Grandma's Lasagna

My Grandma has always made this lasagna, which usually feed 6-8 hungry people, for family and friends visiting. You can either make it the night before and put it in the fridge, or you can make it that night. I think, don't quote me, that she said, "If you are going to make it and put it in the fridge the night before, you don't have to boil your noodles. If you are eating it that night, cook the noodles". This lasagna is always a crowd pleaser in our household. I made it the first time tonight, without Grandma, for just TWO PEOPLE. So, my question is, Who's hungry?? There's leftovers... :)

What you will need:

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef

2-3 Italian sausage link, skinned and cut up (sweet or spicy)

28 OZ can chopped tomatoes

8-16 OZ tomato sauce

2 Evelopes (those little envelopes with spices and herbs in it. Lawreys is a brand) spaghetti sauce mix

1 onion, chopped

8 OZ package lasagna noodles

6 OZ mozzarella cheese (or more)

1 cup cream style cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

2 TBSP sugar

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Brown meats and drain fat. Add next ingredients (except the cheese), cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Watch, it wants to stick)

Cook noodles, drain and rinse with cold water

Place one half noodles in dish, cover with 1/3 of the sauce, and 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 ricotta.

REPEAT layers ending with sauce on top. Add the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes after cooking. Enjoy :)

Kathy's Egg Nog

My mother in law makes this egg nog that their whole family (including cousins) go crazy for. Well, its Christmas time and Jimmy is craving his mom's egg nog. Last night I got all the ingredients, and we mixed it in my pink Kitchen Aid, and he thinks it turned out great. I don't drink egg nog, but I did have a taste, and from what I tasted it was OK. Jimmy would rate this a 10/10. Im not going to rate this because I don't drink egg nog, at all.

What you will need:

6-8 fresh eggs

2 cups sugar

Pint of half/half or lean evaporated milk (Jimmy says half/half is much better)

dash of salt

Nutmeg to taste

Milk to make 1 gallon

Beat eggs until light yellow and fluffy. Add salt and sugar and beat on a high speed until sugar is dissolved. Add half/half or evaporated milk and beat until smooth. Add nutmeg and a little vanilla if desired. Beat again, place mixture in a clean gallon of milk jug or jar and add milk to fill container. Taste and adjust flavoring if necessary. Keep chilled

Flank Steak with Raspberry-Chipotle Sauce

This is Jimmy's dish that he makes, and I enjoy every bite! For the BBQ sauce, you can use any kind of sauce that you think will go great. We bought Sticky Fingers: Carolina Sauce this time around.

Ingredients:

large zip-top bag

1/3 cup molasses

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

2 lb flank stead

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup raspberry preserves

3 tablespoon chipotle mustard

1 tablespoon chipotle hot pepper sauce

aluminum foil

6 bakery hamburger buns

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Place in zip-top bag, molasses, worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and liquid smoke; shake to mix. Add flank steak; seal tightly and knead bag to evenly coat the steak. Transfer meat and marinade to 2-quart baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 F (for medium-rare). Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness.

2. Combine remaining ingredients (except buns) in medium bowl. (Sauce may be warmed, if desired. Place in microwave-safe bowl; microwave on HIGH 30-45 seconds or until warmed)

3. Transfer steak to cutting board and cover loosely with foil; let stand 5 minutes. Slice meat thinly (across the grain). Place meat on buns, top with sauce, and serve

What we thought:

So apparently I forgot I had put this recipe on blogger already, but I decided I would keep this on the website since I took the time to type out the recipe! Of course, this is a 10/10 because A) its delicious! B) I didn't make it-Jimmydid.

Just imagine, it's cold outside, theres Christmas music playing, the heater is turned on to roughly 75, your husband or significant other is asking your for ingredients like a doctor would ask a nurse for a scapel and any other tools during surgery, and your cat is getting into cupboards and playing with plastic bags. Thats pretty much how our cooking experience went, except oddly enough, it was pretty romantic. Now I just need to find another recipe my husband enjoys making. Any suggestions?

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

My Grandpa went to a cooking lesson and got a few recipes, and this recipe was one of them. I tried his leftovers and it was pretty good. So I decided to make my own and see how it went. Not too shabby!

