Pineapple-Ginger Flank Steak

Our family loves flank steak and this is always our go-to recipe.  There is never any left-overs.  The sweetness from the brown sugar and the tangy from the pineapple, makes this recipe an excellent choice.

Pineapple-Ginger Flank Steak
Adapted from: Our Best Bites cookbook, 2011

Ingredients:
1 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup canola oil
6 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
Up to 2 lb flank steak

Directions:
1.  Whisk together first six ingredients until combined.
2.  Using a knife, score flank steak about 1/8 inch deep cuts on both sides to tenderize the meat.
3.  Place steak in a large zip-lock bag and pour marinade in.  Refridgerate for 8 hours.
4.  Remove steak from refridgerator 30 minutes before cooking.
5.  Prepare grill for direct grilling over high heat.
6.  Place flank steak on grill, directly over heating elements until nicely charred and cooked to your liking.  About 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare
7.  Let the steak rest for about 5 minutes.  Thinly slice across the grain at an angle.  Serve.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

This recipe combines 3 of the major food groups: coffee, chocolate, and peanut butter.  The cupcakes are very light and moist.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix
1 4oz box instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup fresh brewed coffee, cooled*
3/4 oil*
4 eggs*

* These measurement quantities are specific to a Duncan Hines mix.  If you choose to use another brand, just double the oil on the package directions and add an extra egg.  If you don't have coffee on hand, you can use water or milk.

Cupcake Directions:
1.  Pre-heat oven according to package directions
2.  In bowl of electric mixer, combine all ingredients on medium-low speed until well mixed
3.  Place cupcake liners in muffin tin and fill each one with batter 2/3's of the way up.
4.  Bake according to package directions

Peanut Butter Icing
Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
5 Tbsp butter, softened
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1.  Place powdered sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in bowl of electric mixer.  Mix on medium low speed until creamy.  If necessary, use a rubber spatula to scrap down bowl as you work.
2.  Add the cream and beat on high speed until mixture is light and smooth

Peanut Butter Cookies: Two Ways

 

 

There is nothing that goes better with a peanut butter cookie than a peanut butter cup.  These little cookies can be dangerous because you can eat them in one or two bites.  The idea has made it's way around recipe blogs and websites, but, my mother has been making these forever and that is how I first heard about them.  So for credit purposes, I think she deserves it.

 

This peanut butter cookie dough recipe can be made as regular cookies, or in a miniature muffin pan with a Reese cup pushed into them.  I've never met a cookie I didn't like, so you won't be disappointed either direction you go with this.

 

 

Peanut Butter Cookies: Two Ways

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

1 pkg miniature Reese's cups

 

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

 

2.  In electric mixing bowl, cream butter, white and brown sugars until well incorporated.  Add Peanut butter, vanilla, egg, and mix again on low speed for about a minute or until well mixed.  Last, Add baking soda and flour, mix on low speed until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.

 

If making regular cookies, follow these steps:

3.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls using the palm of your hands and place on cookie sheet about two inches apart.  Using a fork, press slightly into dough with the back flat side of the fork making two slight indentations in criss cross pattern.  Bake for 9-10 minutes. 

 

If making miniature Reese cup cookies, Follow these steps:

3.  Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls using the palm of your hands and place into greased mini muffin tin.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.  As soon as you remove them from the oven, push an unwrapped mini Reese cup into the middle of the cooked dough. 

 

 



Bourbon-Apricot BBQ Sauce

If you have been reading my blog since I recently started it, you may be wondering if I make anything other than alcoholic drinks, sweets, and junk food.  Well, I do.  Here is a recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.  This sauce is excellent and can be used on poultry, pork, or beef.


Bourbon-Apricot BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup bourbon
1 10oz jar apricot fruit spread or preserves
1 18oz bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ sauce (or any other brand)
2 tbsp worcestershire
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup water


Directions:
1.  In heavy sauce pan, heat oil and butter on medium high heat.  When butter is melted, add onion and garlic to pan.  Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add bourbon, apricot preserves, BBQ sauce, worcestershire, dijon mustard, and water to pan, stir until evenly incorporated.  Bring sauce to a boil then let simmer for 5 minutes.

White Sangria

You can never go wrong with a white sangria!  Thank you to my best friend, Tisha Shepherd, for a great recipe!

White Sangria

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Passion Fruit Rum
1 bottle white wine (Blanc or Grigio)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups Sprite or Ginger Ale
Fruit suggestions: strawberries, apples, oranges, kiwis, limes, peaches, and nectarines
What to avoid: mangoes and coconut rum

Directions:
Dissolve sugar in rum and wine.  Add fruit and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Before serving, add soda.

Chicken Potato Salad

This recipe cam from my mother-in-law and is a great one for potlucks and summer BBQ meals.  Heck, my family likes it so much that we will even have it as a main course.  Why not, it has chicken, potatoes, and eggs in it.  Makes sense, right?  Warning, if you make this for a crowd, be prepared to hand out the recipe.

Chicken Potato Salad

Ingredients:
4 potatoes
1 whole rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
4 dill pickles, chopped
1 2.25oz can sliced olives
1/3 cup green olives, pitted
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Wash, peel, and cut potato into chunks.  Place in a pot and fill with cold water until potatoes are covered by an inch.  Bring to a boil and let them boil until they are fork tender.  This means that you can easily stick a fork in one of the chunks but it doesn't fall apart.  Strain and let cool.

