I love quick and easy meals that are delicious and not out of a box (i.e. Hamburger Helper) and this is a great one.

I’ve been making this recipe for years and every time Joey ate it he would comment “You should find a way to thicken the sauce”. I’ve always agreed with him but didn’t do anything to change the recipe until tonight. I thickened the sauce with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and it worked perfectly.

Skillet Beef Broccoli [Adapted from Lipton]

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb sirloin steak, cut into 1″ strips
broccoli, cut into pieces
1 envelope Onion Soup Mix
1 1/4 cups water
1 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
cooked rice

1. Heat oil in skillet and brown steak. Set aside.
2. Mix soup mix, water, brown sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch together and pour in skillet. Add broccoli and bring to a boil over high heat until the sauce thickens and the broccoli is fork tender. Reduce head to low and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes.
3. Return steak to skillet and heat through.
4. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Note: A few friends have told me that I should post recipes on my blog more often and I don’t because I don’t have time AND I don’t have great photography skills to even make posting recipes worth it (because who wants to make something that doesn’t LOOK good? I mean really. Notice how I didn’t even wipe the edges of the bowl. Geez).

Maybe one day I can learn how to take pictures of my food and start my own food blog. Maybe one day.

I made this pizza this week and it was delicious so I thought I would share the recipe

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing (I used a yogurt ranch dressing)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
• 12″ pizza crust (I made this crust)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 can sliced olives, drained
• 1/2 cup red pepper strips

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing and tomato paste together. Add chicken and stir. Spread on crust. Top with peppers, olives and onions. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

Last night I made this Family Hamburger Soup I found in a Pillsbury recipe book I have and it was delicious.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups diced, peeled potatoes

1 cup sliced celery

1 bag (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables (I used a mixture of fresh and frozen)

3 cups water

2 (10 1/2 oz) cans condensed beef broth

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

2. Add the remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce head to low; cover and simmer 18 to 20 mintues or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

For dessert I made Vanilla Cupcakes from my Cook Yourself Thin cookbook. They were delicious too. I think Joey at 4 of them already. Good thing they are low fat

Sunday I spent 4+ hours in the kitchen making a homemade lasagna. I made the sauce and noodles from scratch and it was tasty! I also attempted to take pictures as I was cooking. Not an easy task and they don’t look anything like my friend Alicia’s but I tried.

Classic Bolognese Sauce
3 TBSP unsalted butter
2 TBSP each minced onion, carrot and celery
1/4 lb each ground beef chuck, ground veal and ground pork
1 Cup whole milk
1 Cup dry white wine (or beef stock)
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes packed in juice, finely chopped, with juice reserved

1. Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat; add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes.

2. Add the ground meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Crumble the meat into tiny peaces. Cook, continuing to cumble the meat, just until it loses its raw color but has not yet browned, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the milk and bring to a simmer, continue to simmer until the milk evaporates, 10-13 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer; continue to simmer until the wine evaporates, 10-13 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer; reduce to heat to low so that the sauce continues to just barely simmer with an occasional bubble or two at the surface, until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 hours.

Bolognese Sauce initially:

Bolognese Sauce almost done:

Bechamel Sauce
2 Cups whole milk
4 TBSP unsalted butter
3 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until hot but not scalded or boiling.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it is foamy, whisk in the flour. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Do not let the flour brown.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add 2 TBSP hot milk and whisk vigorously. When the mixutre is smooth, whisk in another 2 TBSP, and then another. Return the pan to very low heat and slowly whisk in the remaining milk, at first in 1/4 cup increments and then in 1/2 cup increments until it is all incorporated.

4. Raise the heat to medium-low. Add the salt and cook, whisking often, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick heavy cream, 7 to 10 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat. Use immediately or cool to room temperature and whisk until smooth before using.

Slowly adding the milk and whisking away:

The finished sauce, after a lot of vigorous whisking:

Lasagna
Fresh Pasta
Bechamel Sauce
Bolognese Sauce
1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook noodles until al dente, then gently retrieve the noodles and transfer them to a bowl of ice-cold water for 30 seconds. Then drain the noodles and lay them out on kitchen towles for up to 1 hour.

2. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray. Smear several tablespoons of bechamel sauce across the bottom of the pan. Line the pan with a layer of pasta, making sure the noodles touch but do not overlap. Spread a scant 2/3 cup bolognese sauce evenly over the pasta. Drizzle with 3 TBSP bechamel and sprinkle with 2 1/2 TBSP Parmesan. Repeat the layering of the pasta, bolognese sauce, and cheese 4 more times. For the sixth and final layer, coat the noodles with 6 TBSP bechamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 3 1/2 TBSP cheese (or more if you want).

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until the cheese on top turns golden brown in spots and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan and let the lasagna rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipes Courtesy of “The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles” by Cooks Illustrated

And since I wasn’t busy enough, I made Orange Cookies while I waited for the Bolognese sauce to simmer down:

And of course the pasta:

But unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of the pasta. I was covered in flour for the rest of the pasta making process and forgot to ask Joey to take some pictures.

Next time I make lasagna, I’ll let you know in advance so you can make a reservation.

A couple of weeks ago I asked my Grandmother what some of her favorite recipes were and she mentioned Rouladen. I’ve heard her talk about Rouladen before but I’ve never eaten it so my mom and I decided to make it for her.

Rouladen is a German meat roulade usually consisting of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef (flank steak) and then cooked. Instead of pickles we used carrots because that’s how my Grandmother made it.

With my Grandmother’s help and this recipe, it turned out delicious. You should give it a try.

Here is the Rouladen all rolled up and ready to be put in the pan:

After we browned all the sides, we added water and a bouillon cube and let it simmer for about an hour:

Then we made a gravy:

And it was ready to be served with mashed potatoes and cooked red cabbage. (You don’t see red cabbage on my plate because I don’t like it):

It is definitely not a low calorie meal but maybe that’s why it’s so tasty. I think I will make it again sometime.

I made these for dinner tonight. It was quick and easy and very delicious!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red or green sweet pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 ounces frozen cooked Italian meatballs
2 cups refrigerated marinara sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 hoagie buns or ciabatta rolls, split
6 slices provolone cheese (6 ounces)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, cook onion and sweet pepper in hot oil over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add meatballs, marinara sauce, and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through.

2. To serve, place provolone cheese on bottom halves of rolls. Spoon meatball mixture onto each roll. If desired, broil sandwiches 4 to 5 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Hat tip: Better Homes & Gardens