Sour Cream Waffles

I've been doing so many breakfast recipes lately, but, as we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I love a nice, big breakfast. I found this waffle recipe in a cookbook a few years back, and I haven't done any other waffle recipe since. They turn out so light and delicious. I made them for my father-in-law once, and he said, "Man.. those are way better than the frozen Ego waffles!" Uhh... you think?! I don't even think those Ego waffles should be classified as waffles. They taste more like a chewy clump of preservatives.
Sour Cream Waffles:
source: It's All American Food by David Rosengarten

Ingredients:
1 c flour
3 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 large egg, separated
3/4 c milk
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled
3/4 t vanilla

This is another oops-I-forgot-to-take-pictures-of-the-process post. Sorry. These are pretty easy though.

Preheat the waffle iron. I have a Belgian waffle maker, and it works wonderfully for this recipe. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, add the egg yolks (saving the whites for the next step), milk, sour cream, butter, and vanilla. Beat the egg whites in a mixer until they are fluffy and soft peaks form. Combine the flour and egg yolk mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the egg whites. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour about 1 c of batter onto the griddle. Close it and let it cook. I peek after a minute or o to make sure it isn't getting burnt.

I topped mine with some leftover blueberry syrup from this pancake recipe I posted a couple weeks ago. I topped that with whipped cream and pecans. Delicious, I tell you!

Filet Mignon with Mushroom Cream Sauce

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I love food. I love all the different flavors, textures, spices, and every other aspect that food brings to the table. If someone told me that I had choose the same seven meals to eat over and over and over again, that would be a hard decision. However, without a doubt, this filet with mushroom sauce would be on that list. That's how much I love this. I've never been vegetarian or vegan, but I wasn't much of a steak eater when I was younger. Thank my lucky stars for my husband who introduced me to this glorious cut of beef. Good grief! Then, my brother made this mushroom cream sauce to go with it, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. My goodness... this is so good. The flavorful, tender beef with the buttery cream sauce is superb. I can't say enough about it. So, I won't... I'll get right to the recipe.
Filet Mignon with Mushroom Cream Sauce:
source for steak recipe: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur
source for the mushroom sauce: my awesome (but very vague) brother

Steak:
8 oz filets
butter
butter
butter
more butter
salt and pepper
parsley

sauce:
trimmed fat from the steak (yes, I'm serious)
2 T finely chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
2 T olive oil
1/4 stick butter
2 c sliced mushrooms
1 T fresh thyme or 1 t dried thyme
1 1/4 c heavy cream
salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler on high for at least 30 minutes before putting in the steaks. Add a ceramic oven-safe dish on the bottom rack while you are pre-heating the oven.

Prepare the steaks by dabbing any liquid off of the surface of the steaks.
Slather butter all over the top and bottom of the steak. Remember: I have never claimed this as being a low-fat blog. :)
Sprinkle them with salt and pepper on both sides.
Now, as for the trimmed fat, put it in a pan. First off, you should know that I am a fat Nazi. I can't stand the stuff. I will find any shred of fat and cut it out. My dad never stops teasing me for this. I've done it my whole life. My parents would find little scraps of fat under my placement more times than I can count. Finally, this fat has a purpose.

And the reason I say, "my vague brother" is because when I called him for the sauce recipe, he didn't give me exact amounts for half of the ingredients in the sauce. Our family has a habit of just whipping stuff up without writing it down. Make it 'til it looks right. I think I almost nailed it though.

Saute the fat pieces in a skillet over medium-high heat until some of the meat juice has oozed out, and there are browned bits in the pan.
Remove the fat and feed it to the dog or toss it. Add the chopped onion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion for a minute. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the olive oil and butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms down.
While they are cooking, put the steaks on a broiler pan and follow the following cooking chart:
Rare: 4-6 minutes per side
Medium Rare: 5-7 minutes per side
Medium: 6-8 minutes per side
Medium Well: 7-9 minutes per side
Well: I'm not even going to tell you because people that cook a filet mignon to well-done should be punished.

