Pepper Potato Soup

So yummy, I added an extra cup of soup.

Ok for some reason it won't let me copy and paste, but here is the link


ok it won't even let me do the link, but its


sisterscafe.blogspot.com

In the search type in Pepper Jack and it will come up . So yummy

Sweet and Savory Flank steak

This was so good. I got it off of the blog, our best bites. Yummy with some baked potato's and then we had gingerbread cake for desert.


Sweet and Savory Flank Steak

1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C soy sauce
1 C pineapple juice
1 T freshly grated ginger
4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced

up to 2 lbs flank steak

Combine first 6 ingredients for the marinade. Whisk together until combined. Remove 1/4 cup and set aside.

Score flank steak with a knife diagonally on both sides. This just means to run a sharp knife through it in the pattern below. You don't want to actually cut through the steak, just lightly score- like 1/8 inch- into it. This will help tenderize the meat.
Place steak in large ziploc bag and pour marinade (excluding the 1/4 C you set aside) over it. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Take out of fridge 30 minutes before grilling. Place steak on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the size. Use the 1/4 C marinade you set aside to brush over steak in the last few minutes of grilling. (That's a little trick I use for pretty much any meat that has a marinade just to splash it with an extra punch of flavor at the end) Flank steak should still be pink in the middle when done.

Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting so the juices can redistribute. Always cut flank steak against the grain, in thin slices to serve. (If you're not sure what it means to cut against the grain, check out the flank steak post)

*If you don't have a grill, the other way to cook a flank steak is under the broiler (please don't anyone just pop it in a frying pan. Not good.) Place on a broiler pan on the upper rack and broil for about 5-10 minutes per side depending on the size. Because this particular marinade has sugar in it, you'll want to watch carefully so it doesn't burn. If you see the sugar burning too much, then you might want to move your rack down.

Bacon Ranch potato salad

This potato salad is my absolute favorite. Try it out!

2.5 lbs potatoes

1 lb shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb crumbled bacon

1 C. ranch dressing

Boil the whole unpeeled potatoes for about 20 minutes. Then, while hot, lightly score the circumfrence of a potato with a sharp knife,and drop it in a bowl of ice water. Stir around for about 10 second and pull them out. The peel comes off so easily using this method! Do one potato at a time though, so they don't get cold waiting for you to take off the skins.

Next, dice the potatoes and cover them with cheese. Stir and cover with foil for a few minutes to let the cheese will melt all over the potatoes.

Then stir in the bacon and ranch. Let sit in the fridge for about an hour, or as long as it takes or it to get cold.

You can double, triple, quadruple this recipe. And you're going to want to. You'll be eating this thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (I would assume. Of course I wouldn't know from personal experience....er,....)

I took a couple pictures of this as I put it together-- but just know I'm not in this for my photography skills.

And I hope you're not reading this looking for a diet healthy recipe!! 'Cause this one is just plain yummy. You'll thank me later.

Cafe Rio sweet pork

Sweet Pork
Ingredients:
2 pounds pork (I used boneless pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet), buying the 2 ltr. is cheaper
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, mild spiciness but any will work)
1+ cup brown sugar

Directions:
1. Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. (I did mine overnight)
2. Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on low for 6- 8 hours.
3. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork. (for those of you who have a Bosch mixer, place meat in mixer with wire whisks and mix on speed 1 for 15-20 seconds, it will be perfectly shredded!)
4. In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.
5. Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro


Directions:
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice

Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (I left this out, I don't like it too spicy)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

Stromboli

I can't believe I haven't posted about stromboli yet. I make it so often I just assumed I had posted this recipe:

Stromboli

Bread dough- I throw a batch in my bread machine a few hours before it's time to make dinner, but I think the original recipe called for a frozen loaf from the store and allow it to sit out until it's thawed.

1/2 lb thin sliced hard salami

1/2 lb thin sliced deli ham

1/2 lb thin sliced mozarella cheese

1/2 lb thin sliced cheddar cheese

*1 onion thinly sliced

*1 green pepper thinly sliced

Roll out the bread dough to form two rectangles about 10x 18 inches. Cover half of each rectangle (the long way) with half of the salami, half of the ham and half of each cheese.

*The original recipe called to sautee the onion and green pepper together, then put it on top of your meat and cheese. I have learned to leave the onions and peppers out since we're cooking for kids. It's great either way.

Next, fold the bread closed over the top of your meats and cheese and seal it by pinching around the edges. Beat one egg and brush the top of dough with egg, then sprinkle with garlic powder and italian seasoning.

This recipe makes two strombolis. Place them on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Yum!

Black bean and corn salsa

This is so good! And it's made of VEGETABLES! ???
Yes. Somehow, that's possible.

Blackbean and Corn Salsa:

1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 pkg frozen sweet corn, thawed
3 roma tomatoes chopped
cilantro- chopped to taste
a few slices of red onion chopped
1 avocado chopped
2 Tbs vinegar
lime juice

(sorry the pictures's fuzzy. I was moving fast so I could set the camera down and EAT it!)

Bran Muffin Mix

Yeah. Bran muffins. Sounds gross (at least, it did to me) but they're good! And the cool thing about this recipe is that it makes a ton and you store it in the fridge for up to six weeks. So you just make a few muffins whenever you want.

5 C. flour
5 C. All Bran cereal
1 C. oil
4 beaten eggs
2 C. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
5 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 2 C. boiling water
1 qt. buttermilk

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place in closed container and can store up to 6 weeks. Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes.