Sunday, December 6, 2009

Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice


Mike sampled this at our grocery store, Publix, and came home with the recipe card for me because he thought it was so good. So, I decided to give it a shot. It turned out really well and I will definitely be making this again soon.

Beef and Broccoli
12 oz fresh broccoli florets, rinsed
1 1/2 lb beef skirt steak
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp ginger spice blend paste
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lite soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry (I omitted)
1) Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces; place in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until almost desired tenderness. Meanwhile, slice steak thinly.
2) Preheat large saute pan on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pan; stir to coat. Add steak, garlic and ginger paste; cook 3-4 minutes or until meat is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. While steak cooks, combine remaining ingredients (except broccoli) in a small bowl until well blended.
3) Stir broccoli and sauce mixture into beef. Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens and broccoli is desired tenderness.
Fried Rice
1 3/4 cups of reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp lite soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 green onions, rinsed and sliced thinly
1 medium red bell pepper, rinsed and cut into 1/4" pieces
2 cups instant brown rice
1 cup of frozen green peas and carrots
1) Combine broth, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large saute pan. Bring to a boil.
2) Stir rice into boiling broth mixture and return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3) Remove from heat; stir in onions, peppers, peas and carrots. Cover and let stand for 5-7 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with fork and serve.

Halloween Treats!

Ok, it's been way too long since my last post but I really do want to get back in the habit of updating so I'll start with my 2 recent Halloween treats that I made to take over to a friend's house for a get together. I saw both of these in my Taste of Home magazine and couldn't resist.



Strawberry Ghosts


30 fresh strawberries, washed and dried
8 oz white baking chocolate, chopped
1 tsp shortening
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Melt white chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth; stir in almond extract.
2) Dip strawberries in chocolate mixture; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet, allowing excess chocolate to form ghosts' tails. Immediately press chocolate chips into coating for eyes. Freeze for 5 minutes.
3) Melt remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip a toothpick into melted chocolate and draw a mouth on each face. Refrigerate until needed.



Source: Taste of Home



Next up, a Pumpkin Torte. This got rave reviews and is so easy to make. Delicious! I made it again for Thanksgiving because it is so good. The frosting part is my favorite because it is so light and fluffy.



Pumpkin Torte
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 80z package cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
16 oz frozen cool whip/whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I omitted this time)

1) In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice; beat on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9" round baking pans.
2) Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3) In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, remaining pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
4) Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with fourth of the filling. Repeat layers 3 times. Drizzle with caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator.


Source: Taste of Home