1/2 oz ladle Olive Oil (We used EVOO)

10 ea Shrimp, 31/40 peeled and deveined (we used frozen w/ tails on)

2 oz diced onion (we probably used too much, lol)

1/2 tsp Garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1 oz White wine or sweet vermouth (we used chicken stock instead)

2 oz ladle Tomato Sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

4 oz ladle heavy cream

2 tablespoons parmeasan cheese

1 table spoon butter

1 tablespoon chiffonade basil

1 pinch salt && pepper

7 oz cooked pasta (we used wheat pasta)

Heat oil in saute pan, add shrimp and cook halfway. Remove from pan

Add onions and saute to translucent

Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute

Add wine and simmer for 15 seconds to burn off alcohol (if you use alcohol)

Add tomato sauce, sugar and cream, let reduce by 1/3

Add shrimp and half of cheese

Add butter and mix

Season with basil, salt and pepper

Add hot pasta to pan and toss well

What we thought:

We really enjoyed this. I contemplated using light cream to have less calories, but I decided to go by the recipe this time around and next time maybe make some adjustments. Jimmy rated this a 9/10 and I would rate this a 9/10. It would have been perfect 10/10 if I had gotten shrimp without the tails. Very yummy! We will make this again for sure!

Yumm-o! Porterhouse steak

Tonight was my day off, and Jimmy has night class so I didn't want to make a big meal just for myself. I decided to mix EVOO, garlic, rosemary, soy sauce, balsmic vinegar, and soy sauce together and broiled the steak. If i had let the steak and the sauce sit for a few hours, im sure it would have turned out amazing. Other then that, my steak was medium rare and juicy!!!!! We get all our beef (most of it anyways) from Jimmy's parents. They raise cattle and eat the beef. I would love some porterhouse steaks please :)

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

I've never, ever have eaten Tuna Noodle Casserole before. I've always thought it was one of those recipes your mama's mama made back in the day, so I decided to give it a whirl. Also, my three cans of tuna were screaming to get of my cupboard so that was a plus. I got the recipe off Allrecipes

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (regular or 25% Lower Sodium)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 (10 ounce) cans tuna, drained
• 4 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

1. Stir soup, milk, peas, tuna and noodles in 3-quart casserole.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir.
3. Mix bread crumbs with butter in bowl and sprinkle over tuna mixture. Bake for 5 minutes more.

What we thought: Jimmy rated this a 9. I rated this a 7. I love, LOVE seafood, but this seemed too...."fishy", for lack of better word. It was simple, perhaps too simple? I don't know, this wasn't my cup of tea, but Jimmy enjoyed it. This goes back to my theory that he tends to like the casserole-ly dishes, as I enjoy more "complicated" dishes? Anyway, cheap and easy to make! Maybe I will make it again in a couple of months? I would like to make a more modern version of the dish. Perhaps a seared tuna over homemade pasta and a mushroom sauce.

Oven Baked Pork Chops

I had bought some pork chops on sale a few weeks ago that I put in the freezer. Since my husband informed me that we went through our budget for the week, I had to improvise! No problemo! I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I found the recipe at All Recipes. Luckly I had all the ingredients in my cupboard screaming to get used!

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 6 pork chops, trimmed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.
3. Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.
4. Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

What we thought:

I am very pleased with this meal. It was not planned, and I had all the ingredients in my cupboard! Jimmy rated this a 9.5/10 and I would rate this the same. It was really good, and I will most definitely make this again. I had a can of carrots, so I sauteed them in light butter and brown sugar. DELISH! I saved some of the sauce, heated it up in the microwave, and put the sauce over the pork chop and white rice. Yummy!

Mexican Casserole

I got this recipe from The Sisters Cafe. I am feeling kind of busy and lazy, so tonight I will be doing something simple and budget friendly! This dinner cost around $12, and I am sure we will have leftovers! I already had some of the ingredients, so thats a plus!

1 lb. ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped

1 packet Taco Seasoning mix (1/4 cup)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8-10 corn tortillas (12 oz package)
3-4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Haas avocado, sliced
sour cream

fresh cilantro

Brown meat with diced onion over medium heat. Add chili powder, black beans, tomatoes, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir to combine and warm through. In 9x13 inch pan, place a small amount of meat mixture on bottom (so tortillas won't stick). Place a layer of corn tortillas down, then a layer of the meat mixture, and sprinkle on a little cheese. Repeat with another layer of corn tortillas, a layer of meat mixture... and top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve topped with sliced avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

What we thought: I didn't even have to ask Jimmy what he thought about the meal. He volunteered and said it was a 10/10. Yay! He said this is kind of the meals he enjoys. Im guessing it something like his mom would do, the casserole part that is? I would rate the flavor a 8.5/10. Considering I had leftovers for days, I would bump it up to a 9/10.

