hawaiian bbq beef and mac salad

A big thanks to Micah and Brittney for this entire meal. We learned how to make perfect sticky rice from them as newlyweds, and the meat marinade and mac salad are Micah and Brittney staples. I cannot count the times we ate this with them at parties or family get togethers (we aren’t actually family but were close enough friends to be adopted as such). Missing them today and so grateful for their friendship throughout the years. Love you, friends. And hey, thanks for the good eats. Xx

Recipe: Hawaiian BBQ (Teriyaki) Beef

Ingredients:
1.5-2 c soy sauce
1/2 c sugar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
Oil, a splash
Vinegar, a splash
2 lb. (ish) Thinly sliced beef (sirloin tip etc)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients well then combine with beef. Marinate for 3+ hours. Then grill. Enjoy.



Recipe: Hawaiian Mac Salad

Ingredients:
16 oz large macaroni noodles, cooked & chilled
6 boiled eggs, chilled & diced
8 mini dill pickles, diced
4 Tbsp dill pickle juice
1/3 - 1/2 c mayonnaise
2 tsp mustard
Garlic powder, to taste
Salt, to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta and eggs. Chill. Dice all you need. Toss together and mix well. Serve cold.



Serve with CalRose rice. 

penne pasta bake

I got this recipe from our local grocery store, when they were doing this awesome Family Value Meal, all-ingredients-in-a-bag-and-ready-for-you program. Super cool. I've altered it a bit to make it even easier (I'm super lazy, ha), but the flavor is all there. Anyway, it's become a total staple in our household. Everyone loves it. Assuming you're not dairy-intolerant (ha), give this nummy recipe a try. You won't regret it.



RECIPE: Penne Pasta Bake

Ingredients:
1 (16-oz) pkg penne pasta
2 c. sour cream
6 oz provolone cheese slices
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb ground beef
1 med yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (26-oz) jars marinara sauce

2-3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Set aside a 9x13 casserole dish (or two 8x8s).

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add penne pasta and cook until al dente; drain. Mix in sour cream and parm. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown diced onion, garlic, and ground beef over medium-high heat. Add spaghetti sauce and warm through.

Layer as follows: pasta, sauce, provolone, pasta, sauce. Then top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25 min at 350F or until cheese melts and bubbles/browns.



**Note: This freezes wonderfully!  Bake one 8x8 and save the other. Two meals in one! Bam! Or better yet, eat one and give one to a friend! :) Also, making earlier in the day and refrigerating works great. Just keep in mind that you'll have to bake it a little longer.

pinoli pasta bake

This is our knock off of a delicious pasta they used to serve at Firehouse, one of our favorite local eats. Derek especially loved it and would get it almost all the time. We thought we'd give it a go and try our own version. It wasn't quite the same, but it was pretty close- and quite tasty! Still, this version was a major hit with the whole family! We will definitely be making this again!

RECIPE: Pinoli Pasta Bake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 oz raw pine nuts

16 oz cellentani/radiatore pasta

2/3 c fresh basil, cut into strips

4 oz (1/2 jar) sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped

8 oz fresh Mozzarella Pearls 

6-8 oz Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Put a med pot of water (salted) on to boil. 

Toast the pine nuts. {I do this by dry heating the pine nuts in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly.} Set aside. Dice up the sun-dried tomatoes and mozza, if needed. Also set aside.

Once water is boiling, cook pasta -- only for 8ish minutes, though. It'll cook further in the oven. Drain.

Toss the pasta in the vinaigrette until well coated. Add in the tomatoes, basil, mozza and half the toasted pine nuts. Dump it all into a baking dish (9x13 or other). Top with the rest of the pinenuts. Bake at 400F until cheese is melted, bubbled and brown (about 15 min).

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Maybe add some basil for prettiness' sake. Serve warm.

Side Notes: 

My preferred balsamic dressing (I use 1/2 to 2/3 of the bottle) is

Brianna's New American Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. 

