Steak and Stir-Fry Noodles

As I was scrolling around on the Kraft website last week trying to find something easy and different to make I came upon the Beef and Vegetable Noodle Bowl recipe. This sounded really good to me and out of the ordinary things I usually make. I didn't know if hubs would eat it since it had pasta in it but I thought maybe I could get by with it since it was sorta like Chinese food (I guess this would go under Chinese/Asian, actually I really don't know what category food...hmm...oh well!) His picky butt surprisingly loves Chinese food! I did change it up a bit from the way they have it on their website to make it a little different and to use up some things I had on hand. It calls for some hoisin sauce but I'm not really crazy about the taste of it so I didn't put a whole lot in there. And I didn't have the Asian Sesame Dressing so I had to go get some of that, I actually have never even knew they had that dressing, and let me tell you this stuff is GOOD!

Where have you been all my life Asian Sesame Dressing???

So here is how it went down...

1 box of multi grain thin spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
1 lb (Mine was a little over a pound) boneless beef chuck steak
1/2 c Asian Sesame Dressing (I used the light one)
2 tbs hoisin sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 bag of frozen vegetable (asparagus) stir fry mix (I buy the Great Value stir fry, it has the asparagus, broccoli, red pepper and some other vegetables in it)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sesame seeds
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 green onions, thinly sliced

Garnish:
Sriracha sauce
Soy Sauce
Chow Mien Noodles
(If your store carries the Garlic Ginger Wonton strips in the Chinese Food aisle, get them! They are good on anything and everything! Sadly my Walmart doesn't carry them here and I'm on a rampage wondering who I need to talk to about this situation...)

Cooked your noodles according to the directions. Use 1 tbs olive oil in a pan and heat up, sprinkle Kosher salt and pepper on both sides on your steak. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness (Is that a even a word?), and when its done, cut into bite size strips, set aside. Using the same pan, add 1 tbs more of olive oil (Mine didn't have any grease in it, so if you do just drain it then add your olive oil) add your frozen stir fry mix and minced garlic. Cook according to the tenderness that you like your veggies to be (Mine takes about 8 minutes or so, I like it a tad bit brown on there). After your veggies are done, add in your hoisin sauce and Asian Sesame dressing, stir until heated thru, then add in your steak pieces. After you have drained your noodles pour in your chicken broth and stir. Then add in your steak/veggie mixture and sesame seeds and stir it all up again. Lots of stirring going on here...

Put into separate bowls and garnish with your green onions and whatever else floats your boat!

I also served it alongside with some egg rolls. This was a huge hit in the ole household. Hubs, even though it had noodles, loved it so much he even heated up more that night and took it to work with him the next day! He also loved the dressing he added more on top of it, its that good folks! Riley ate it all and even Hayden who I figured wouldnt touch it had 2 helpings of it! So I guess then you could also call it kid-friendly! Who knew? Something I thought only I might like everyone loved! This one is a keeper!

Yesterday was the perfect Fall day! It had stormed the night before and so then it was cloudy, wet and only in the high 50's-low 60's here! I LOVE days like that! The leaves are starting to really change and our peak time for it is next weekend. I snapped this pic of what we have done to the front of the house so far for Halloween-not a whole lot there is alot more inside. It was just kinda cozy looking to me, or maybe thats because I had a glass of wine by then....(It was good too, the kids where acting CRAZY yesterday!) Anyways there it is!

Hope yall have a perfect Fall-ish Day!

Kirby

This has been linked up with  and

Cheese Whiz Sausage Balls

Everyone has had a sausage ball at some time or another-I hope so anyways, if you haven't you are missing out let me tell ya! I am addicted to these! On Sunday we went to the craft show and came home and hubs was watching football so I decided to make some appetizers. One of these appetizers were indeed the sausage balls! I go into the kitchen to start making them and look into the pantry, no Bisquick.

Houston, we have a problem.

