Pepper Steak Fast and Easy!

I found this recipe just a Hurricane Irene about to pound the east coast.  I quickly started to make it in fear we would loose power for days.  I then realized is was for the slow cooker, but I didn't have that kind of time.  So, I made it on the stove and let it simmer for just a little bit and it turned out very good!  I'm thinking I'll have to go through my other slow cooker recipes that I shy away from during the week and see what else I can do with them!  Another time saving trick!

From Gooseberry Patch Harvest Kitchen:

Slow-Cooker Pepper Steak

1lb beef sirloin, cut into bite size pieces
garlic powder to taste
1 T veggie oil

1 beef bouillon cube
1/4 C hot water
1 T cornstarch
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
14oz can stewed tomatoes
1.5 T soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
cooked rice

1. Sprinkle beef with garlic powder.  In a large skillet cook over medium heat with 1/2 oil until browned. Drain.
2. Add onions and green peppers and remaining oil to pan and cook until softened.
3. Mix hot water and bouillon cube until dissolved.  Pour over onions and peppers.  Add back the beef.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients except the rice.
5. Simmer until ready to server.  Serve over rice.

Wait! Don't go to the grocery store for that rotisserie style chicken!

I know, I make and eat a lot of chicken.  I do because it's so easy to make it flavorful without adding a lot of ingredients.  One thing I have tried a lot of was making whole chickens.  They store really well in the freezer and can be thawed out quickly (submerge them briefly in warm water).  I usually roast my chickens but have always wondered how they make those rotisserie chickens in the grocery store taste so good.  I can taste they are loaded in the fat, but so, so good. 

I found this recipe and didn't believe it's claim...you can make a roasted chicken taste like a rotisserie chicken!  I had to give it a try.

From Colorado Classique:

'Roastisserie' Style Chicken

2 t salt
2 t paprika
1 t onion powder
1 t white pepper
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
4lb chicken, insides removed

1. Combine all the spices.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
3. Rub the inside and out of chicken with spice. 
4. Place in a sealed container or plastic bag.
5. Refrigerate 4 hours up to overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and put chicken in a roasting pan.
7. Cook uncovered 5 hours until 180 degrees.
8. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Words of wisdom: skin will be slightly spicy so watch out if feeding kids.

When I did it, the chicken was done under 4 hours so keep an eye on it.  The chicken comes out of the oven 'sealed' meaning it has a slightly crispy skin and thus all the juice have been kept inside.  It was very cool and taste oh so good!

Family Factor: even Katie ate it!
Stomach Factor: except for the skin, mild enough
Time Factor: yeah, 5 hours is a long time.  Might want to save this one for a snowy winter day.

Chicken all dressed up!

Chicken is one thing I can make and everyone in the family can eat it.  So, I've tried to make it not too bland for Sean and I and bland enough for Katie to eat too.  That's not a very easy thing to do when you have  picky eaters!  I found out that Katie loves a chicken with soy sauce at school so I went in search for a recipe that had some soy sauce, but enough sugar to balance out the flavor (because Sean doesn't like soy sauce!).

Vola!  Huli Huli Chicken!  This recipe was even great leftover on a salad the next day, and the day after that!  It still has a lot of flavor even if you want to serve it cold or at room temperature too!

From Colorado Classique:

Huli Huli Chicken
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 t garlic salt
1/4 t kosher salt
2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 t sugar
2 cloves garlic
1/2 t paprika

1. Mix all together and put in a ziploc bag to marinade for at least 2 hours to overnight.
2. Grill until cooked through.

Family Factor: Yummy!
Stomach Factor: surprisingly mild, but flavoriful
Time Factor: so, so, quick!

A search for a good Potato Salad

There are two things I have tried to make repeatedly since Sean and I got married.  Fried chicken and potato salad, two of Sean's most favorite things to eat.  While having no luck with the chicken (let's just face it, I don't have that Southern blood!), I did recently modify a potato salad recipe that seemed to disappear from the refrigerator.  Leftovers in our house more than 2 days means it wasn't that good to eat again!

From Better Homes and Garden Cookbook:

Classic Potato Salad

1lb potatoes, cubed
dash salt
1/2 C mayo
1/2 t mustard (don't use yellow)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 green pepper cut into very small pieces
1/2 onion cut into very small pieces
1 T relish
3 hard cooked eggs chopped
1/2 t paprika

1. Place potatoes in a pot with water and salt to boil strictly only 20 minutes.  Drain and put aside to cool.
2. Mix everything except eggs and paprika into a large bowl and sit until potatoes are cooled.
3. Stir in potatoes, eggs and paprika.
4. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

Family Factor: it disappeared...enough said!
Stomach Factor: pretty mild
Time Factor: quick to make, but time to chill