Cheese

Directions:

Pour steak package into large skillet and cook the meat.

Cut up peppers and onion and add to the skillet.

Spoon onto tortilla.

Add cheese, beans, and salsa as you desire.

Roll up and enjoy.

Verdict:

Once again pretty quick and simple. You could go more all out and buy just regular steak and add spices and seasonings to it, but it's a lot easier to buy the bag with sliced meat, already flavored, throw it on the skillet and call it good. This is another one of those that you can add in whatever you think would be good. Scott was pumped for this one, mainly because of the steak.. but overall it really was a good meal.

Rating:

Ashley: 8.6 belches       Scott: grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Pepperoni Pasta

Ingredients:

Bow tie pasta

Ragu

Peperoni's

Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package instructions.

Drain noodles and pour into a glass cooking pan.

Stir in ragu, cheese, and peperoni's.

Verdict:

This is a very simple meal. Quick, easy, filling. Just what I like. You can also heat everything up in the microwave if you don't want to use the oven. All you are doing is warming everything up so just be sure your cheese melts and you'll be good to go.

Rating:

Ashley: 8 belches       Scott: grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Top with a layer of cheese and place back in oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.