I prefer stuck-in-the-mud...

But I was "tagged"...

The Rules:
1. Let others know who tagged you (Cakes).
2. Start with 4 recipes you especially like.
3. Tag 4 other people and notify them that they have been tagged: Erin, Tiffany, Pose, and Bekah-2.
4. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 4 recipes.

Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Cola Steak Sauce (Rachel Ray) This is one of our favorite special celebration steak recipes. I made it for a boys’ night last year and for my parents’ anniversary dinner last month. Pretty yum-o! (Erin and Tiff, I said that just for you. :-P)

Ingredients

• 1 cup cola
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup steak sauce
• 1 lemon, for juice and zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 loaf Italian bread, thickly sliced (approx. 1" slices)
• 2 large red onions, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 3 14 oz. bone-in rib eye steaks (or whatever kind you want)
• extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cola, ketchup, steak sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and ginger to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. About 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: The ketchup + steak sauce combo is already pretty salty so taste it before you add more salt.)
2. In a small bowl combine butter and garlic. (Note: Something I tend to not make a point of but that really helps... softened doesn't mean melted. You want to create a thick garlic butter paste.) Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. Spread the butter slices on both sides with the garlic butter and grill, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes.
3. Brush the onion slices and steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high. Grill the steak and onions until the steak is cooked to desired doneness and the onions are softened.
4. Slice steak into thin strips. Top each piece of toast with steak, onion, and cola sauce.

(Approximately 30 minutes. Creates 4 servings but the sauce and bread will go much farther if you want it to. 46g Fat.)


Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Whole Foods Market website) My favorite food is potatoes, made any way and eaten at anytime. On my birthday last year my darling husband made me a scrumptious dinner including these delicious mashed potatoes. I made an attempt at them last month so my wisdom-teeth-less husband could participate in my parents’ anniversary dinner. Baking the garlic is my favorite part.

Ingredients

• 1 bulb garlic, unpeeled
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 pounds potatoes, rinsed and quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt and ground pepper to taste
• chives or green onions, minced (if you want, for garnish)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 F. Slice 1/2" top off garlic bulb and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake until garlic is soft and golden, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, peel garlic cloves, mince, and set aside. (It's so cool.--You can just "pop" the cloves out!)
2. Boil potatoes until tender.
3. Drain potatoes and mash until smooth. Mix in Parmesan and garlic. Cover and keep warm.
4. Heat half and half, butter, salt/pepper in small sauce pan over medium-low heat until butter has melted. Poor over potatoes and combine. Adjust salt/pepper to taste. Garnish with chives and green onions. Serve while still hot.

(Creates 4-6 servings, unless you love po-ta-toes like me and that it's more like two. :-P)


Barbecue Turkey Burgers (Cooking Light website) Just to prove we’re becoming healthier eaters... Recipes on Cooking Light are a go-to in our house now with Andree’s diet. This one is so good I’d make it anytime. It was the first ground turkey recipe I made that I even liked--and I more than like this one. I love it! I use a honey barbecue sauce because I’ve amassed several bottles of it somehow. We also like to add in cilantro if we have any in the fridge. We’ve also done meatballs and meatloaf off this combination. (Just leave out the barbecue sauce for meatballs.)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 4 large leaf lettuce leaves
• 4 (1/4" thick) tomato slices
• 4 hamburger buns (we like Safeway's kaiser buns)

Directions

1. Combine the onion, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, breadcrumbs, and the next 5 ingredients (breadcrumbs through turkey) in a medium bowl. Divide mixture into 4 equal parts and shape into patties.
2. Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place patties in pan; cook approximately 7 minutes on each side or until done. (Or just use the good ol' George Foreman grill!)
3. Place 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and 1 burger on the bottom half of each bun. Spread each patty with 1 1/2 teaspoons of barbecue sauce. Add the top bun half and voila!

(Less than 30 minutes. Creates 4 burgers. 7.6g Fat.)


Mom's Chicken Enchiladas (Eating for Life cookbook) I made this the first week Andree was on his new diet and he couldn’t believe it was from the “diet book.” It’s really that good! I learned to shred chicken for this one and it’s pretty sweet. We have these about every other week if Andree gets his way. My biggest hint is to be sure you’ve minced the jalapeños because I think it really makes a difference in the sauce to have them nice and small.

Ingredients

• 4 portions chicken breast (approximately 1 lb.)
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 3 cans (10 oz. each) green enchilada sauce (red if you prefer)
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Boil chicken breasts.--Drain and cool but do not let them get too cold. While still warm shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks. Set aside.
3. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add green onion, cilantro, and jalapeño; saute for 2 minutes. Add shredded chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. About 5 minutes.
4. Pour the 2 remaining cans of enchilada sauce into a medium bowl and microwave until warm, about 2 minutes. (Or if you're Andree's wife you better do this by heating them in a frying pan over low heat but not too much. You want them still soft.)
Dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with about 1/8 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.
5. Pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes or less.

(Approximately 50 minutes. Creates 4 servings.)