Sesame Beef

This was easily the yummiest Chinese-style recipe I have ever made! Hands down, delicious! I served it over cooked spaghetti noodles which I think was the crowning glory. The sauce was so good on those noodles! This is definitely going into my "keeper" file.

Sesame Beef

4 TBSP. soy sauce
4 TBSP. white sugar
4 TBSP. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 lb. round steak, sliced into strips
2 TBSP. sesame seeds 

Mix soy sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions in a large bowl. Set aside. Cut steak into strips and add to bowl (can also mix all of this in a large gallon size ziploc baggie). Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Cook in wok or frying pan until brown, about 5 minutes. Add sesame seeds and cook for additional 2 minutes.
**note** When I made this I heated some olive oil in a large saute pan and tossed in 2 bags of frozen stir fry veggies and a bag of frozen broccoli florets. After a few minutes of cooking them, I tossed in the marinated beef, sauce and all, cooking it until the beef was done. I served the beef/veggie mixture over cooked spaghetti noodles and it was insanely good! Also, I used 1 1/2 lbs. cubed beef/stew meat and tripled the sauce recipe to account for the extra beef/veggies additions and to make sure there was enough sauce to cover the noodles. It was the perfect amount for us.

Sister Riley's Sloppy Joes

A great recipe from my brother Mark, given to him by one of his mission companions, and it has been an easy favorite ever since.

Sister Riley's Sloppy Joes

3 lbs. ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can tomato soup
3 TBSP. brown sugar
2 TBSP. vinegar
1 TBSP. Kitchen Bouquet
2 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce


Brown ground beef. Drain. Add the onion and celelry and cook for a few minutes until tender. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Serve on buns.

Peanut Butter Frosting

A totally scrumptious frosting that was perfectly creamy and just the right amount of peanut buttery goodness! (We loved it on chocolate cupcakes.) This makes a LOT of frosting, I managed to generously frost 4 dozen cupcakes with this one recipe, so it would make enough to easily frost a 2 layer 9-inch cake. Keep that in mind as you may need to cut it in half for frosting a 9x13 cake. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened/room temp.
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream***

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Mix in the vanilla and 1/4 cup of the cream. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar. If needed, add a little more cream or milk until the frosting reaches desired spreading consistency.
***Instead of cream you can use regular milk or evaporated milk with the same delicious results.
Makes enough to frost one 2 layer 9-inch cake or 4 dozen cupcakes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This was a recipe I got from our Ward cookbook, with the only modification made to enlarge the amounts in order to fill my big casserole dish to feed the lot of us. Oh was it ever delicious! Everyone loved it and I can't wait to make it again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. cubed frozen hash browns
salt & pepper to taste
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
1 3/4 - 2 cups sour cream (fat-free, lite or reg.)
3 cups cubed chicken, raw (can also use breasts or tenders)
8-12 oz. diced ham
12 Swiss cheese slices, processed or deli

Place the frozen hash browns into a greased 11x15-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl whisk together the soups and sour cream. Pour evenly over top of the potatoes. Layer the chicken evenly over top. Sprinkle the ham over the chicken. Cover and bake @ 350* F for 1 1/2-2 hours. Uncover and place the cheese slices evenly over top. Bake again for another 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to let it set up.

Cornbread / Corn Muffins

This is a my absolute favorite cornbread recipe, it's simple and so insanely good. It makes delicious cornbread or corn muffins, whichever way you decide to bake it, it will be delicious regardless. And don't forget the Honey Butter!

Cornbread / Corn Muffins

2 cups cornmeal

2 cups flour**

1/2 cup sugar

2 TBSP. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups milk

 

Preheat the oven to 400* F.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or 2 muffin tins (for 24 muffin cups total). In a large mixing bowl combine the first 5 ingredients and mix. Add the oil, eggs and milk and mix until smooth and well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, or ladle batter into 24 greased muffin cups.

Bake @ 400* F for 20-25 minutes for the 9x13 pan, or 15-20 minutes for the muffins. It's done when the top springs back when lightly touched.

 

**High Altitude Adjustment** Add 4 TBSP. flour to the batter for 3500 ft. and above.