Cook the steaks about 5-6 inches from the heat source. After the first chunk of time, flip them over. This is my half-way point. I'm sure you can see that one of them is significantly bigger than the other. if your steaks aren't all the same size, plan to cook them a little longer if they are bigger than 8 oz. Once they are flipped, put them back in the oven for the remaining amount of time.
Meanwhile, back at the sauce, the mushrooms should be cooked down. Add the thyme and cream to the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until it is thickened. If your steaks get done and the sauce is not a good consistency, mix 2 T of water and 2 T of corn starch. Add a little bit of that; cook it for a minute to see if it gets to a good sauce thickness. If not, add a little more. Continue until you're happy. It will thicken a little more upon standing, so keep that in mind so it doesn't have the consistency of jello. That would be no good.
Here's the finished sauce. Oh, man. I want some of this right now. Keep it on low until the steaks are done.
When your steaks are done, pull out the ceramic dish and plop some pats of butter in the dish. They should sizzle a bit since this is the pan than has been in the oven for 40 minutes or so.
Add the cooked steaks. If vegetarians are looking at this, it'll probably make them gag to see that meat juice coming out and mixing with the butter. As for me... I love it. Sprinkle the top with parsley and serve.
I'm telling you, this is just as good as any steak dish you'll get in a steak house. Some people won't buy filet mignon because they're so expensive. Well, I got a pack of 4 of them for 24.00. 6.00 dollars a steak is a bit on the high side, but I cooked this meal (steak, baked potatoes, corn, salad) for a total of 14.00 for the family. That's about 6.00 cheaper than going to McDonald's for the whole family. Call me crazy, but I'd say a filet mignon is a tad bit better than mystery meat on a stale bun. If you haven't experienced the splendor of filet mignon, go out on a limb and cook it. I'm telling you, it's the best steak- ever.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I know I seem to be on a blueberry overload lately. However, in my defense, I buy a big pack of blueberries at Costco, and there's no way in Heaven or anywhere else that I am going to let that 6.99 go to waste. When we go to Costco, my daughter looks up at me with those big, blue eyes and sweetly asks, "Mommy, can we please get some blueberries?" How can I say "no" to that?! Not possible. So, you have some blueberry recipes: blueberry muffins and blueberry pancakes with blueberry syrup. It's all so good though! I'm salivating just thinking of the waffles I made the other day with the leftover blueberry syrup. I'll be posting that waffle recipe later. Back to the muffins- They are tasty little morsels. Each bite is a joy. They are more cakey than the muffin mixes, but I dig it. My kids gobbled them up like they were a bowl of ice cream with hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles. It's one of my favorite go-to recipes for blueberry muffins, so I wanted to share them with you. It is, of course, a recipe from a Taste of Home book. What says taste of home more than homemade blueberry muffins with streusel topping?
Blueberry Streusel:
source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Blueberry-Streusel-Muffins

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 t Vanilla
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
1-1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

STREUSEL:
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 c cold butter

Before I start typing, I think you should know that I didn't take any additional pictures. I wasn't planning on blogging these, but then I thought, "uhh... These are really good. I'd better snap a picture right quick." There you have it.. one picture. No mas.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add in alternately with the milk. Add the vanilla. Mix it up! Fold in the blueberries with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Fill up the 12 spots in a muffin pan with the batter. They should be about 2/3 c full.

In a small bowl, combine the first three streusel ingredients. Add the butter and cut it in with a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle it over the uncooked muffins.

Cook the muffins for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Done! These are great alongside a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Mmm..

Sweet Buffalo Chicken fingers

I've got another awesome "dude food" for you. Clearly, I am not a dude, but I dig dude food. :) I was raised with two brothers- what do you expect? My friend's father-in-law made this wing sauce when we went to a birthday party. It was so good! I had to ask him how to make it. After he told me, I couldn't believe how easy it is. I think this is better than any Buffalo Wild Wings sauce that I've had. The father-in-law did make it with wings, but I have a hard time eating chicken wings. The fact that there is more bone, fat, and other unidentifiable things in a wing kinda gives me the heebie jeebies, so I made chicken fingers to use with the sauce. Score!
Sweet Buffalo Chicken fingers:
serves 3

2 Chicken breasts, cut into individual portions (you can use chicken wings as well, but I haven't the foggiest how to cook them since they scare me)
2 eggs
1 c flour
season salt
paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T Frank's Red Hot

I didn't take pictures of the chicken finger procedure since it is on my post on fried chicken. When I did these, I used oil instead of lard, though. They still turned out great. If you'd like a quick rundown without having to go to another post, here are the directions:

Heat a saucepan with oil about 2 inches thick over medium heat.