No Bisquick=No sausage balls

No sausage balls=Me not happy

I'm sure there is some way around it but I didn't want to try to figure it out so I hopped my butt into the car and went down to the store to get some Bisquick. And only Bisquick! I ended up spending $20 on more than what I went in for! Dang it, EVERYTIME! I got home and finally I can start these! Not so fast turbo-I didn't have enough shredded cheese for the sausage balls and buffalo chicken quesadillas (I'll post this recipe sometime soon! You'll likey likey!). There was no way I was going back to the store and spending another $20. And then there it was-Cheese Whiz, starring at me. Could I actually maybe pull this off? I was a little nervous to because I was thinking it would turn out to be an ooey gooey mess, but since I was the ornery side that day, I figured what the heck, whats another mess to pick up? So I went at it! And here is how I did it---

1 lb pork sausage
8 ounces Cheese Whiz
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 tbs "Tony" creole seasoning
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tbs Louisiana hot sauce (for a little more kick, you could leave this out if ya want too!)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all your ingredients together in a big bowl (its almost easier just to use your hands to mix it all up) and roll up into little 1 inch or so balls. Mine were all uneven! Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bottom is a golden brownish color. (Also while your first batch is cooking put your bowl into the fridge so its not as sticky when you go to roll up the rest). They almost look more like little biscuits instead of balls, but they are

F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!

This is probably the only way I will ever make these from now on! They did not turn out to be an ooey gooey mess, they were prefection! Hubs loved them, he was a little skeptical when I told him what I was doing at first, but I won him over, and that's why he loves me! Always making his tummy happy! I even dipped them into some ranch! Ok it was fat free ranch, alright!!! I had to dip them!

So if you want a different way of making sausage balls, you have got to make these! I think ya'll will love love love them!

This is happily linked up with



Kirb-

Moosehead Pizza #2

Here in NW Arkansas, we have a pizza place called Gusano's. There pizzas are heavenly! I have never tried the sandwiches but they also sound really good too, I just can't pass up the pizza there for a sandwich! They have Chicago style pizza's and while I have never been to Chicago to try there own style pizzas I like to think this is just like it would be if I were there.

Let me be a  firm believer in this one, mmkay? It would crush me... *tear*

So everytime we go there, which is not real often because we have 3 heathens that just don't allow Mommy and Daddy to have a peaceful dinner, we always get the Moosehead Chicago Style Pizza.

(If you live in NW AR by any chance, go NOW and get one, and P.S. Gusano's people have no clue who I am, I'm just in love with there Moosehead, haha!)

Ok so back to the pizza we always get there, we get that one-It has italian sausage, pepperoni, jalepeno's and green olives on it. What better pizza toppings could you ask for than that? I was finally off a Saturday night and we havent been able to do our pizza and movie night in about a month so I was excited to be able to plan to have that on Saturday night. I started brainstorming on what kind of pizza to make that night when this one popped into mind. No, I don't know how to make a Chicago style pizza and No, it wouldnt be near as good as theirs, but why not try to attempt to make it different and my own, just with a different crust and sauce? So thats just what I did. Thats why I call this Moosehead #2. It will never replace the original, but it came dang close. Hubs loved it, and he didnt even make no sarcastic comments like "This tastes nothing like the one from Gusano's!" So then I think I accomplished it! The kiddos couldnt eat it because of the jalepeno's, even though Hayden eats them out of the jar, I dont want her to have massive heartburn at age 2, so I just made them a pepperoni and black olive pizza...

So here we go with the recipe, not much to it...

Pizza crust (whichever one you use, I use Great Value .49 cent package, cheap and easy!)

2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (I just add this one on there)

Pizza sauce (I have one that I make below this recipe)

Enough pepperoni's to cover the bottom of the pizza (have no clue how much that is? Sorry!)

3 Hot Italian sausage links- cooked, crumbled and drained

1/2 cup green olives

1/2 cup jalepenos

Dried basil to sprinkle on top

Make your crust according to the package or if you make it homemade (You go girls!) get all together and ready to go. When it's ready for the topping, spread your pizza sauce all over it(we like alot of sauce so I didn't make a measurement of it, just how much ever you like!) Top it with 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Put your pepperoni all over it (once again how much ever you like) sausage on top of that, then comes the green olives and jalepeno's. Top with remaining mozzerella cheese (I ran out and had to use some sharp cheddar) and 1/2 cup parmesan. Sprinkle with dried basil. Bake 9 minutes or until crust edges are golden brown and cheese is all melted.

See really nothing to it just layering up a bit here and there. This is how I make my sauce, enough to make 2 large pizzas-

2- 8 oun can tomato sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregeno

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp parsely

1 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix all your ingridients together and stir. I always make it before I start in on my crusts so it has time to sit for a little bit.

