I've gone and done it again - I've cooked! I'm just as shocked by this as you are, so let's enjoy it while it lasts.
I've always loved me some Pioneer Woman. You may remember my blog post about her book (which I swooned over)
here. I also have her cookbook and couldn't wait to get after it! Here is what I cooked up for the Mr. and I this week:
*One of Jeff's all time favorite dishes is a Chicken Spaghetti dish that he grew up with, which I must confess is delicious. I know my man and his very limited food palate. I knew when I chose this recipe that I needed to hide the actual name of the recipe from him...or else he'd come in with his mind already made up (and it wouldn't be good). I was able to keep it a secret from him until the day of. I had the top of the recipe, with the name on it, hidden under my computer on the kitchen counter. I remember coming downstairs at some point and seeing it pulled out, on top of my computer. Darn. He caught me. I had hid it from him for a few days, referring to it as Mexican Chicken, which is what Pioneer Woman's Marlboro Man (her husband) calls it and I thought I had gotten away with it. Even when we went grocery shopping together, I brought the cookbook with me, and had to show him a picture in the recipe because I was confused on something, and I covered up the name (in an unobvious way) before showing him the book! Later, when I told him that, after my secret was exposed, he laughed and said he hadn't even noticed! Too bad my secret didn't last long enough. However, it didn't even matter because this dish was a hit! Both the Mr. and I loved it and later he told me that they were both his favorites! Time for a victory dance!
Ingredients
2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Directions
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).
The Marlboro Man Sandwich
*To die for. This was amazingly delicious and I can tooootally see how it is Marlboro Man's favorite dish! The Mr. loved it too and I can pretty much guarantee you he'll be beggin' me to make it for him again soon! We ended up adding a few slices of mozzarella to the sandwich which made it even tastier, and when the Mr. made it for leftovers the next day, he added mayonnaise as well! It's great because it's completely and totally customizable by YOU!
Ingredients
1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)
1/2 cup (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
4 whole French/deli Rolls (earthgrains Are Best!)
Directions
Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside. Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s. Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides. Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine. Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet. To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!
*I made this to go along with the Marlboro Man Sandwich and it was perrrfect! I am still giddy over thinking about this dish. I snacked on it the next 3 days...and the best part is, you eat it with your hands!!
Ingredients
Garlic Croutons
4 cloves garlic
A generous 1/4 cup pure olive oil
2 packed cups 3/4" bread cubes, cut from a good-quality baguette or Italian loaf
Large pinch of salt
Salad
3 romaine hearts, separated into whole leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
5 tablespoons pure olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Heat a 10-inch skillet over low heat. With motor running, drop garlic cloves through feeder tube of a food processor fitted with the steel blade to mince. (A blender works as well.) Scrape down sides of bowl and add olive oil through feeder tube as well. Continue to process so that garlic releases its flavor into the oil, about 30 seconds. Strain garlic from oil through a fine-mesh strainer; reserve half of the garlic for dressing. Increase skillet heat to medium. Place bread cubes in medium bowl. Drizzle garlic oil evenly over bread, along with big pinch of salt; toss to coat. Add bread cubes to hot skillet and toast, turning the cubes and shaking the pan often, until crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Return croutons to bowl and set aside to cool while preparing salad. Place lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Whisk lemon juice, mayonnaise, half the reserved garlic, and Worcestershire in a small bowl. Drizzle lettuce with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss lightly and carefully. (Clean hands work well.) Drizzle lemon mixture over lettuce; toss again. Sprinkle Parmesan over greens; toss again. Sprinkle croutons over the salad; toss and serve, sprinkling each portion with a little more Parmesan cheese.
*Yum. I am pretty positive that most of us have, if not made fruit pizza before then at least experienced it. If not, then believe me when I tell you this - you're missing out! It had been too long since I've been around a fruit pizza, and I knew I had to change that. This dish brings up so many fun memories in my life, mainly revolving around college and one of my all time college besties and roommates, THE one and only, Bernadette Byars. This was HER dish and I swear, there may have been a period of time when she made it on a weekly basis. So, I guess I can thank Bernie for my college 30? Eek. Also, what made Bernie's fruit pizza's so special was that she always made them patriotic: red, white, and blue. And, even turned it into the American flag one 4th of July! Personally, I have to say that her fruit pizza is still my numba 1 fave, but, Pioneer Woman's was a close second!
 |
I really wanted to put kiwi's on it but there were
none to be found at my grocery! |
Ingredients
1-1/3 cup Shortening (may Substitute Butter)
1-1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Orange Zest
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 whole Eggs
8 teaspoons Whole Milk
4 cups All-purpose Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 jars (13 Ounces Each) Marshmallow Creme
2 packages (8 Ounces Each) Cream Cheese
Peaches
Kiwi Fruit
Blueberries
Pears
Raspberries
Other Fruit Optional
Directions
Cream shortening (or butter), sugar, orange peel, and vanilla thoroughly. Add in eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and mix. Sift dry ingredients together, then blend into cream mixture. Slightly flatten between two sheets of waxed paper, then refrigerate for one hour (or freeze for 20 minutes). Press dough into a sheet cake pan OR divide the dough in half and roll each half into a large round, then transfer to pizza pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cookie dough is cooked and golden brown, but not overly crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip together marshmallow creme and cream cheese until light. Spread onto cooled "pizza" crust, then decorate the top generously with sliced fruit. Slice into squares or wedges and serve.
*All of these "food photos" were taken by yours truly. Hence, the lack of perfection. I am amazed at how the professionals are able to make their food look so wonderful and mine looks so ordinary when we're making the same thing! At least both people's end results taste good!
