Baked Brie Bites

Brie is a new love of mine.  I don't have many recipes to make with Brie so I was excited to see these on Plain Chicken's website.  I also love the mini phyllo tarts!  Such a great ingredient.  These couldn't be any simpler, hope they taste as great as they look.

The case:

mini phyllo tarts

Ile de France brie, cubed

brown sugar

chopped pecans

honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place a cube of brie in each phyllo tart.  Sprinkle each tart with approximately 1/2 tsp brown sugar.  Top with approximately 1/2 tsp chopped pecans and a dollop of honey.  
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until brie is melted. (use more or less of each ingredient according to your preference)

The ruling:
Okay I liked these at first, but they left a funny taste in my mouth.   I won't be making these again but I still like the idea of the brie in the phyllo cups...

Daphne Oz's Smoothie

I've tried a couple of recipes for Smoothies, my favorite being Alton Brown's, but I still haven't found the perfect recipe.   This was from one of the first episodes of The Chew, which has become one of my favorite daily activities.  There actually haven't been that many recipes I've wanted to try, but I'm still constantly learning more about cooking and food!

The case:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup fresh fruit (Daphne used 1/2 cup blueberries)
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
1/2 banana (optional)
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
3 ester-c capsules (500 mg)
1 cup ice (if fruit is frozen, no ice needed)
Some water or juice to blend for consistency

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy (Note: Of the 1 cup fruit, Daphne used 1/2 that cup with blueberries. It's your choice what to make that 1 cup consist of). If you have trouble blending, try adding a little water to thin the smoothie. Make sure to have at least two 8 oz glasses of water with each serving of smoothie to help the psyllium husks expand so they digest properly.

The ruling:
This is the best smoothie recipe I've ever tried.  I didn't add the ester-c caps or psyllium husks, but used Greek yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup strawberries, and a splash of milk.

Slow Cooker French Dip

Here is another delicious looking dish from Our Best Bites.  Yesterday, I was flipping through my cookbook deciding what dish to try next.  I left the book open at this page when I went running after Ryder.  Michael happened to walk by and saw this lovely recipe and wanted to know when I planned on making it.  So last night after church, I ran in the store to get the ingredients I needed.  French Dips are our go-to menu item in restaurants.  I've tried making them a couple of times, but we haven't found anything even worth making again.  Hopefully, this will be a go-to French Dip dish. 

The case:
Recipe by OurBestBites.com
Ingredients: 
- 1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
- 2 c. water
- 2 cans beef broth
- 6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
- Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.


Directions:
1.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.
2. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. 
3. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.
4. Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.
5. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. 
6. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

The ruling:
This was yummy!!!  A great alternative to eating out!  This is officially on our regular rotation.  It's going to be hard to just eat a roast now.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I wanted to have a final "tailgating" party for the biggest college football game of the year.  Michael grilled wings and I made pizza rolls, but I also wanted to try something new.   These seemed like the perfect missing piece, especially since I had all the ingredients.  Once again, they're from my favorite new cookbook- Our Best Bites!

The case:
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

Ingredients:
- 1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
- 1/4 C green salsa
- 1T fresh lime juice
- 1/2 t cumin
- 1 t chili powder
- 1/2 t onion powder
- 1/4 t granulated garlic
- 3 T chopped cilantro
- 2 T sliced green onions
- 2 C shredded cooked chicken
- 1 C grated pepperjack cheese
- small corn tortillas
- kosher salt
- cooking spray

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.  You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
3. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
4. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. 
5. Then roll it up as tight as you can.
6. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. 
7. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.  Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.

The ruling:
Another winner!  I was surprised at how crisp these got baked in the oven.  Of course, taquitos are going to be better fried, but I will definitely continue to make these instead.  So easy!  And the filling was yummy!  I served them with sour cream and Pioneer Woman's Salsa.    

Marlboro Man Sandwich

I have been thinking about making these forever.  Michael loves Philly cheese steaks and these reminded me of them. My mom's close friend made them to rave reviews, so I decided it was time for me to give them a try!

The case:
Ingredients
1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)
½ cups (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
4 whole French/deli Rolls (earthgrains Are Best!)
Preparation Instructions

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine. 

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

The ruling:
Let me first start by saying I'm not a big red meat eater.  Every once in a while I like a good burger or steak, but on a regular basis, I'm a chicken girl.  With that said, I LOVED this sandwich.  We added peppers, mushrooms, and provolone cheese to this delicious sandwich!