I love International Markets!!!

For my birthday, my friends and I made our way to a little unknown place called Nolensville, TN. For those who don't know, its a short drive from Nashville. When you drive down Nolensville you will feel like you are in Mexico. There are a tons of stores with Spanish writing on them as well as a ton of Taco Stands. Yes, Taco Stands. Ladies and Gents, this is why my friends go down there: the tacos!

For those who saw that food truck race TV show on the Food Network Channel, then you know what i'm talking about. There were vans who were parked everything, gas stations as an example, who sell the most delicious and decadent tacos I have ever tried! If you want a mental example, think of Taco Bell's Cantina tacos. Taco Bell's are not nearly as good, but they are basically what I am talking about.

After I indulged in a pork, cow tongue, chicken, and beef taco (I could not finish the beef taco-they are very filling!), we made our way to an International Market. They had everything! It was amazing! They had real sugar cane, cactus, coconuts, asian frozen foods, mexican foods, and some American. Thats not the best part of it though. Everything they had was DIRT CHEAP! Yes, everything was in perfect condition too...

I picked up jicama, ginger, and a Sprite for the grand price of $2.36! What really got me excited was that if I were to go to Kroger, I would pay $3.99/lb for ginger. I don't remember how much the ginger costs at the market, but I ended up paying .50 for my huge piece!!

Rosemary-Garlic London Broil

Today while grocery shopping early in the morning, which is totally the time to shop for the record, I found a London Broil on sale! I've seen people making this, but I've actually never made it myself until now. I searched online for recipes that seemed popular for London Broil and I saw a few recipes with soy sauce in it. The soy sauce recipe did not seem as Yummy as compared to this rosemary recipe. This rosemary recipe has EVERYTHING I absolutely love, so it would be a no brainer to try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 lb boneless top round "London Broil" steak, about 2-inches thick
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• salt as needed

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, and rosemary, and Place the beef on a plate and poke both sides all over with a fork. Transfer to a plastic freezer bag and pour in the marinade. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

Turn broil on high. Remove the London broil from the marinade and pat dry. Salt generously, and rub in the freshly ground black pepper, on both sides. Place on a broiler pan, or other oven-safe pan. Broil about 8 inches under the flame for approximately 6-7 minutes per side for medium rare - internal temp of 130 degrees F.

Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil; let rest for 10 minutes. To serve, cut against the grain into very thin slices. Serve hot, topped with any juices from the plate on which it rested.

What we thought: I thought this meal was AMAZING, not to toot my own horn. I love how the meat soaked up the marinade over night, i absolutely love rosemary and garlic, and nothing better then my steak bleeding! I honestly would rate this a 15/10. I am not sure if I've had London Broil before, but this was the first time making it. If I find it on sale again or if theres a special occasion, I will make this for sure! Jimmy rated this either a 9/10 or a 10/10. It was absolutely easy to make too! I am getting way too happy even thinking about it. O, the simple things in life....

Tijuana Torta

I have never heard of a Tijuana Torta before until I saw it on the Eating Well website. I decided to go with it because A) It sounded yummy/healthy B) I used to live close to Tijuana C) supposably it was cheap. I also added steak and cilantro to the recipe. It was AMAZING!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15-ounce can black beans, or pinto beans, rinsed (see Note)
• 3 tablespoons prepared salsa
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeño
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 16- to 20-inch-long baguette, preferably whole-grain
• 1 1/3 cups shredded green cabbage

PREPARATION

1. Mash beans, salsa, jalapeño and cumin in a small bowl. Mash avocado, onion and lime juice in another small bowl.
2. Cut baguette into 4 equal lengths. Split each piece in half horizontally. Pull out most of the soft bread from the center so you’re left with mostly crust. Divide the bean paste, avocado mixture and cabbage evenly among the sandwiches. Cut each in half and serve.

