Beef and Brocolli Ramen

Ok, I made this one up myself, so be kind ;)

INGREDIENTS:
2 packs beef ramen
3/4 lb ground beef
1/2 package frozen brocolli
3 Tbsp. soy sauce (divided)
1/4 tsp ginger

DIRECTIONS:
-in a sauce pan, cook 2 packages of ramen as directed on package. Put one pack of beef seasoning to the side for ground beef. When ramen is done, drain, put back in pan and add 2 Tbsp of soy sauce
-in a seperate pan, on a medium heat, combine ground beef, brocolli, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, pack of beef seasoning and ginger. Cook beef until brown.
-combine both ramen and beef mixture and enjoy :)

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes 12 servings, so I cut everything in half!

1 lb farfalle pasta (I just used whatever pasta I had on hand)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb white ceddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)... I used regular cheddar cheese because white cheddar is a bit pricier

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed

1/2 lb diced smoked ham

-Heat oven to 350. Coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pasta in lightly salted water following package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain.

-While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium size, heavy bottomed sauce pan (not nonstick) over medium heat. Stir in flour until well blended; cook 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup milk and cook, whisking continuously, until smooth. Whisk in remaning 1 cup milk and continue to cook, whisking until thickened and smooth, about 5 min. Remove from heat; stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk in 2 cups of the cheese until smooth.

-In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cheese sauce and 1 cup of the remaining cheese. Stir in the peas and ham. Pour into prepared baking dish. Scatter remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the top.

-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven; allow to cool 10 min. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Black & White Brownies

I burned my finger making these bad boys, so you all better love them! :)

Brownies:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cheescake batter:

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons milk

-Heat oven to 350. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil; set aside

-BROWNIE: In a medium bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.

-In a large glass bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Microwave on HIGH for 1 min; stir until smooth. If necessary, continue to microwave in 15-second intervals to melt chocolate. (I had to mic mine for an extra minute!)

-Add SUGAR (I forgot the sugar so I had to go back and add it after I already put it in the pan, urgh) to chocolate mixture; stire to combine. Add eggs and vanilla; stir until smooth. Stire in flour mixture. Spoon into prepared pan; spread evenly.

-CHEESECAKE BATTER: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. On low speed (or by hand like I did) beat in flour, sugar and vanilla. Add milk; beat until smooth.

-With a spoon, make an indent in top of brownie batter. Fill indent with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture. Continue to make and fill indents over the top in uneven patter. Don't worry about the neatness!

-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch and set. (I left mine in for an extra 7 minutes because it was still mushie.) Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using foil, lift brownie from pan directly to the rack. Cool 2 hours before cutting. (I only let mine cool for an hour and a half and it fell apart a little.) Store airtight up to one week.

Upside-Down Deepdish Pizza

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (I used hot ground sausage).
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can (11 oz) refridgerated pizza dough
any desired pizza toppings (the recipe suggested brocolli, but ew.)

-brown ground beef in skillet, drain. Season with salt and pepper (I used Italian Seasoning). Stire in sauce; bring to boil. Turn into baking dish.
-top with toppings; then cheese. Press dough over dish, sealing edges.
-bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Let set for 10 minutes.

Side Note:
I thought it was a little too saucey... sooo, I'd either line the baking dish with dough as well before I put in sauce and beef or I wouldn't use as much sauce... Probably the first of the two though. OH, and please excuse my dirty oven. I had just finished using it ;)

Shrimp Burritos

I didn't take any pictures of this dish because, well, it looks like a plain old burrito. I thought taking a picture of it half eaten would be kinda gross too...

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. seafood seasoning
1 lb. cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined. (to me, the end result was really saucy and next time I think I'll use 2 lbs of shrimp. Sage and I each only had one burrito and there was only enough left over for one more)
4 flour tortillas (10 inch). warmed.
1/2 cup shredded cheddar-monterey jack cheese
1 cup torn romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions:
-In a large skillet, combine the first six ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted and blended. Stir in shrimp; heat through. (only took about 10 minutes and the shrimp i used were still frozen.)
-Spoon 2/3 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Sprinkly each with 2 tbsp. cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Serve with lettuce.

Yummy Sausage Pasta

I (sorta) made it up, so call it whatever you'd like. I took the Peasant Pasta recipe and changed it a bit.

Ingredients:
1/2 package hot sausage (i didn't use the links, i just used the ground up kind).
1/2 package mild sausage
1 green bell pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms (i don't think it had enough mushrooms, so next time i'd add more)
Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil
Pasta of your choice

Directions:
-pour jar of spaghetti sauce in pan and heat at medium heat, add sliced bell pepper and mushrooms. Cover the sauce or else it will get messy! Add Italian seasoning to taste (I like lots!), and just a few dashes of garlic powder and dry basil.
-At the same time, cook pasta AND in a 10 inch pan cook sausage until brown, breaking it into smaller pieces.
-When sausage is finished cooking, drain juices and add it to the sauce. Mix together. You can add the pasta to the sauce or serve seperately.

Sorry Ladies!

Sorry I haven't been a recipe posting mad woman lately. We are suddenly on a MAJOR budget and I've been reduced to making hamburger helper on a daily basis. Darn it!! I'm gonna try somethin new tonight though, making it up myself. We will see how it turns out! Anyway, here is a super simple one for you.

BBQ Chicken:
Cut up a chicken breast (or how many ever you desire)
Put in slow cooker with 2 cups of BBQ sauce of your choice for either 4 hrs on high or 6-8 hrs on low.

We didn't have much in the pantry so I served it with rice and green beans.. Weird? ya Sage thought so too. But, I think it would be yummy on a hamburger bun, like a sloppy joe or something.

Happy Cookin!