Best Beef and Broccoli

In the past this dish has frustrated me, the beef always turned out way too tough and the broccoli too soggy! Why would I buy expensive beef, when all I get in return is a bad case of TMJ! Well, I've finally figured out how to make it tender and juicy, keeping the broccoli cooked just right. This dish is now one of our top 5 favorites! If you're craving Chinese, make this! I promise you'll be trying to come up with an excuse to make it again!

Steak Marinade

2 lbs flank steak (a MUST)
3 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb water
3 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic minced

Slice the steak into long thin strips with the grain. Cut strips into 2 in. pieces against the grain.

In a medium size bowl (or a gallon size ziploc) combine additional ingredients, stirring to combine. Add beef, mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour or more.

Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple juice or water
3 Tb hoisin sauce
3 tsp cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger root, minced(grated on a microplane)
3 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Whisk ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside

Veggies
4-5 cups broccoli florets
6 green onions, cut into 2 in pieces(top & bottom)
2 tsp oil
1/4 cup water

In a skillet, heat oil, add broccoli, stirring to coat broccoli. Add 1/4 cup water continue to stir and steam for about 3 minutes. Add onions, cook for another 2 minutes. You want the broccoli to be crisp/tender. Remove from heat and place in a bowl to stop cooking.

The Finale!

In a large skillet add 1/4 cup oil turn on heat to med. high. You want the oil to be really hot. Keep a lid nearby because it will spatter. Remove steak from marinade and discard marinade. Add steak to hot skillet cover with lid for a few seconds to avoid the oil splatter; then remove lid and stir meat the cook evenly. When meat starts to brown (about 3-6 minutes) add the sauce and veggies tossing to coat evenly. Be careful not to overcook the meat! Heat until sauce starts to thicken.

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Snickering at the Blondie Doodle Bar

Crazy name, but amazingly good! To make this dessert even more tempting, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and carmel sauce...don't mind if I do!

Snickerdoodle Blondies
Adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com
2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups packed brown sugar (I used 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup butter-room temp.
2 eggs
1 Tb vanilla
1 1/2 cup cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips

Topping:
2 Tb sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix together in a small bowl-set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl beat the sugars and butter; add eggs and vanilla, mixing until creamy. Add dry ingreds. and stir to combine. Add cinnamon chips.

Spread into prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar topping.

Bake for 25 minutes or until you gently press and it springs back. Try not to over bake or they will turn out too hard. I loved these even more the next day.

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Fluffy Pancakes with Homemade Syrup

I was raised on whole wheat pancakes and homemade syrup. My alarm clock was hearing my moms slippers swish across the floor in the kitchen. She would be humming about with her makeup on (she does have a vanity problem)in the wee hours of the morning, doing her motherly duty to help start her kids day off on the right foot or, in other words, a full tummy! Although I can't say I'm as consistent as she was, it's interesting to note, I always get a few extra "I love you mom" in the mornings when I make this before school. I guess they know how much it kills me to try to pull it together that early!

Fluffy Pancakes

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups-1 or 2% milk
1/4 cup water (up to 1/2 cup if needed to thin out batter)
2 Tb melted butter
2 Tb oil (I used extra-light olive oil)
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

2. In another bowl whisk together egg, milk, brown sugar, butter, oil, water and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients stirring until well combined.

Homemade Syrup

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3/4 tsp maple flavoring (Mapleline)
1/4 tsp salt-scant
1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan add sugars, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, and boil for about 4 to 5 minutes until liquid starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in maple flavoring and vanilla. The syrup will thicken as it cools. Store in refrigerator.

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Texas Caviar

This is my kind of dip. I have a very wimpy palate, meaning it can't take the heat. So when I tasted this genius concoction years ago, I knew I found a friend for life!

1 10 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped small
5 - 8 roma tomatoes diced small or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped small (I always add more)
1 cup Italian dressing (I love Wishbone)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Juice from 1 lime (2 small)

Mix all together in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
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*Recipe from Suzy-with a few of my own sprinklings :)

Lemon Berry S'cream' Trifle!

I found this screamin' yummy dessert from melskitchencafe.com. That girl has the kind of taste buds you can trust! This is a perfect Mother's Day dessert, and can be really easy if you just buy all the makings, or a little more time consuming if you make it all from scratch. I decided to do a little of both. I bought the pound cake and made the lemon curd, which, I think was worth it. If you want a mother, a sister, a friend, or yourself to feel special, make this. I'm already feelin' the love! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Lemon Berry Cream Trifle
Berry Sauce (make this the night before, and you'll kiss yourself!)

1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cup raspberries
1 1/2 cup strawberries--cut into pieces
(if you're using frozen berries, they need to be thawed and drained)
1 lemon--juiced
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

In a sauce pan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Turn heat to med-high and add berries and lemon juice. cook and stir until sauce thickens and berries begin to break down. Let cool and store in fridge until ready to use.

Lemon Cream:

3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 recipe lemon curd (recipe below) or an 11 oz. jar lemon curd

In mixer, whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, add the lemon curd and whisk in 1/4 cup whipped cream to loosen it up a bit. Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pound Cake:
2 boxes of Entemann's Butter Loaf Cake (I only used 1 1/2 loafs)
Or you can make you favorite pound cake recipe. Cut into 1/2 in. pieces.

To assemble:
Spoon a layer of cream into trifle bowl (about 1 1/2 cups). Add a layer of pound cake, breaking the pieces to fit if necessary. Drizzle a little less then 1/3 of the berry sauce over cake. It doesn't need to cover the full surface of the cake. Spread another layer of cream over the top smoothing to the sides. Repeat process 2 or 3 more times, ending with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refridgerate until ready to serve. It's best if assembled a few hours before serving.

Lemon Curd (make the night before, and you'll kiss yourself again!)
Adapted from Martha Stewart

4 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice--strained
8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1 Tb grated lemon zest

In a fine mesh strainer, strain egg yolks into a heavy medium saucepan. Use a rubber spatula to help the yolks go through easily. Add whole egg and so the same. Add sugar to pan and lemon juice, whisking to combine.

Cook over med to low heat. stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This takes a little time/patience, about 14 minutes. Mixture is ready when it thickens and coats the spoon. Transfer into a small bowl and stir in butter, one piece at a time. Stir in lemon zest. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin forming and refrigerate in a air tight bowl for up to 3 days.

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Homemade Ranch Dressing

I've been a ranch dressing fan since my college days! BYU has the best Ranch dressing I've ever tasted! I'm pretty sure I can blame my freshman 20 on it! I wonder if it's still the same 20 years later? I have strong feelings against bottled ranch, I've never tasted one and asked for it's number. The only ranch I've ever given my full support, is Hidden Valley packets. Then comes along Michelle with her mom's homemade version that she swears by (she only swears about food). She was right, so yummy and so easy! Over the years I've made a few changes to it. But trust me, nothing is better with your veggies than homemade ranch!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise*
1/2 tsp garlic salt--I use 1 scant tsp
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp Accent
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper--I use 1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup sour cream--optional
1 tsp flaked parsley--optional

In a bowl whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Store in fridge until your ready to make your veggies sing. :)
*When I'm trying to be really healthy, I use Vegenaise. It can be found in the health food section in the refrigerator. It's a heart healthy alternative to mayo.

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