What We Thought: I thought the onion, avacado, lime juice, and cilantro was AMAZING together. The only thing I would have done was maybe use a real Jalapeno and toast the bun for sure! Jimmy rated this a "good 9" and I rate this 8.5/10

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

For my friend's birthday, I made a, hence the title, Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. I rarely make cakes, in fact I hate baking. You can easily screw something up when you are baking if you don't have the correct measurements. In savory cooking, its not typically that way. It was fun making the cake knowing it was for someone else on their birthday.

For the cake, I just bought a box brand and made the cake according to it's directions.

For the frosting, you will need:

1 pound cream cheese-softened

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Chopped pecans and fresh berries for garnish (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high andmix until very light and fluffy.

Farfalle Con Piselli

Buongiorno! Tonight I am going to be making Farfalle Con Piselli. This recipe is from the book I mentioned in the previous post, Skinny Italian. If you made the Tagliatelle, you should have almost everything you need to make this dish. You may need to get a few extra items from the grocery store.

1 pound farfalle pasta (the pasta that looks like butterflys)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup cooked fresh or thawed frozen peas

1/3 cup light cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the farfalle and cook according to the package directions until just tender. Time the pasta so its done at about the same time as the sauce.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

3. Drain the pasta well. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and toss well. Sprinkle w/ parsley and serve hot.

What we thought:

This was SO easy to make, which was a great thing. I am not sure what to think about this dish though. I was light, as in comparison to the heavy foods I've experienced in America. Maybe my tastebuds need to learn what real and "healthy" italian is? Anyways, Jimmy rated this a 7 and I rate this a 6. I had to add cheese on top to add more flavor.

Day ????: Tagliatelle and Steak Pizzaiola

So I have not updates in what seems like years! Needless to say, Thursday nights are the only night I can make dinner for Jimmy except for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. With him working early in the morning and going to school late at night, all in Nashville, we hardly ever spend time together, and whats the point in cooking for one p

erson?! So tonight, I am going all out! :) I am making recipes from Teresa Giudice's cookbook, Skinny Italian (for those who watch New Jersey Housewives on BRAVO! Tv). All her recipes sound delish! Apparently making spaghetti the "main dish" is an American thing. Italians usually have a meat as the "main dish" and spaghetti as a side dish. In fact, they eat like its Thanksgiving on every meal. You have an appitizer which could be meatballs in sauce, or as the Italians call: Gravy. You go and watch tv with a glass of wine, and the women continue cooking. You would come back to the table, have a salad, maybe watch tv some more, and t

his process seemed to repeat. That works for me! Though, I don't know if I could get used to calling sauce, gravy. "Give me a angel hair pasta with gra

vy please". Nope, when I hear gravy, I think of biscuits and gravy. I will stick to pasta SAUCE. :)

Steak Pizzaiola

Two 12-ounce shell (strip) steaks, each about 3/4 inch thick

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons EXTRA virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ripe plum tomatoes, corred, seeded, and diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand at room temperature while making the tomato sauce.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the hot pepper, if using. Stir in 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the parsley. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, and clean the skillet!

3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the skillet and cook about 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer to a carving board and let stand for 5 minutes.

4. Pour out the fat in the skillet. Return the tomato sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits in the skillet. Remove from the heat.

5. Hold the knife at a slight diagonal and cut the steak across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the steak slices on a platter. Pour the tomato sauce over the steak and serve hot.

Tagliatelle

1 pound tagliatelle or linguine pasta, preferably 8 ounces each plain and spinach

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (go ahead and make the investment, its healthy for you!)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced (I will be using Grandpa's HOMEGROWN garlic!)

2 tablespoons butter

5 ounces thick-sliced smoked ham, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup cooked fresh or thawed frozen peas ( i will go with frozen)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Time the pasta so it is done at about the same time as the sauce.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and melt. Add the ham and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes more. Reduce the heat to very low to keep warm.

3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and the salt and pepper. Toss the pasta, adding enough of the pasta water to make a light sauce. Serve hot.

What we thought:

After not cooking an elaborate meal in a week, making these two together, at the same time, seemed a bit busy. After all said and done, I thought it was delicious! Both were very light and yummy! I could really taste the oregano in the pizzaiola. Jimmy rated the tagliatelle a 9/10 and the pizzaiola a 9.5/10. I had decent amounts of both and so far, im not overly full at all. I was very surprised!