The girls seemed to enjoy there pizzas, Riley had already finished and ran off to watch her new Scooby Doo but I was able to snap these really quick. Hayden never looks at the camera so this shocked me when she finally did-

Good girls...For the time being...

(Ok, I'm sorry alright! I couldn't help it, I'm still laughing...Sadie not so much, she has a terrible confused look on her face right now looking at the computer screen...)

Have a Happy Monday!

Kirby

(*Still laughing...)

This is linked up with Tuesday Night Supper Club

Simple Ham and Bean Soup

I have another crock pot recipe for y'all today, except it is soup! Yummy, simply yummy soup! I love making soups in the crock pot, this one is probably my favorite one to make. It's the first time this fall I have made it and it makes your house smell so good!

Your tum tum will be growling all day long and then thanking you after you have fed it!

My hubs was over his sisters house one day that I was out of town and ate some soup that she had made, he raved about it when I got home, so I thought I would give it a shot and try it out for myself. For the most part its just like hers the way I make mine, I add a couple more different ingredients than she does. The great thing about this recipe is that you could always add even more variations to it if you wanted to as far as maybe you wanna add some carrots to it, or maybe some potatoes or even different seasonings, I don't think you could go wrong any way you do it. So play with it how you will, add what ya like or make it like I make mine, either way it's awesome!

1 lb dried navy beans

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 smoked ham hocks (mine were about 2 lbs all together)

5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (2 tbs bacon grease reserved)

32 ounces low sodium chicken broth

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 tbs dry mustard

2 bay leaves

1 tbs parsley

1 tbs "Tony" creole seasoning

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Soak your beans over night according to the package directions with 1/2 tsp baking soda. Or if your like me, you forgot to soak them over night so you wake up frantic the next morning! The way I did it was sort thru the beans for any weird things lurking in there with them, rinse, quick boil them boil for 3 minutes with the baking soda and let sit covered for 1 hour. While your waiting on those to sit there, make your bacon. (I put mine in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes-it's such an easier and cleaner way of doing it!) Reserve your 2 tbs of bacon grease. Spray your crock pot on the sides with cooking spray and then add your bacon grease to the bottom of it. (If this sounds gross to you, you could omit it, it just gives it a little more of that bacon flavor to it) Sit your ham hocks in there. Rinse off your beans and drain and pour over ham hocks. Add in your seasonings and minced garlic. Pour in your chicken broth and water. Cover and simmer on low for 7 hours.

When it's been 7 hours, take 1/2 of the beans out of the crock pot and give them a good mash or you can puree them. This is to thicken up the soup a little more. Add it back to the crock pot. Take your ham hocks out and take the fat off. You will have a little bit of ham mixed in there that shreds easily and then you will add it back to your crock pot. Also add in the crumbled bacon. Cook for one more hour on low. (I put my crock pot on for 8 hours and just make a mental note after 7 hours to do all this).

Serve along side with some sweet corn bread and you have you one dang good bowl of soup! Perfect for the fall and winter time to cozy up with!

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

It's craft show weekend time for me here and I even convinced hubs to go with me.

It's a Miracle!

-Kirby Nicole-

This is linked up with girlichef!

Cheese-It Pie

I'm a stickler for a good Frito Pie, but I always forget to buy Frito's. It's a major problem!  I was searching for something to eat for lunch yesterday, I get tired of the same ole sandwiches and salads and I saw a can of Hormel turkey chili in my pantry, so I start scanning to see if I had some Frito's. Nope, of course, my luck. But then I saw a box of Cheese-Its. I know it sounds really odd, but I heart Cheese-Its out of any other crackers. When I make chili I eat it with saltine crackers so then why couldn't I eat it with Cheese-It's? I can! So here's what I did-(This is embarrassingly easy!)

Crushed up some Cheese-Its and put it in a bowl

Microwaved half a can of Hormel turkey chili

Grated some cheese

Poured the chili over the Cheese-It's and topped it with cheese and jalapenos

It was so dang good!

So now I know I have a back up for any time I don't have any Frito's and am craving a Frito pie. Try this one if your desperate like I was!

I now heart Cheese-It Pie...

This is also linked up to Recipe Swap Sundays

Kirby

Pantry Rice...?