2.  In small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and stir well.  Place the rest of your ingredients in a serving bowl, add mayonnaise mixture.  Stir until salad is evenly coated. 

3.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Serve.

Poutine: College Student Style

While in Canada this summer, my friends introduced me to this yummy Canadian treat called Poutine.  Pronounced "poo-teen."  It is basically french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds and is highly addictive.  I knew as soon as I tried it that I would one day be sharing it with you.  I am not joking, I was on the plane going home thinking to myself all the ways I could create this simple dish myself. 

I really wanted my first post (yes, I am sure there will be future posts) about Poutine to be completely homemade.  You know, like make my own french fries in the oven and use pan drippings to make my own gravy.  But because I have never made gravy or fries from scratch, I opted for a first timers short cut.  I went to the store and came home with this...

I baked the fries according to package directions, heated up gravy in microwave, poured on top fries, sprinkled with cheese, then topped with a little salt and pepper.  This recipe is just a quick fix to my Poutine addiction.  Stay tuned for Poutine: Country Club Style.

Poutine: College Student Style

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen french fries

1 jar turkey gravy

1 pkg. mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Bake french fries according to package instructions and heat gravy on stove top or microwave.  When fries are cooked, pour gravy on top and sprinkle with cheese.



Pineapple Infused Vodka

Hello, my new friend! If you are looking for the perfect drink for those summer celebrations, stop right now and look no further.  My Baking Addiction posted this drink recipe recently and I knew I was going to try it.  The original drink name is Stoli Doli.  Get it?  Stoli vodka and Dole pineapple.  I was not quite so lucky to title my drink with such a catchy name since my pineapple was Del Monte and I had Grey Goose vodka on hand.  Bummer, eh?  Well the results I am sure are just the same.  How can one go wrong with the Goose?  Please drink these with caution, although they will not taste like pure vodka, they are.  Enjoy!

Pineapple Infused Vodka A.K.A Stoli Doli

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple
1 750ml bottle of vodka (do not discard bottle)
sugar for rimming the glasses

Directions:
Cut the pineapple into large chunks and place in a beverage container.  Fill container until pineapple is completely covered with vodka.  Let sit in refrigerator for 12 to 14 days.  When ready, strain pineapple from vodka and return the vodka to its original bottle.  Serve chilled in sugar rimmed glasses.  Store remaining vodka in refrigerator for two to three weeks.

Green Smoothie

A friend of mine recently shared with me the benefits of drinking green smoothies.  I have to admit, when I first learned that I would be drinking a smoothie with A LOT of spinach in it, I was a bit hesitant.  I am not a big breakfast eater even though I know it is the most important meal of the day, blah, blah, blah.  I get it.  Eating my daily recommended fruit and vegetable servings is a close second when it comes to poor eating habits.  The green smoothie satisfies both of these dilemmas with quick prep time and easy clean up.  
 

My first green smoothie consisted of a banana, frozen mixed berries, spinach, and water.  To my surprise, I couldn't even taste the spinach.  I swear and would not lie to you!  I have been drinking one every morning for the past week and the recipe that I am sharing is so far my favorite one.  The recipe was adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod's blog.  They refer to the drink as The Green Monster.  Sounds scary, huh? 

The Green Monster calls for yogurt in the ingredient list, but  since I don't have any issues getting my dairy servings in for the day, I prefer to leave it out.  There really are not any rules when it comes to making green smoothies. I will make one recommendation though.  Always use a banana. I find, since I choose not to add yogurt, that a banana is imperative to get a creamy texture.

 

Green Smoothie

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:

1 orange, peeled and segmented

1 banana, cut in thirds

8-10 strawberries, hulled

2 cups spinach, really packed down

1 cup cold water

5-6 ice cubes

In blender layer orange segments, banana, strawberries, and spinach.  Pour in water and blend until puree texture.  Add ice and blend for 1 minute or so until desired texture is achieved.  Makes 2 servings

Malibu Rum and Pineapple Cupcakes with Butterscotch Schnapps Icing

One of my favorite mixed drinks to order is Malibu Coconut Rum mixed with pineapple juice.  If you have never tried it, well then you are missing out, big time.  I would consider it to be a somewhat girlie drink, so if you are looking for a more masculine version, or a more potent version try Malibu Black with pineapple juice.  The difference in the two is the regular Malibu rum is 50 proof and the Malibu Black is 70 proof. For the cupcakes, either will work, but if you want to taste the rum flavor, use Malibu Black.

Cupcake Recipe:

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup Canola oil

1/2 cup Malibu rum Black

2/3 cup Pineapple juice

1 8oz. can Crushed pineapple, drained

Add yellow cake mix, eggs and oil. Instead of adding water as the cake mix box suggests, replace it with rum and pineapple juice.  Mix well on medium speed.  Add crushed pineapple and mix until just incorporated.  Line muffin pan with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Fill each liner 2/3 of the way with batter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Butterscotch Schnapps Icing:

1 cup butter, softened

4-6 cups Powdered Sugar

1/4 cup Butterscotch schnapps

1 Tbsp Vanilla

Cream butter until smooth, add schnapps and vanilla.  Gradually add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Garnish with a maraschino cherry or even some toasted coconut would work nicely.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!  I will definatly make these again, SOON!

Cheers,

Jessica