Saturday, October 24, 2020

Another Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I had to get the recipe for these cookies on here because they are one of my all time favorites! My friend made these for me so much and I am in love! The oats are blended and it makes for a great texture and flavor. Love these cookies so much!



Chocolate chip cookies:

2 cups flour
2.5 cups oats blended into flour consistency
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips (however many you want)

Cream butter and sugars
 together. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend dry ingredients together then add to butter and sugar mixture. Fold in choc chips. Grease cookie sheet and spoon balls of dough onto it. Bake at 375 for about 10 min. 

*I find I like the recipe a little better after the dough has been chilled for at least a day. 

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos

 With my kids being home all day every day, we have been going through food at an incredible rate.  Why is everyone so hungry all of the time?!  Add soccer practices right at dinnertime to the mix and I had to come up with a fast and hearty meal that everyone would love.  MKC is always my trusted source for meals that everyone in my house can get on board with and this one was no exception.   I just bought the Cilantro Lime Crema Dressing from Costco and it was so good drizzled on top.  I added some riced cauliflower at the end and it bulked up the burrito mix and added nutrition easily making 40 burritos.  Lastly, I bought these pre-cooked tortillas from Tortilla Familia and they worked great, saved time, and are delicious.

pic courtesy of MKC


Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos 

Mels Kitchen Cafe

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey/beef (I used 1 pound of each so it made a lot more)
  •  1 cup chopped onion
  •  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
  •  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
  •  3 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans- I used Trader Joe's
  •  3 cans (4 ounces) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
  •  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce 
  •  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
  •  1/2 cup (4 ounces) salsa, green or red
  •  1 teaspoon ground cumin
  •  1 teaspoon chili powder
  •  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  •  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Frozen riced cauliflower, optional (adds zero flavor, but bulks it up and doesn't have texture once it heats so you can't see or taste it- I probably put 1 1/2 cups in)
  •  6 to 7 cups shredded cheese (I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
  •  20 10-inch tortillas or 30 8-inch tortillas (I used these and they're delicious)

  1. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
  4. I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
  5. To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. 🙂

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Honey Granola

I have been loving this recipe of granola for fall and wanted it saved!

  • Homemade Coconut Oil Honey Almond Granola - Lovely Little Kitchen
4 cups of rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 cups of chopped nuts (I used walnuts cause its what i had)
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp ground flax seed ( I subd with chia seeds)
1/3 c coconut oil (or any other neutral oil)
2/3 c honey
1 tsp vanilla extract


  • Heat oven to 300 degrees.
  • Combine oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon and flax in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Combine oil, honey and vanilla in another, smaller bowl.
  • Mix wet ingredients into dry - you may need to use your hands.
  • Then spread the mixture onto two cookie sheets lined with foil or parchment.
  • Bake 10 minutes. Then remove from oven and stir.
  • Bake an additional 10 minutes or until slightly golden.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  • When cooled, transfer into an airtight container for storage.

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Gordon's Secret Cookies (Oatmeal Chocolate Chips)

Two cookie recipes in one day!! I only post stuff on here that is completely legit because I don't want to waste anyone's time and I sincerely want you all to know when I've discovered a new favorite.  These babies are it!  

Gordon's Secret Cookies

1 1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup oats
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 cup chocolate chips
2 Tbs. vanilla

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Joanna Gaines' Chocolate Chip Cookies

I could give you another spiel about not needing any more chocolate chip cookie recipes on this blog, but I won't.  Just make these.  They are AMAZING.  Interestingly, we all feel these turned out best when mixed by hand when we stayed in a mixer-less beach rental in Florida so take that for what it's worth :)

Joanna Gaines' Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • heaping teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • cups packed light brown sugar
  • large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
  • Place the butter and sugar In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until blended.
  • Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture. Mix on medium speed just until the flour is mixed in, then turn the mixer to high speed for a few seconds to pull the dough together; it will be chunky. Add the chocolate chips and beat on high speed to thoroughly and quickly mix in the chips, about 5 seconds.
  • Drop the dough by large spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet; don’t flatten them. Bake until lightly browned on top, 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on the pan on a rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry)

