Mini Taco Cups

This is the BEST appetizer to bring to a party...hands down!! I swear cause who doesn't like tacos?
Especially tacos in miniature form! Trust me even the kids will love them (although I don't think any of the kids at the party I brought these to even had a chance to try one!!!)





 Brown 1 Lbs of extra lean ground beef, add 1 package of Taco Seasoning (or make your own with Salt, Pepper, Onion & Garlic Powder, Chili Power and Cumin) with a 1/2 cup of water. Simmer. 

 While the beef is simmering add a half cup each of Black Beans and Corn. Once all liquid has been absorbed set aside the beef mixture.

 Using a muffin tray place 1 Wonton wrapper in the tray.

 Place a second diagonally...press down lightly so they form little wonton cups

 Now add your filling...I used a spoonful of refriend beans.

 Then the beef, corn, black bean mixture

 Then a little spoonful of salsa

 A dollop of sour cream

 And topped with Shredded Cheddar Cheese...pop these in the oven at 350F until the wonton wrappers are nicely browned.

 Garnish with a few snipped chives

Totally drool worthy!

Steak, Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Brie on Foccacia

I love making sandwich's for dinner...they are fast , yummy, and you can really pack a lot of flavour into them. This is one of my favourites (and Hubs too!!) because really...who doesn't like steak sandwich's!

Steak, Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Brie on Foccacia

 Take 1 Large Spanish Onion and thinly slice. Add to a saucepan on high heat with a drizzle of Olive Oil. Once the onions start to sweat a bit, turn the heat down to low and allow the onions to slowly caramelize (about 30 minutes)

 I like to add a splash of beer every so often to the onions while they are cooking. Gives them so much extra flavour. Once the onions are pretty brown, add 2 minced garlic cloves. Let them cook with the onions for about 5 minutes or so.

 In a second pan add about 2 Cups sliced cremini mushrooms with 1 tsp butter (medium high heat)

 Cook the mushrooms until they are nicely browned. Set these aside with your caramelized onions.

 Now for your steaks...since I wanted a quick (cheap) weeknight meal I used fast fry steaks. They are thin, cheap, and fast to cook. Great for sandwich's! Season the steaks with Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder.

 Heat up your pan on high with 1 tsp of butter.

 Add the steaks and fry quickly on both sides.

 I cooks these to a medium rare. Which is pretty fast since the steaks are so thin.

 You are now ready to assemble the sandwich. I like to use a rosemary foccacia, and since this bread is so dense, I only use 1 slice and make it an open faced sandwhich.

 Slice your bread on half and layer on the ingredients starting with the brie cheese. If I have it, I sometimes spread a little homemade garlic butter on the bread...but it doesn't really need it.

 Layer the Brie, Steak then top with the onions and mushrooms. Throw the whole sandwich under the broiler for a couple minutes to melt the cheese and toast the bread.

Serve with simple mixed greens and good quality balsamic vinegar. Super messy sandwich, perfect for eating with a knife and fork!

Weeknight Steak and Potatoes with Red Wine Reduction

Ever have the craving to make a fancier meal midweek? Then the fatigue of working long hours, and getting home late, and a can of soup takes over instead? Let me tell you this...a good meal doesn't always take long too cook!! This meal took us 20 minutes to cook and prepare. It was fast, easy and delish!

Before you start anything...Preheat your oven to 400F.
First I bought a bag of baby red potatos. I rinsed them and put them in a pot of boiling water. Boil these babies for about 10-12 minutes or until fork tender.

While the potatoes are boiling away you can start your steak. I like to use thick cut rib steaks (about 1 1/2-2 inches thick). Season the steaks on both sides with Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper

In an oven proof pan, set on high heat, add one teaspoon of butter

And the 2 steaks. You want to sear them on both sides quickly. About 1 minute per side.

Once you have seared both sides, place the whole pan in your preheated oven to continue cooking through. You can check the doneness of your steaks with a meat thermometer or by touch if you are confident enough ;)

While your steaks are in the oven, drain your boiled potatos and throw them in a saucepan with a little butter, fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper and 1 chopped green onion. Saute on Medium low Heat until you are ready to serve...making sure to stir every couple of minutes.