So last week I had one of those days where all day long it seemed to be rushed and I had to work that night, I look up and it's 4:00 and I have no clue what to make. I hate days like that, usually I'm pretty good about that morning knowing whats going to be for dinner that night, but not that day! So I started scanning the pantry and fridge for something other than opening up a can of Spaghetti-O's and decided to boil up some brown rice and just throw a whole bunch of stuff in it.  The girls love anything with rice so I knew I couldn't go wrong with this. Plus it was brown rice and its really filling! So thats why I just called Pantry Rice, it was stuff I had sitting around waiting to be cut up or opened! We had went to the farmers market and I just started grabbing veggies and they were about to ruin (I'm really bad about that!) It turned out better than I actually thought it would to be honest with you, it was really good leftover too so here it is if your having one of them days...

Pantry Rice

4 cups cooked brown rice

1 lb sausage (Sausage again? Yes!)

1 green bell pepper, chopped small

1 onion, chopped small

1 small jalepeno, chopped small (optional)

1 can rotel, drained

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbs "Tony" creole seasoning (or more if you want it spicier)

1 cup shredded cheese

While your rice is cooking, cook your sausage with the onions, green pepper and minced garlic, drain any extra grease. After all of it is done, now pay attention because I might confuse you, it is horribly hard-throw it all in a big bowl and stir until all is mixed together. It is still hot enough to where it will melt your cheese.

Serve with some cornbread and you are done! It's filling and that easy! It might sound odd but it really is good so y'all should give it a try sometime!

This is linked up with

Kirby

Delish Pork Carnitas

So I've come up from hiding underneath that ole rock of mine! It's been awhile since I have last posted anything, I totally blame it on work, kids, exhaustion, temper tantrums, painting, Walmart, dirty diapers...

And wine.

I also did my "Fall" cleaning, kind of like your Spring cleaning I guess. It needed it! When you work basically every night and all weekend long, chase after kids during the day, and well sit at the computer reading or writing blogs day after day, you fall behind a bit, so some of those days I refused to even turn the computer on so I could actually get something done around here.

It feels so much better to know the toilets have been scrubbed....

Gross...I hate scrubbing toilets.

I did finally get a chance to make Pork Carnitas. Oh how I love them! I make them at least, or try to, once a month. I always wach out for when they put the pork shoulder butt (I hate that its called that!) on sale for really cheap. I usually pay around 6 or 7 bucks for around a 4-5 lb one and I can get 2 dinners out of, plus maybe some for lunch. It shreds so easily and a little goes a long way! Plus it goes in your slow cooker so stick it in around 9 a.m. and by 5 it is done! Its not a great picture because we starting devouring it as soon as it was done and I forgot to take a pic of it right away, I couldnt help it, my tummy was keeping me from doing it! So just trust me on this one...once again!

 Pork Carnitas

1 (4-5 lb) boneless pork shoulder butt

32 oun low sodium chicken broth

1 orange, quartered

1 large onion, quartered

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs oregeno

2 tbs kosher salt

2 tbs "Tony" creole seasoning

2 bay leaves

1/2 lime

flour tortillas

Garnish:

pico de gallo

monterey jack cheese (or your preference)

guacamole

sour cream

hot sauce

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Lay your pork shoulder in the bottom of it. Pour your chicken broth over it (sometimes depending on how big it is, I will add a little bit of water to almost cover it, but not completly) Add in your orange, onion, and seasonings. Turn it on low for 7-8 hours. Mine will be done sometimes in 7 hours, you'll just have to watch it to see when its no longer pink and looks done. By the time it is done, it has probably fallin apart so lovingly that you'll have to get the pork out leaving the juice in the slow cooker (slotted spoons work best!). Put all your pork out on a big plate or tray, depending if there are fatty pieces or not, remove those and grab ya 2 forks and get to shredding. Get out a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and turn your oven on to 350, and spread your pork out all over it. Take the onion out of your slow coooker with the slotted spoon and put it on top of your pork. Take a couple of tbs of the reserved liquid from from the slow cooker and drizzle it over your onions and pork. Bake for 10-15 minutes to get a little crispy on the tops. Squeeze half a lime over it and then its done! Put whatever you like in your flour tortillas and you have a delish pork carnita! It has just a mild hint of the orange and then all the seasonings come together wonderfully! You will love it!

The next day we either have the same leftovers or I make bbq sandwiches out of it, with coleslaw on top of course! Thats the only way to eat a bbq sandwich!

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday, I can't wait to catch up and see what everyone has been up too and cooking!

This is also linked up with Tuesday Night Supper Club and Potluck Sunday!!!

Kirby