New Idea: Writing a cookbook?

Lately i've been thinking about writing a cookbook. Im thinking about a cookbook geared towards the wife/fiance/girlfriend who doesn't even know the first thing about boiling water and to prove to the female that cooking is really easy. I have been researching online about publishers, agents, etc and it looks like if I write the writer's version of a "business plan" AKA "proposal", and send it off, thats one way of trying to get an agent. So, why not try? If I don't try, then I will never know if I could have gotten the opportunity. Heck, if Justin Bieber can write a book about his wonderful 16 years on Earth, I can write a book over recipes to please your spouse! Though, I am not famous and loaded with millions like Justin Bieber..

From reading this blog post, lord knows I need someone to help me with my english and grammar. I will be using recipes that have been around for YEARS, and I will try to revamp them or add something special to make it different. Any thoughts? Ideas?

Im on Youtube!

So i've taken this blog thing a step further, and I am not only posting my recipes on here, but I am showing you how to cook the recipe as well on Youtube. I think I can upload the movies here so you can have everything you need on one website, but if you have any suggestions on how to perfect the youtube thing, please let me know!!

Click here to go to my YouTube account :)

Day 45: Pasta Salad

So today I am going to a Memorial Day party at my boss's house. I wanted to make a side dish since they will be cooking hamburgers, and I figured a pasta salad is kind of a no fail. Also what else is a no fail is Paula Deen's recipes! So you can only guess who's recipe I used :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• 1 cup store-bought balsamic vinaigrettedressing
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta cook it according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinaigrette, mayonnaise, and sugar.

Drain the pasta well, transfer to a large serving bowl, and let cool. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, green pepper, salt, to taste, and the black pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese, toss lightly, and serve.

Day 44: Job Chae (Take Deux)

When in Knoxville, I visited the Asian Supermarket, and if I could have I would have bought the whole store! I did end up buying rice noodles, sesame oil, bag of rice, and a sushi mat. I have been trying to recreate Job Chae that I previously have tried, except this time, I thought I had the correct noodles, that could possibly get the job done. Since I had just got done working, instead of using fresh vegetables, I just used frozen vegetables.

I basically followed the Job Chae recipe and instead of using spaghetti, I used rice noodles.

What we thought:

Jimmy would rate this a 7. Lets say he is much more generous that I am going to be. I would rate this a 1. I found it very bland, and for some reason, it lacked the flavor compared to the first time I made job chae. The noodles were different. I am usually very open minded about food, and usually i will try anything twice, even if I hate it, but these noodles lacked the texture and taste that I am used to. I probably did not make them correctly since this was the first time I even attempted to cook rice noodles. I will do more research on rice noodles, and maybe they will be great with different ingredients. I am still trying to perfect job chae. Any suggestions?

Day 43: White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 Cans (13 oz) drained chicken breast

1 Large Jar White Beans

1/2 Jar (15 0z) Salsa

2 Cans (12 oz) Chicken Broth

2 Cups Colby Jack Cheese

1 Tbsp Cumin

2 Cups Crushed Tortilla Chips

Directions:

1. Place chicken, beans, salsa, chicken broth, cumin, and cheese in a large kettle

2. Heat on medium until mixture is hot and cheese is melted

3. Add crushed tortilla chips as topping

What we thought:

Jimmy rated this a 9/10, and I rated this a 10/10. Jimmy says the chili tasted good, but it was missing something. I rated this a 10/10 because its super easy to make, easy on the wallet, and it tasted like the previous white chili i've had at restaurants. I will make this again for sure! On a side note, I added more cheese because I wanted it super cheesy :)

Day 42: Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
• House Seasoning, recipe follows
• All-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• Cooked egg noodles

Directions

Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

What we thought: My grandma was feeling sick one day, and she requested that I fix dinner. Well of course, I didn't care, but I had no idea what to make. I decided to make beef stroganoff, which was my dad's favorite, and attempt to make it. Grandpa helped me with this recipe, that I got on Food Network, and it turned out on an average: 9/10. My brother and his fiance rated it a 9/10 because of the mushrooms. I do not enjoy mushrooms, but for some reason, I am ok with mushrooms on this dish. Jimmy, Grandpa, and I rate this a 10/10.