In a second pan saute some small button mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil. season with salt and pepper too.

Once the mushrooms are browned, oven your oven door and dump the mushrooms and any juices over your steaks to finish cooking with them.

Steaks are done! Remove the steaks and mushrooms from the pan and set aside to rest.

Using the juices left in the steak pan, add a couple splashes of red wine and reduce by half.

Serve with your sauteed potatoes and drizzle red wine reduction over steak and mushrooms.

The key to this meal is multi-tasking to get it done in 20 minutes!

Homestyle Chili

Ok Chili connoisseurs, look away because I like to break all the rules when it comes to my chili. I like beans in my chili, and lots of vegetables...so there!! I really don't have a specific recipe when it comes to making chili. I like to put in whatever i have in the fridge and experiment with different kinds of meats. Here is the version I made last week!

First crisp up about 6 thick cut slices of bacon, chopped.

 

 Once the bacon is crispy add 1 lb extra lean ground beef, 1 lb ground pork, and 1 lb stewing beef cut into bite size chunks. You will need a very large pot for this recipe...when i make chili I make enough to freeze for many more meals.

 While your meat is browning now is a good time to add your first round of spice mix. My spice mix contains 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp kosher salt. Double this mixture and use half now, reserve the other half for later.

 Once your meat is browned you can add your vegetables. 1 added 1 large onion, 3 stalks of celery, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 2 jalapenos and 5 cloves of garlic.

 I also found about 6 mushrooms in my fridge and added those as well.

Mix everything together and turn the heat down on low

 Now I like to add beans to my chili. They are high in fibre and a great way to get more protein in this dish. Today I added Red and White Kidney Beans and 1 can of Baked beans in molasses. Add the baked beans now but save the others for later.

Add 1 Can of Crushed tomatoes, 1 can of Tomato Paste, and 1 tbsp Brown sugar. Stir to combine.

 Cover your chili and let it cook on low for at LEAST 3 hours. The longer it simmers the more the flavours have a chance to come together.

One hour before serving add the White and Red kidney beans

 And the second half of your seasoning mix. Now is a great time to take a taste and see if you need more seasoning mix, or salt, or heat. Let this simmer for 1 more hour.

Serve with fresh scallions and a cornbread muffin (recipe for those later this week!) and park yourself somewhere warm and cozy. Really, this is the perfect fall/winter meal!

Sloppy Joe's a la Jenn

Or what we like to call them...Sloppy Jenn's :)

Growing up this was a staple in my family for weeknight meals. They were fast, yummy and a great way to hide vegetables! Plus, what kid doesn't love eating messy foods with their hands!!

Now that I am older, and have read what goes into the canned Sloppy Joe sauce, I decided that this is totally something that would benefit being made from scratch. The sodium and weird unpronounceable ingredients freak me out. Not to mention the taste just isn't the same anymore.

Here is a great, easy, tastier version of Sloppy Jenn's!

 In a large saucepan cook about 6 slices of chopped thick cup bacon until crispy and brown. Remove bacon from pan set aside on some paper towel. Leave the grease in the pan as well will be using the same pan to brown the meat.

 Finely chop 1 Onion, 1/2 Large Green Pepper, 1 Jalapeno and 1 garlic clove, set aside

 I found it best to make my sloppy joe sauce before I started anything else. That way it is ready to pour in once the meat is browned. For the sloppy joe sauce you will need 1/2 Cup Ketchup, 1 small can tomato paste, 1/2 Cup water, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, dash of cinnamon...really..just one shake of my shaker was enough, salt and pepper to taste

 Whisk to combine and set aside. The sauce will be pretty thick.

 In your bacon greased saucepan add 1/2lb ground turkey and 1/2lb extra lean ground sirloin along with all the pre-chopped veggies.

 Brown on medium high heat, stirring frequently

 Once meat is browned lower the heat to medium low and add back your pre-cooked bacon

 And then the sauce

 Cook covered for about 10-15 minutes. If the mixture get too dry you can add a bit more water...or in my case..we added about a 1/4 cup of beer and simmered for an extra 10 minutes.

Serve on a crusty kaiser bun with sharp cheddar grated on top. Perfectly messy supper~~and done in about 30 minutes!