Put the egg into a pie plate. Add some of the seasoning. I'd say 1/2 t of each would be good. Add the flour to a Ziplock bag and add the same amount of seasoning. Dip the chicken in the egg. Add each chicken piece to the flour bag and shake to coat. "It's shake'n'Bake, and I helped!" Same idea here. Once the chicken is coated, put it in the hot oil. Cook until it's golden brown. I did mine for about five minutes. 2-3 minutes per side.

Take them out and place them on a paper-towel lines plate.

Prepare the sauce. Brace yourself... this is so stinkin' easy.

Put the 1/2 c brown sugar in a bowl.
Add the 2 T of Frank's Red Hot. I'm sure other hot sauces would work just as well. However, being that I could have lived off of a diet of nothing but hot chicken fingers when I was a teenager, I tend to opt for Frank's Red Hot. It's got great flavor.
Stir it up. Put it in the blender and mi it until it gets smooth and not grainy. I added a little bit of water to mine since it was a bit on the thick side. Pour it back into the bowl. Add the chicken fingers (or wings) and toss to coat.
Voila! They are more sweet than they are spicy, but they are divine! When I made them, my husband ate seven of them! Good grief! It's a good thing he's got some prescription strength Prilosec. He'd be doomed for sure.
Now that football season is here. Try this sauce. I'm telling you... you'll be begging for more!

Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

It's a blueberry overload! I bought a big pack of blueberries at Costco the other day, and they were starting to go bad. I have made this recipe before and remembered that it was really good. I busted out the blueberries and started to make it. My husband, who generally doesn't like mushy cooked fruit, thought this was a delicious variation on pancakes. Then again, he'd eat probably anything with homemade whipped cream on it. I really enjoyed this recipe, and I think that I'm going to make some waffles tomorrow and use the leftover blueberry sauce.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce:
Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Blueberry-Sour-Cream-Pancakes
makes 15 pancakes

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 
  PANCAKES:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

To start out, I halved this recipe, and there was plenty for my family. Start by mixing the cornstarch, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Stir until it is smooth.
Add the blueberries.
Bring the water to a boil. Cook and stir until it is thickened. While I was stirring it, I was smashing up the blueberries to make it a bit smoother. I think I cooked it for about five minutes.
Combine all of the pancake batter ingredients into a bowl and stir just until moistened.
Drop onto a griddle over medium heat. Just a word of warning, these pancakes are really thick. I did a couple of things- First, after I dropped the batter onto the griddle, I spread it out with my spatula. Second, I made sure to keep the heat on medium or lower so the pancakes don't get burnt on the outside but uncooked on the inside. Sprinkle the blueberries on while the first side is cooking. Once the underside is golden brown, flip it over and cook the other side until golden brown. It takes some time since they are so thick. Don't be hasty!
Once they are done, put them on a place and top with the blueberry sauce. I also topped it with homemade whipped cream. Combine 1 c heavy whipping cream, 1/4 c powdered sugar, and 1 t vanilla. Mix it in a mixing bowl on high until it looks like cool whip but trust me, it will taste a lot better.

Roasted Tomato, Onion, and Garlic Spaghetti

I'm usually on a Mexican food kick, but lately, I've been making all sorts of pasta. Every time I ask my husband if he has any requests for dinner, he says "Spaghetti and Meatballs." He loves the stuff! I do, too. I have a few fantastic recipes for spaghetti and meatballs, but I still keep looking for another recipe. I stumbled across this recipe on a food blog that I follow: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com. This lady has some amazing recipes. I know I have "perfect spaghetti and meatballs" on here, but if you try this one, you won't be disappointed. It's wonderful!

Roasted Tomato, Onion, and Garlic Spaghetti:
source: http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

5-6 tomatoes
1/2 sweet yellow onion, quartered
5-6 cloves of garlic
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper (or more)
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar (optional)
Dried basil, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
4-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese
Spaghetti noodles

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 onion, diced finely
1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.

