Herb Butter Steakhouse Steak

Have you ever wondered why you can't ever make a steak quite as good as one from a steakhouse?  Well I can share a couple of their secrets.  Last fall I took a cooking class on how to make the perfect steak.  When I was choosing the class I was leaning towards taking a class to learn how to cook something new or even make my own pasta, but then I thought "why not learn how to make something I already make but make it better."  My husband usually grills, which requires me to wait until he gets home from work to start dinner.  The tips I learned let me make a FABULOUS steak in the middle of winter because no grilling is required.  Yes, I said they do not grill it!  The second secret is that they use butter, butter, and more butter.

Almost Cut Potatoes

This slightly crispy version of a baked potato is a great change up and oh so easy!
Ingredients:

• Large Russett Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Loaded Potato Topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash the potatoes thoroughly.  Cut them almost all the way through, brush on olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Top each potato with a few pats of butter and bake for 40-50 minutes.  About half way through you may want to brush on another layer of olive oil, depending on how crispy they are getting.  They are even better with Loaded Potato Topping.

I like to serve this with my Herb Butter Steakhouse Steak because the oven temp is 400 for both so no adjusting!

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness.  Check out the entire menu and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!

Jamaican Me Hungry Jerk Chicken

If you've read any of my previous recipe posts, you know I love the combination of sweet and spicy. This jerk chicken does just that. I want to preface that you may need to alter this recipe to meet your perfect combination between the sweet and spicy.  Cooking this in the slow cooker first makes it "fall off the bone" tender, but broiling it in the oven gives it the nice crispness this dish needs.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken (I used breasts)
• 1small chopped sweet onion
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2-3 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped (leave in some seeds for extra spice)
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except chicken in a food processor and purée. Rub the mixture from the food processor onto chicken (it will be more of a paste than a rub). Place chicken in large ziplock bag or shallow dish. Let marinade overnight. Place chicken and mixture in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours (make sure chicken is fully cooked).
Set your oven to broil. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place in baking dish. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until lightly charred and crisped. Turn over and repeat on other side. Broil the side with the skin last so it's freshly charred when served. Serve with lime wedges and squeeze additional lime juice as needed to curb the spice.

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!

Lawry's Potato Squares

This potato recipe is a quick and easy alternative to the regular baked potato.  Plus I have recently discovered the multiple uses of the Broiler, so I have been experimenting lately.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Russet Potatoes (I served each person 1/2 potato, they are so good your family might not want to share.)
• Butter
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Clean Potatoes and pierce several times with a sharp knife.  Cook in microwave until soft all the way through.  Next, cut potato in half length wise.  Then cut each half into squares, but be careful not to cut all the way through the skin.  This step actually works best if you let the potato cool for about five minutes before cutting.  

 Place butter on top of potato and sprinkle with the Lawry's Seasoned Salt.  Place in oven on broil for about 12-15 minutes  to make them golden and crispy.  I like to top mine with a little sour cream.

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness, Appetizing April Menu, and our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu. Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on the menus!

Best Darn Pork BBQ

My younger sister has celiac disease and therefore cannot eat any gluten. Since she often comes over for dinner, I try to find ways to make gluten free food, or at least give her gluten free options when she eats here. Everything in this post is gluten free EXCEPT the pretzel rolls. While I wholeheartedly prefer the rolls, this meal still does taste great over rice. I ate at a Latin restaurant once that served Kahlua pork with coconut rice and bacon black beans, it was delicious! I think you could cook your rice in coconut milk and just crumple cooked bacon in your beans and use my pork recipe to create this. Maybe I'll make that with the leftover pork and post later!

Anyway, here are the ingredients for the pork roast:

• 2-3 lbs. pork roast
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup liquid smoke

I'm going to be honest and say I never measure out those spices. I just rub them all over the meat until it looks well coated in the spice rub. Use however much you think is appropriate for your taste. After you rub the spices on the pork, place in slow cooker and pour in liquid smoke. Cook on low for at least 12 hours. The longer the better. I recommend cooking on low for 8-10 hours then leave on "keep warm" overnight. I have left this on low for 20 hours before and it was deliciously (forgot to turn to keep warm before bed so it cooked on low all night). Transfer the pork to a dish and shred with a fork. Since inlet this cook all night, I store it until dinner that night, so I reserve about 1/2 cup of the liquid from slow cooker for later. I then heat up pork in the liquid in a pan on the stove. Serve with warm BBQ sauce below.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup (Heinz for gluten free)
• 2 tbsp.  Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins or Kroger for gluten free)
• Dashes of liquid smoke, cayenne pepper and dry mustard

Again, I don't measure the last few ingredients, just a dash is how I measure. Use more cayenne if you like your BBQ spicy, none at all if you don't want any spice. You can use a bit more sugar and even add honey if you like your BBQ sauce even sweeter. Add BBQ sauce to the pork and combine. Serve on pretzel rolls.

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness and our Appetizing April Menu.  Check out the menus and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!

Two- Step Pierogies

I try to incorporate meatless dishes into our monthly menu and I will be the first to admit that I struggle with it and I am always looking for suggestions.  Pierogies are a family favorite but only because my Mother-in-law introduced this Two-Step way to prepare them.  Previously I would just boil them and toss them with a little butter.  Her way is MUCH better.  I know that this isn't really a recipe, it is more like a cooking variation.

S'mores on a Stick

My boys are constantly building forts and tents and nothing goes better with camping than S'mores.  Generally speaking S'mores are messy and require a campfire, but NOT today!  

 Ingredients:

• Marshmallow
• Milk Chocolate Chips
• Graham Crackers
• Lollipop Sticks

The kids can do this almost all by themselves because there is no actual cooking involved.  

Nathan pointed out the Hidden Mickey we created!

First place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and finely crush them.  My little guy enjoyed using his "ninja skills" to chop them up!  Next, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave- stirring occasionally.  Then simply insert the stick into the marshmallow, dip about halfway into the chocolate, and then dip again into graham cracker crumbs.  That's it!  You can eat them right away or let the chocolate harden a little bit first.  I don't advise sticking in the fridge because the marshmallow will harden.

I know that I said it wouldn't be messy, but somehow he got chocolate on his nose!