Broiled Reuben Sandwiches

This is more an idea than a recipe. But the picture sure turned out pretty! I asked my husband for meal ideas this week and he came up with some great ones! I should ask Klane for input more often. I would've never thought to make these, but they were fantastic, quick and so flavorful!

Broiled Rueben Sandwiches

Rye bread, sliced
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Swiss cheese slices
Corned beef, sliced

Pile everything on one slice of bread on a baking sheet and set open-faced sandwiches and extra slices under the broiler until cheese melts and bread is toasted. Top sandwiches with toased bread, flip sandwiches over and put back under the brolier until the other side is toasted. (I suppose these could also be grilled.) Yum!

Chicken, Spinach and Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

I wasn't sure what to call this recipe. I mean, besides "really really amazingly creamy and delicious". I'm not sure exactly how I made it either, but it was so good I have to at least try to share it. This pasta dish turned out just how I hoped, creamy but still light, with a hint of lemon taste. The farfalle looks so pretty, and I liked the colors of the white sauce, green spinach and red tomatoes. It was a really pretty dish and seemed just perfect for Valentine's Day dinner. My husband said this might be his favorite pasta dish I've ever made.

This was very loosely based off a couple similar recipes, and very heavily based on what I had in my fridge that I needed to use. I used this recipe and this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe as references for lemon cream pasta type dishes. I kept pouring in a little more milk or a little more lemon juice or a little more cheese, till I got the desired consistency and taste. The amounts below are approximations but I think they're fairly close. Here goes...

Chicken, Spinach and Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

1 lb pasta (farfalle, rotini or penne would all work)
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 1 clove if you're using fresh)
lemon pepper
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup light cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp white flour
2 Tbs-1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (okay, so I used bottled. shredded would be better I'm sure)
1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high, add garlic, stir over heat 1 min until fragrant. Add chicken breasts and season with lemon pepper to taste. Cook chicken through, lightly browning each side. When cooked, transfer to cutting board and cut into bite size strips or cubes.

Return pan with cooking juices to stove over medium heat. Add cream, milk and flour and whisk well to dissolve flour. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly. Add more milk if necessary to reach desired thickness. Add lemon juice to taste, stirring and tasting after adding a little at a time. (I really didn't want to overdo it on the lemon taste.) Simmer and stir 5 minutes over medium/med-high. Add parmesan to taste, stir to melt. Add frozen spinach and diced chicken, stir everythink till heated through, a minute or two. Add pasta and stir it all together. You may not use all the pasta, just add enough so you have the right amount of sauce. Serve with tomatoes sprinkled on top.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Breadsticks

These breadsticks are so simple to make, but you'd never know because they are equal parts beautiful and delicious! (Maybe baking in a cube of melted butter has something to do with the incredible taste... hmmm...) My mom has been telling me about these breadsticks for the longest time, because she knew I'd love how easy they are to make. I should've made them sooner! Klane and I loved them. They take about an hour from start to finish, but I think that's quick enough for a weeknight dinner. Make these, they're so delicious and the perfect addition to a pasta or salad to make a great meal.

They looked especially tasty through the oven door:

Mom's Breadsticks

3 ½ cups flour
1 T. instant yeast
3 T. sugar
½ t. salt
1 ½ cups warm water
½ cup butter, melted

Mix first four ingredients in large bowl. Add warm water, mix to form a soft dough and let it raise in bowl for 20 min. Preheat oven to 375, melt butter in preheated oven on cookie sheet (half the butter if you want it less buttery). Take sheet out when butter is melted, let it cool a little. Roll out dough flat, cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide. Fold strips in half and twist the two halves together. Lay them out on cookie sheet, roll them in melted butter till covered. Sprinkle with seasonings as desired (possible toppings: suddenly salad, parmesan cheese, italian seasonings, dill, seasoning salt, etc). Let rise 20 minutes in pan. Bake for 15-20 min, until golden brown.

Recipe from my amazing mom.

Golden Treats

These are sort of like Rice Krispie treats meets s'mores. Melted marshmallows and chocolate mixed with Golden Grahams cereal makes for an irresistible combination. Beware: it's very difficult to stop eating these once you start.

S'mores Treats

1 16 oz. bag mini marshmallows
5 tablespoons butter
¼ c. corn syrup
1 ½ c. milk chocolate chips
1 box golden grahams (about 14 oz.)

Heat butter in large pot on medium until melted. Add marshmallows, corn syrup, and chocolate chips, stirring constantly until melted and gooey. Remove from heat. Quickly pour in box of Golden Grahams and evenly stir and combine. Spread in 9x13 inch pan and enjoy! You can also let them cool and cut into bars.

Recipe from my beautiful cousin, Dayna.

Flank Steak and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

These quesadillas were so good! The marinade for the meat created a unique flavor, and of course caramelized onions are always a yummy edition. Maybe our favorite part was serving it with fresh guacamole we made ourselves. So delish!

Okay, here is the deal. One of the things I love about cooking is that it's so much less expensive than eating out. I like to be frugal. So the $10 flank steak at the grocery store didn't look like the best choice to me when I made this recipe last week. Instead I went for a cheaper sirloin, marinated it, tenderized it and tried not to overcook it. Hence the reason my quesadillas didn't turn out as plump and delicious looking as the photo on For the Love of Cooking. The recipe still worked the way I made it but it would be a lot better with the flank steak, I'm sure.

Steak & Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

Flank Steak Marinade:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs of flank steak
⅓ cup vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
2 limes, juiced
4-5 cloves garlic minced

Caramelized Onions:

1 teaspoon olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients:

Flour tortillas
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (or monterey jack)
Guacamole
Salsa

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine all marinade ingredients with flank steak and mix really well. Let marinate for at least 6 hours - overnight if you can.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, cook for about 30 minutes or until caramelized. Season with salt and set aside.

Grill the flank steak to your liking. Let the meat rest before slicing in thin slices AGAINST the grain.

To prepare the quesadillas, take a little shredded cheese and sprinkle evenly over a flour tortilla. Place a few slices of flank steak over the cheese, add some caramelized onions and a little additional cheese. Place one more tortilla over the top to finish. Carefully place the quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Slice with a pizza cutter into wedges. Serve with guacamole and salsa.

Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.

Homemade Guacamole

YUM. I made this and now I want to have this in my house all the time because it's so, so good. It's best fresh since it turns brown after a little while. I copied the recipe straight from For the Love of Cooking, because I think the way she explains everything in such detail is really great.

Guacamole

4 ripe (soft but not mushy to the touch) avocados
1/4 red onion, diced
3 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 small handful of chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, diced finely (half if you want it less spicy)
Salt to taste
1-2 limes juiced to taste

Slice the avocados lengthwise around the seed. Gently hit blade of knife on the half of the avocado with the seed and twist - seed should come out easily. Either scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon or dice into segments in a crosshatch pattern and then remove with a spoon. Mix the remaining ingredients together with out smashing the avocado too much. Make sure to add the lime, it not only pops the flavor of the guacamole but it also keeps it from going brown. Serve with fresh tortilla chips or as a topping for any of your favorite Mexican dishes.

Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.