Beef Stroganoff

I don't know about you, but the sad realization that Christmas is over coupled with the fact that there are still a few more work days before the New Year has me feeling a little blue.  After a long day, we deserve to kick off our shoes and dig in to a comforting, hearty dish of goodness.  This beef stroganoff should do the trick!  The tender and juicy steak drowning in a delicious creamy sauce will send you into euphoria!  What's even better is that it can be made in 30 minutes!   

Simple & Succulent Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Barbecue

This recipe is so easy that I almost didn't share it, but it came at the perfect time, so here it is!  It was a very long day of work immediately followed by cleaning, running errands (piano lessons, groceries, etc.), helping my little sous chef with her homework (Everyday Math can be so frustrating)... all while being reminded that I hadn't fulfilled my promise to "play with me" yet.  At the end of the day, I thought to myself, "I sure am glad I put that pork in the oven at 6:00 this morning!"  It was dinnertime.  I yanked the pork out of the oven, pulled it apart, mixed in some barbecue sauce, and served it on buns.  Viola!  After a day like that, I'm thankful for an easy meal!  It's so tender and juicy... and with little-to-no effort on my part!  Time for wine.  Cheers!

Quick Beef Pot Pie (Meat Pie)

At the start of autumn, I always make one of my husband's top-ten favorite meals, beef pot pie.  (We call it meat pie here.)  I had planned to make it for dinner, but there was one little problem - my little sous chef came down with a cold and wasn't feeling well all day.  Thankfully, she had no school for the Jewish holiday, so she could rest.  However, I still had to work, which proved to be a little bit of a challenge.  One of the beautiful things about working out of home is that I can easily take frequent cuddle and playtime breaks throughout the day.  But when sickness strikes, the need for things like cuddling increases tenfold.  It ended up being a really busy, busy day for me.  Taking care of my little one, working, cleaning, trying not to stress out.  I look up at the clock.  *Gasp!*  It's already 4:45?!  Meat pie takes hours to make!  We've been looking forward to meat pie all day, so I decided to come up with a speedier version of it.  I gathered my ingredients and laid them all out on the table and got to work (while my daughter clung to my heels pleading for more couch cuddles).  The verdict?  Delicious!  It tastes like it's been cooking the entire day!  All said and done, including baking time, it was ready in under 1 hour.  Success!  It doesn't end there.  I stood up from the table after everyone paid me lovely compliments about dinner, and I thought about all that I had accomplished in one day.  I breathed a sigh of relief, turned away from the dinner table... and cleaned the kitchen.  Again.              

You might be interested in:  Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie

                                                 Stove-Top Beef Pot Pie

Skillet Mexican Pie with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

I'll be dreaming of this Skillet Mexican Pie for a while!  It was a gorgeous, sunny weekend, but we spent the better half of it indoors because my little sous chef came down with a fever.  While she napped, I found myself with a few spare hours to play around in the kitchen.  I had a lot of cilantro, avocado, and tomato, so I used those ingredients to create this Mexican dish.  It packs in intense Mexican flavor in each bite - a fiesta for your mouth!  There's no need to fire up your oven because it's all done on the stovetop in just one skillet.  Multigrain tortillas are layered with an easy & delicious homemade enchilada sauce, seasoned beef and pork, black beans, corn, and cheese!  Garnish it with avocado, cilantro, tomato, and sour cream and you have a little slice of heaven on a plate! 

Note:  To kick up the spice a bit, substitute the mozzarella cheese with pepper jack.  You can also leave the seeds in the jalapeno for an extra punch.  

