Carne Asada Tacos

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo a day late in our house this year.  I forgot to marinate the steak in time, so rather than rush, we waited until seis de Mayo to enjoy this winning dinner. This was a fantastic change from our more regular chicken tacos. I think I could probably eat these tacos every day and never get tired of them.  The steak was that good. This was my first time making carne asada, so I don't have anything to compare with, but I really think this recipe was perfect! 

Source: For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients:

Carne Asada Marinade:

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs of flank steak
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 lime, juiced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 4-5 cloves garlic minced

Taco Ingredients:

• tortillas
• Cotija cheese
• Guacamole
• corn
• red onion
• roma tomato
• cilantro
• juice of 1 lime
• salt to taste
• jalapeno (optional)

Directions:   Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a gallon size ziploc bag and marinate the steak for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.   Grill the steak to according to your liking. After grilling, let the steak rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into thin strips, across the grain.   While the steak is resting, make the guacamole. Next make the pico by mixing chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, corn (I used thawed frozen corn, but fresh would be even better), and the lime juice. Add salt to taste and if you want a little heat, add jalapeno.   Next, warm the tortillas and assemble the tacos with the steak, guacamole, pico, and cheese. Enjoy!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes for Krystal's Virtual Baby Shower

Today I'm offering this sweet treat in honor of a sweet baby boy who is about to take Krystal (from Mrs. Regueiro's Plate) & Eric's family of three to a party of four. I was excited to be invited to participate in this Virtual Cupcake Themed Shower to celebrate their new addition. Does it get any better than babies and cupcakes?!  If you haven't 'met' Krystal, you really need to visit her blog and see for yourself how talented she is in the kitchen and with her camera, making amazing crafts, and on top of all that, what a great mother and wife she is. She really does it all! This baby boy is going to be blessed.

When I heard the theme was cupcakes (Krystal calls her baby boy Cupcake), I decided to use pineapple as my main ingredient & flavor to go along with the thought about pineapple bringing on labor. I know it's just an old wives tale, but it doesn't hurt to try, right? Exactly one year ago today, on May 6th, I was pregnant with my son.  38+ weeks. Miserable.  I ate fresh pineapple, walked a mile under the full moon (the Super Moon!), and was holding my baby boy less than 48 hours later. Just throwing that out there, Krystal. ;)

Congratulations again, Krystal! I can't wait to watch your babies grow!

Please visit Eva Bakes to see the other fantastic cupcakes for Krystal's Virtual Shower. Thank you, Eva, for hosting a fun shower!

Source: The Kitchen is My Playground

Ingredients:
1 (14 to 15 oz.) can pineapple rings, drained with juice reserved
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
1/8 c. pineapple juice, reserved from draining pineapple
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 T. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. whole milk (I used 1%)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Maraschino cherries for garnish

Directions:

Topping:  

Combine brown sugar, butter, and pineapple juice in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved.  

Remove from heat and stir in ground cinnamon.  Set aside.

 

Cupcakes:  

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat on slow speed until everything is combined and you have a crumb mixture with a sandy consistency. Gradually pour in half of the milk; beat until the milk is just incorporated.

Whisk together the remaining milk (1/4 cup), egg, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and beat until all ingredients are just incorporated. Beat for about another 30 seconds to one minute until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.

Assembly & Baking:  

Generously grease 12 muffin cups with butter.  Spoon a scant tablespoon of brown sugar topping into each muffin cup and top with a pineapple ring. (The pineapple rings were too big to fit into my muffin pan, so I had to cut a section out of each ring to make it smaller.)  Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. Spoon in cupcake batter until cups are 2/3 full.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until light golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool slightly in the pan.

Remove cupcakes from the pan.  While still warm, run a knife around the edge of each cupcake.  Then gently scoop each cupcake out of its muffin cup with a spoon and place inverted on a platter.  Spoon any pineapple bits and brown sugar topping that remain behind in the pan over the inverted cupcakes.