If you can't find Mozerella Pearls, you can just get fresh mozza and cut/tear it into pieces. I love the pearls, though, as I'm lazy. (You can find these in the deli section of most grocery stores.)

And most ingredients here are "ish" amounts. Add or subtract according to your own preferences.

spaghetti n' green beans

Nothing fancy. At least not around here. We don't even roll the ground beef into meatballs; we just throw the stuff in. But spaghetti is a go-to meal. It's quick. It's easy. It's hearty. It's delish. Did I mention it's quick?

Derek actually made this meal. I was baggin' and taggin' hairbows and was therefore indisposed. He's a wonderful husband... and as it turns out, a pretty good cook, too!

Note: We make spaghetti lots of ways {from scratch, from a jar, with meat, without meat, with lots of fresh veggies {ie. squash/zucchini-- highly recommended} from our garden, etc.}, but this is how we made it tonight. This is probably the quickest way to do it. Also, maybe it's just the way my mom always did things, but green beans and spaghetti seem like the perfect pair.


RECIPE: Spaghetti N' Green Beans

Ingredients:
spaghetti noodles {I honestly cannot tell you how much... I'm a HORRID judge of pasta quantities.}
1/2 - 1lb. ground beef
1 jar/can spaghetti sauce
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 can green beans

Directions:
Boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a 12-inch-ish frying pan. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Once meat is fully browned, dump in the spaghetti sauce. Mix well and leave on heat until warm. Nuke the green beans for a couple of minutes, or until hot. Serve everything warm, preferably with a glass of cold milk.

pizza pasta

I love the idea of pizza almost as much as the reality of it. It's easy. It's healthy {well, it can be}. And it feels like a party. I wanted to make something along these lines for dinner tonight, but I didn't have time to defrost the pizza dough (yes, we buy it in a frozen ball) nor the desire to make something so festive when Derek wouldn't be home with us to enjoy it. Instead, then, I made pizza pasta. It's easy, versatile and delicious! Just cook some pasta, drain it, then throw in some sauce and toppings of your choice. {Pizza toppings on a salad is also pretty yummy... but I'd skip the sauce and add some Ranch.} No need to follow my recipe to the T. It really is a super flexible dish. So roll up your sleeves, improvise and enjoy!



RECIPE: Pizza Pasta

Ingredients:

2 c. pasta {I used mostaccioli.}
1/2 c. pepperoni slices, quartered
1/2 c. green bell pepper, diced
1 c. mushrooms, diced
1/4 c. olives (black, pitted & sliced)
1/4 c. diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp. pizza seasoning (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. oregano (or to taste)
parmesan/mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add all other ingredients, mix well. Warm on the stove (med-high heat) until all are heated through. Top with cheese if desired. Serve warm.

homemade mac-n-cheese

I was blog-stalking this morning and came across a blog called The Black Apple and a post wherein she mentions that she love, love, loves mac-n-cheese but with one staple ingredient: nutmeg! I thought that was the most interesting {aka: weird} combo, but it also called to me. So when searching my cupboards and freezer for anything edible to eat for lunch, I thought I would try making my own mac-n-cheese. I'd never made a cheese sauce from scratch, but I figured it couldn't be that hard. Luckily, my "wingin' it" worked out to my advantage... because it was really good! Give this recipe a try. You'll be glad you did.



RECIPE: Homemade Mac-N-Cheese

Yield: 10 servings
Calories: 395 per

Ingredients:
16 oz. tube-ish pasta {I used 1 box ziti.}
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
salt/pepper, to taste
nutmeg {about 4 shakes it to taste}
10 oz. ham (apx 4 thick slices, cubed)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over high heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted and starting to boil, add flour, a little at a time. Whisk quickly to combine. Let the roux boil for about a minute, to cook out the "floury" taste. Add milk. Whisk to combine. Then add cheese and nutmeg, and again whisk to combine. Reduce heat and continue whisking until the sauce reaches desired consistency.

Drain pasta. Add sauce (a little at a time; you may not want all of it). Then add ham. Toss gently, and serve warm. Top with salt, pepper and/or nutmeg to taste.