NY Strip Steak & Chicken Stir Fry with Jasmine Rice

Here's another goodie that's going on the "My Favorite Recipes" page!  My little sous chef closed her eyes and said, "Mm!  Oh, this is good!  *chomp*  Mm!  *smack*  I want to eat this every day!"  My husband pounded his fist on the table and shouted, "This is darn good!  We need to have this once a week!"  Not gonna lie - that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Believe it or not, this was the first time that it occurred to me to use my griddle to stir fry on.  I've stir fried in a wok and in a large skillet before with ease, but stir frying on the griddle offers so much more cooking surface.  Yes, it can make a big ol' mess in the kitchen if you're not careful, but let me tell you - it's so worth it!  The steak and chicken are sinfully succulent and the fried jasmine rice with veggies is amazingly delicious.  Make sure you leave enough for leftovers... it's even better!  

Note:  I find that using two spatulas while cooking the fried rice helps to keep the mess to a minimum.  

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast in Beer

This pot roast really packs in a lot of flavor and is so simple to make.  You don't even need the hassle of searing the meat.  The only liquid used is beer, which adds a beautiful depth of deliciousness to the pot roast.       

Note:  For this recipe, I recommend using a lighter beer or one with 20 IBU or less to avoid any bitterness in your pot roast.  To my embarrassment, I once tried a 65 IBU beer and had to throw out the entire pot roast because it was too incredibly bitter to eat.  

Tequila Nachos Supreme with Ground Beef

Whether it's for a large party or a fun family night in, these nachos are easy to make and will be a hit!  Crispy nachos covered in seasoned ground beef are topped in a delicious tomato and bean mixture that is soaked in tequila.  

Celeste's Chili

Every stinking week we have another snowstorm!  10 inches of snow today and another 4-to-6 inches in the forecast for tomorrow.  Please, make it stop!  While I wasn't keen on shoveling the heavy, wet snow from my car, it was rather lovely to have a lazy snow day home with family.  While we out in the snow shoveling, sledding, and sculpting Olaf to life (Disney's Frozen), I had a large pot of chili simmering on the stove.  There's really nothing better than indulging in a hot bowl of chili after an excursion in the icy snow.  I have tinkered with different variations of chili over the years, and my family has determined that this is, by far, our all-time favorite.  

Crock Pot Chipotle Steak Taco Salad Bowls

Dump it, set it, forget it!  These chipotle steak taco bowls are not only easy to make, but they're bursting with flavor and require very little effort on your part.  Simply add the ingredients to your crock pot in the morning, turn the heat on low, and come home to the ahh-mazing smell of chipotle steak.  Your mouth will be happy - I promise!  

Buffalo Chicken Dippin' Balls with Spicy Cheddar Sauce

Super Bowl Sunday is quickly approaching!  While I am a die-hard Eagles fan, I do happen to have a soft spot for Peyton Manning.  Who do you think will win?

My little 9-year-old sous chef told me that she is really excited to watch the Super Bowl with us.  Her reasoning?  "We get to eat really good food ...in the living room while we watch TV!"  If you happen to be one of those people who are just as excited about the food as the game, I'll be sharing some of my favorite super bowl eats with you in a couple of days.  In the meantime, I wanted to highlight these delectable treats that we'll be indulging in for the big game.  These buffalo chicken dippin' balls are delightfully crispy on the outside and deliciously buffalo-y (that's a word, right?) on the inside.  The easy homemade spicy cheddar cheese sauce just puts them over the top.  I could seriously dip anything into the sauce and be in heaven!  

Go Broncos! 

Easy Beer-Basted Baby Back Ribs

Happy Friday!  Any football fans out there?  How about that Peyton Manning last night?!  I had him starting in my fantasy football team and I am loving life today!  

To kick off football season, I wanted to share some pretty delicious dude food.  Juicy, tender baby back ribs are so easy to make, all you need is a little bit of time!  Throw them in the oven in the morning and they'll be ready by kickoff.  The ribs are slowly cooked in the oven, basted in beer, and slathered in your favorite barbecue sauce.  I like to throw them on the grill at the very end to give a nice caramelized crust but that is totally optional.  

Homemade Steak Sauce

You can enjoy fork tender, melt in your mouth filet mignon right from your own kitchen.  If you really want to impress your guests, serve it with homemade steak sauce!  It's really easy to do and you probably have most of the ingredients already in your kitchen.  