Refried Beans

If it were up to me, we would eat Mexican food every day. I never get tired of it. Tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, nachos, and burrito bowls are all on regular rotation in our house.  I have used canned refried beans in many of the meals, but not really as a side on their own. I mean, it looks a little too much like cat food, right?  I've now learned that making your own refried beans is actually very easy and the taste is far superior to the canned variety (no surprise there!).  These take about 20 minutes from start to finish. The flavor of these homemade beans is just like you get in a Mexican restaurant - perfectly smooth and creamy and completely fabulous. (I used an immersion blender at the end with some extra chicken broth to get every lump out).

I did change one part of the original recipe.  It called for 2 slices of bacon in the beginning and then to use the bacon fat to continue with the recipe.  We rarely buy bacon, and I didn't really want chunks of bacon in the beans anyway, so I went with a little bit of butter instead. Next time I will make a larger batch (maybe in the crockpot?) so we can freeze extra portions.

This recipe is part of the latest installment for the What's Cooking Recipe Swap, hosted by Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking. Coincidentally, I received Sarah's blog as my swap. Talk about choices...she has hundred and hundreds, (or thousands?!) of fantastic recipes to choose from. Thank you, Sarah, for a great recipe and hosting another round!

Source: Slightly modified from A Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 1½ cups cooked pinto beans)
• 1 cup chicken or veggie broth, divided
• 1/4 cup salsa (optional)
• Shredded cheese and sliced scallions, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan.  Add the onion to the pan and cook until just tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the beans to the pan. Pour in about 2/3 cup of the broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to a light simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the beans are soft enough to mash easily.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the salsa if using, and mash the bean mixture as desired. For a chunkier texture, use a fork or potato masher. For a smoother texture, pulse the mixture in a food processor. Add up to 1/3 cup more broth for a lighter texture if needed. Adjust seasonings to taste. Top with shredded cheese and sliced scallions. Serve.

Be sure to check out the other great recipes from the What's Cooking Swap this week!


Lighter Lasagna Soup

Here we go with another round of the Recipe Swap (Hosted by Sarah from A Taste of Home Cooking) - Blogger's Choice style. I took a break for a few months to participate in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats because I didn't want to over commit myself and miss the deadlines. Now that the holidays are over, I'm ready to try some new recipes. I was pretty excited to receive Ashley's blog, Cheese Curd in Paradise, again. The last time we swapped, I made these Strawberries & Cream Muffins from her blog. They were out of this world! I really just wanted to make them again, but I'm not sure if that is against the Swap rules or not.  ;)  Sooo...I'm choosing a lighter meal this time because we have a beach trip coming up in March and I know I could stand to shave a few calories from my diet!  Just like the muffin recipe, this Lighter Lasagna Soup was an absolute winner! Can you think of a more perfect comfort dinner for a cold night? It tastes just like lasagna, but requires less time and effort.  Oh, and check out the calories and nutrition details below. You won't feel guilty after eating this. Thanks again, Ashley, for a new favorite!

Source: The Deen Bros

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 32 oz container chicken broth
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4-5 noodles)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the Parmesan.  

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving (1 cup) 225 Cal (27% from Fat, 42% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 23 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 4 g Sugar; 108 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 826 mg Sodium; 53 mg Cholesterol

Chocolate Malt Cake

Today is Aaron's birthday! We celebrated over the weekend by going to dinner with family and coming back to our house for this Chocolate Malt Cake. I was looking for something different to make, but knew it had to be chocolate. That was his only request. I had a few cakes in mind, but after hearing him say how good a chocolate malt sounded last week, I decided that would be the flavor of the cake.  Everyone loved the malt flavor. It tasted just like the chocolate malts we get from UDF in the Summer. I decided to add a layer of ganache on top. Besides making your cake that much more fancy, it will also cover up any unsmooth frosting. :)

I wish I had more time to get a decent picture, but we had a rushed day and I took this at the last second before cutting into the cake. I'm sure we'll make this again and hopefully I can get a better picture then!

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Source: Paula Deen as seen on Bakergirl

Ingredients:
Cake

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup malted milk powder
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Malt Frosting

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup malted milk powder
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• Garnish: malted milk balls

Ganache:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.
In the bowl of an electric mixture, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, oil, and eggs to flour mixture, beating at medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.  Let the ganache cool and thicken.
Spread the frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Carefully pour the ganache over the top and spread to the edges to let it drip down the sides of the cake. Garish with malted milk balls, if desired.