Prepare the tomatoes but making a very slight X in the bottom of them. No, you aren't going to find any buried treasure in there, but you will be able to peel them, which in and of itself, is kinda like a treasure.

Boil water in a medium saucepan. Add the tomatoes and boil for only 10-15 seconds.

Take them out with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of ice water.
Once the tomatoes have cooled, take them out and peel the skin off. It's so cool how the skin comes right off! I'd never done it before, so I was like a little kid watching a fireworks display or something.
Once the skin is peeled off, slice the tomatoes in half. Place the garlic cloves in the sides of the tomatoes to prevent them from getting burnt in the oven. If your smoke detector is anything like mine, the whole darn neighborhood knows when I'm roasting anything. Place the tomatoes and onions on the foil-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with the herbs and salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes.
See that burnt juicy stuff in the lower right hand corner of the picture? Yeah... that set off my smoke detector. I'm sure my neighbors think either I'm a really terrible cook or a pyro. Place all the roasted goodness in a blender.
Blend it up!
Put the roasted tomato mixture in a dutch oven. Put the can of whole tomatoes in the blender and mix it until it's only slightly chunky. Add it to the roasted tomatoes. Add some dried herb if you'd like to season it. I added some parsley, basil, oregano, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Oh- you can't forget the red pepper flakes. It will revolutionize your spaghetti sauce. Cover it and simmer for 3-4 hours- stirring occasionally.
Combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix it together. Form it into meatball-sized meatballs. :) I always bake my meatballs. I find that they are always more evenly cooked that way. I bake them in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
When they are done, add them to the sauce. Don't forget to add the fresh basil and parsley right before serving. Serve over spaghetti noodles, tortellini, or whatever other kind of pasta you fancy. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and shaved Parmesan cheese.
I'm telling you! There is no reason to go out and get spaghetti and meatballs at an overpriced Italian restaurant when there are recipes like this floating around the internet. Way better than any Italian restaurant!

Bleu cheese Wedge salad

In the little town of Idaho Falls, there is a restaurant called "Johnny Carinos." I ate there some years ago and had their wedge salad. I've been craving it ever since. They had one here in Las Vegas, but thanks to the awesome economy that we have right now, it closed. Sniff. Sniff. I like to make my own salad dressings, so when I made a creamy one the other day, I added some bleu cheese and made the salad into a wedge based off of Johnny Carino's salad. I thought it was superb.
Bleu Cheese Wedge salad:

candied pecans
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 c pecans

Dressing:
source: Taste of Home "The Cookbook"
2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c water
1/4 c milk
1/4 c buttermilk
2 T Parmesan cheese
1 T coarsely ground pepper
2 t finely chopped green onion
1 t lemon juice
3/4 t garlic powder
bleu cheese crumbles

Iceberg lettuce
1 green apple, chopped into bite size pieces
bacon, cooked and crumbled
bleu cheese crumbles
pepper grinder

First off, you're going to make candied pecans. These are good just to have around for snacking. Shoot- they should be a staple in everyone's home. Too bad pecans cost you your first born child.

Combine 1/4 c brown sugar, 1 T olive oil, and 1 T balsamic vinegar in a large skillet. Stir it over medium heat for three minutes.
Mix in two cups of pecans. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Place the pecans on wax paper to cool.
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to combine. This dressing is best if it can sit in the fridge for an hour or more before using it. As for the amount of bleu cheese, add as much as you'd like. I think I added 1/4 cup. You can leave it out, if you'd like.

To assemble the salad, cut a wedge out of iceberg lettuce. Pour some dressing on top so it drizzles down the sides.
Add the bacon crumbles and chopped apple.
Sprinkle on a few bleu cheese crumbles, some pecans, and sprinkle it all with freshly ground pepper.