Southwestern Stuffed Pepper Burgers

Grilling out tonight?  Try this delicious new twist on a burger!  Stuffed peppers are grilled, topped with spicy pepper jack cheese, and then paired with a creamy, tangy cilantro-lime dressing.  These burgers are bursting with flavor!  

Bangers and Mash with Sweet Onion & Beer Gravy

My deep freezer is nearly bursting at the seams and I have been trying to slowly go through everything so that nothing goes to waste by the end of this year.  I decided to chip away at some of the sausage and make what has become one of my family's favorite comfort foods, bangers and mash.  Delicious browned sausage is laid upon a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, slathered in a sweet onion and beer gravy, and served with a side of peas.  Yum!  If you prefer a less sweet gravy, simply start with 1 tsp of the brown sugar and then add more, to taste.

What is one of your family's favorite comfort foods?  

Slow-Roasted Barbecue Beef Spare Ribs... Taking a Break

Have you done much grilling this summer?  So far, we've grilled ribs, shrimp, steak, chicken, sausage, burgers, corn, potatoes, and various veggies and fruits.  The other day, we grilled up some pretty delicious, sticky barbecue beef ribs for a cookout and they were a hit.  These are cooked low and slow in the oven, basted in beer, slathered in barbecue sauce, and then grilled to perfection!  

Note:  Spare ribs have less meat than short ribs, so plan for about 3 to 4 ribs per person if they are the main course.  

I'm going to be taking a week break from blogging starting this weekend to spend some quality, uninterrupted time with my family.  See you in a week!

Jenkins Family Italian Stromboli

My very first experience making stromboli was at one of my very first jobs as a teenager, which was in the kitchen of a pizza joint.  The Italian stromboli was made with shredded steak, ham, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, mozzarella and tomato sauce.  After I was married, my husband explained the Jenkins way of making Italian stromboli, which included variations of ham, salami, provolone and some veggies.  It was different than what I was used to but it quickly grew on me and became my favorite way to eat it.  

For Father's Day, I gave my husband the choice of any dinner in the world and he asked for this stromboli - it is definitely a top-ten favorite in my family!  

Grilled Tequila Flank Steak with Tequila-Cilantro Sauce

Firing up the grill?  Try this grilled tequila flank steak with tequila-cilantro sauce.  The marinade is repurposed to make a sauce that is tangy and oh, so delicious.  Tequila!

Once you are finished making the steak sauce, you can leave it as is or strain it to remove the solids.  I enjoy the texture that the onion brings, so I don't strain the sauce before serving.

Grilled White Wine & Garlic Butter Shrimp Kabobs

We were blessed with beautiful weather this weekend and most of it was spent outdoors doing fun things including enjoying a community fair, grilling out, taking two long bike rides on the trail, and having a cookout with family.  I didn't realize how much time we actually spent in the sun until I found myself sporting a pretty unattractive sunburn.  One of the things we grilled were these amazing shrimp kabobs in white wine and garlic butter.  So simple, yet so delicious!  I served this with sauteed veggies and corn on the cob.   
  

Crock Pot Meat Pie - My 500th Recipe!

Today I celebrate 500 recipes on Cooking Creation!  It's kind of hard to believe that I have posted 500 recipes in the last three short years.  Of all of the meals that I make for my family, my husband's favorite is meat pie.  Meat pie is a savory pie consisting of beef stew in a pie crust.  My husband grew up eating meat pie usually as a special treat on his birthday.  I, however, never heard of such a thing until I was introduced to it by his mother.  This recipe originates from my mother-in-law but I have made a few changes to it over the years.  This pie is a very hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of pie. 

Sliders with Bacon, Cheddar, BBQ & Homemade Onion Rings

Dude food at its finest!  Kick back a few of these babies during the game.  Cheesy, smoky, crispy, sweet, tangy, chewy - so many wonderful things going on in this little slider!