This was just so different and so delicious.  I'm so happy I tried it!  It was hearty, healthy and so fun!  I used our air fryer to make the "french fries" which saves a ton of time.  Can't wait to make this again.  Skinnytaste has a TON of great recipes if you are ever in a rut.  They're all rated by tons of cooks, so you can tell when you've got a good one and when you go to print, you can adjust how many serving sizes you want and it auto-updates in the recipe.

Lomo Saltado

For the Baked Fries: (I made these in the air fryer and saved TONS of time)

  • canola cooking spray
  • 1 medium5.3 oz potato, russet or yukon gold, washed and dried
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • kosher salt and black pepperto taste

For the Beef:

  • 1/2 lb lean sirloincut into small, thin strips
  • kosher saltto taste
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • black pepperto taste
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium red onionsliced into thick strips
  • 2 mini yellow bell peppers or 1 large
  • 1 large jalapenoribbed and seeded, chopped
  • 2 cloves garliccrushed
  • 1 medium tomatosliced into wedges
  • 1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauceuse tamari for gluten free and coconut aminos for whole30
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Cut the potato lengthwise into 1/3-inch thick slices; cut each slice into 1/3-inch fries. Place on the baking sheet and toss with oil to evenly coat. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place on a single layer onto the greased baking sheet.
  • Bake uncovered on the lower third of the oven for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp and golden.
  • Meanwhile, season meat with salt, pepper and cumin.
  • Heat a large wok over high heat. When hot add the oil and the steak, cook about 2 minutes, until browned on both sides. Add the onions, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the tomato, soy sauce and vinegar and cook 1 more minute. Season with more salt as needed, remove from heat and finish with cilantro.
  • Serve immediately with french fries and divide evenly between 2 plates.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Whole30 Beef Stew

In all truth, I'm not much of a fan of beef stew...it just has never done it for me.  But, this one was delicious and also one of those that gets even better with time- meaning I ate it 3 days after it sat in the fridge and it was amazing.  Note- it bakes for 1.5 hours in the oven so prepare in advance!

Whole30 Beef Stew

  • 2 lbs stewing beef - cut into 1" cubes chuck, shoulder, bottom round, or rump all work here
  • 2 med-sized onions - quartered
  • 4 celery stalks - chopped into 1" pieces
  • 3 carrots - chopped on a bias into 1" pieces
  • 2 parsnips - cubed (optional- I didn't use b/c I don't like them)
  • 227 gr button mushrooms - quartered
  • 7 cloves garlic - smashed
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary - finely chopped
  • 2 bay leaves fresh or dried
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 L chicken or beef stock
  • 8-10 baby white potatoes - quartered
  • salt and pepper
  • avocado oil
  • fresh parsley - for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Pat meat very dry with paper towel and season both sides with salt.
  3. Add 1 tbsp avocado oil to a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over high heat. Add beef to pot and brown in batches so as to not overcrowd the pot. Transfer browned beef to a bowl. **Note: if you’re beef does not brown it is because a) you did not dry the meat b) the pot is not hot enough c) you overcrowded the pot and are causing the beef to steam d) all of the above.
  4. If required, add an additional 1 tbsp avocado oil to the pot. Add onion, celery, carrot and parsnips. Season with a small pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes.
  5. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook an additional 60 seconds.
  6. Add paprika and smoked paprika and cook an additional 45-60 seconds. Return browned beef to pot along with stock, potatoes and bay leaves. Bring everything to a boil, season with black pepper, cover with lid and transfer to 350F oven for 1.5 hours.
  7. Remove from oven, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. If the meat is still tough, return to oven for an additional 30 minutes, then check again.
  8. Serve and garnish with fresh parsley.