I'm salivating. Right now... while I'm writing about this salad. It turned out just as I had hoped. I can't wait to eat it again. And, for the best part, I don't have to go to Idaho Falls to get it. :)

Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce

I make a lot of pasta around here. I love meat just as much as the next dude, but sometimes I just want a good, meatless dish. I'm always on the prowl for a good pasta recipe. I've scoured through my cookbooks and didn't find one that struck my happy bone, so I turned to the internet. I stumbled across a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis. It looked fantastic! Shoot... It tasted delicious! My husband really likes this Italian restaurant here called "Brio," and he said that this pasta is right up there with theirs. I really liked it, too. It's not mainly tomato, and it's not mainly cream. It's not alfredo. It's a new breed of pasta sauce, and it's glorious. I'm blogging this one for a couple reasons: 1. I won't remember where I found this next time I want to make it. 2. I think the world needs to stumble across this recipe more than once online. 3. Good pasta = happiness and sometimes, happiness is hard to find.
This recipe is very straight-forward, so I failed to take any other pictures. Actually, I have one of the tomato stuff in the pan. I think you can use your imagination for that one. This recipe is really easy. You've got to try it!

Tortellini with Tomato Cream sauce:
source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-shrimp-and-herbed-cream-sauce-recipe/index.html

1 pound tortellini
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Pour the olive oil into a saucepan and saute the garlic, salt, and pepper over medium heat.

While that is going, heat water in a saucepan for the tortellini. Once the water is boiling, prepare the tortellini according to package directions. Drain.

Add the tomatoes to the saucepan with garlic, salt and pepper. I chopped the tomatoes up in a food processor to make them a little less chunky. Add half of the parsley and half of the basil. Toss in the red pepper flakes. Cook for two minutes. Keep stirring it for the two minutes.

Add the wine and heavy cream. Bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 8 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Add 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese, the tortellini, and remaining herbs. Toss to combine.

Put on a plate and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. I used the shaved cheese for the top of mine. It looked awesome.

In Giada's original recipe, she used shrimp, penne, and clam juice as well. If that sounds like a plan to you, you can click on the link to get her original recipe. She is, after all, a Food Network star. I think the lady knows what she's talking about. :)

Pecan Chicken with Bleu Cheese sauce

There used to be a point in my life (quite recently, actually) when I could remember if I found a recipe in a cookbook, magazine, online, on a blog, or whatever else there may be. When I started to post the pictures for this recipe, I couldn't, for the life of me, remember where I found the recipe. Thank heaven for the internet! After a quick google search, I found it on the Taste of Home website. I had actually done it out of a Simple and Delicious magazine, but either way, you'll get the same recipe. This is a wonderful recipe. It's a good one to serve for company or just for a nice dinner with loved ones. If you don't like bleu cheese, which I could totally understand since I hated the stuff a couple years ago, you can leave it out and still yield a wonderful sauce for the chicken.
Pecan Chicken with Bleu Cheese Sauce:
source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pecan-Chicken-with-Blue-Cheese-Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

SAUCE:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt'n'peppa on both sides. In one shallow dish, put the flour and rosemary. In another, put the egg and brown sugar. Place the chopped pecans on a plate. Coat each chicken breast in the flour.
Dip it into the egg mixture next.
Lastly, coat in in the pecans. Mine were not chopped finely enough. I think deep down, a part of me is terrified of chopping something and getting my finger instead of the food. Hence, I'm a premature completely-and-finely-chopped type of person. Maybe one day this fear will subside. :) Either way, it will come out wonderful. I think the only difference would be that the pecans would stick better to the chicken if they are more finely chopped. Put the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the juices run clear.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, prepare the sauce. Pour the cream into a saucepan. Cook it over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Cook it for about 8-10 minutes. It will thicken up a bit thanks to the water cycle.
Once it has thickened slightly, stir in the remaining ingredients. I was out of green onions, so I used fresh basil. That was delicious. I think green onions or fresh basil would work just fine.
Here is the finished sauce. If it is still to thin for your taste, combine 2 T of corn starch and 2 T cold water. Stir that together. Pour in a little at a time, stirring after each addition, until it reaches a thickness you like.
Take the chicken out. It doesn't look much different than when it went in. I promise it's cooked though. :)
Drizzle some sauce on top.
Done! There you have it, little miss fancy pants. I served this with steamed vegetables, the Bleu Cheese wedge salad, and fresh bread. Delicioso!