Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Whoever invented these little babies should be knighted.  Or given the Nobel Peace Prize.

SOMETHING.

So, this recipe is one that my mom gave me.  My husband loooooves these things. They are super decadent and gooey and chocolatey. And really easy.

Here's the recipe:

4 squares of Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate OR 2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (which is the cheaper route)

1/2 cup of butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs + 2 egg yolks

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp flour

Cocoa Powder

A wee bit more powdered sugar (like a Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter 4 (3/4cup) custard cups (you can also use shortening for this if you want). Dust each one with cocoa powder & place on a cookie sheet.

Microwave the chocolate & butter for 1 minute or until the butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Stir in the powdered sugar until well blended. Add the eggs & yolks. Stir in the flour.

Divide evenly into the 4 cups.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. The sides should be firm, but the centers will be a little jiggly. Let them stand for 1 min.

Run a knife (or skinny, skinny spatula or spreader) along the insides of the cups. Invert onto a plate or bowl. Dust with some powdered sugar & scoop some vanilla ice cream next to it.

What a vision. Ahhhhhhmazing!!

I Like Shrimp.

Seafood used to really freak me out. Not eating it, cooking it. Especially shrimp for some reason.

It's really good stuff though and pretty versatile.

I can grab a bag of frozen uncooked shrimp, 50-60 large count at Walmart for under $6.

This time I marinated it in a Sesame Ginger Marinade (Kroger) for about 15 minutes. I sauteed some garlic, yellow squash & zucchini in butter and olive oil. Toss in the shrimp for a few minutes and voila! Dinner is done. I served it along with some rice pilaf.

Mmmmmm...Steak. Salad.

Steak is a bit of a rare commodity in this house. Too bad, because I can put away a steak like it's no one's business. I come from red meat lovin' people.

I made the husband a steak salad for Father's Day...well, I actually made it for his "One Day Late Because You Were Outside All Night Working On The Kid's Clubhouse On Sunday...Dinner". He's such a good dad...spent his day making a rad pirate clubhouse for our little beasts.

This was easy peasy.  I used a 1.5lb sirloin steak. It's a cheaper cut of meat. Cost me just under $7.

I seasoned it and tossed it on the grill for about 9 minutes (4 on one side, 5ish on the other).

Then I took a bagged salad:

Mixed it with some Roma tomatoes & sliced red onion.

I tossed it all in some Balsamic Dressing. This stuff is phenomenal.

Then I sliced up the steak, put a few strips on top of the salad and topped it with bleu cheese. I love bleu cheese so very, very much.

Done.

Here's the pic again. Just because it's pretty.

Dad's Sausage & Peanut Butter Sandwiches

I am a Daddy's Girl. I always have been, always will be.
So you can imagine that being 1086.36 miles away from him on Father's Day is tough.
But instead of pouting about the distance, I put on my big girl pants and made me some of his crazy delicious breakfast sammies. These things are so good it's stupid. I looooove them.

Here's what you need:

Breakfast sausage (I use the links)
English muffins
Butter
Peanut Butter...smooth or crunchy.

Cook up the sausage. Toast up the muffins. Slather a bunch of butter and peanut butter on the English muffin. Place the sausage on the muffin...squish together and inhale,

Seriously...SO good. You must make them. Now. I promise I'll send your thanks on over to my Dad.

Stoked!

I am super excited about this week's menu! I have a crazy good roast made with pepperoncinis and BEER! Then I'm going to do a steak & potato salad for the hubs on Father's Day. I will also be sharing with you all THE best meal my dad ever made for me (Well, besides his tri tip)...Sausage & Peanut Butter Sandwiches. They are delightfully delightful. I have been dreaming about them and it's been a long time since they've graced me with their presence. So in honor of my Pops...I'm making them.

I'll post the recipes soon! Yay!

Curried Coconut Chicken w/ Rice

I am totally obsessed with this dish.

It's not spicy, but could be easily if you'd like it to be. I think the flavor is just fantastic. Even the kiddos like it! In fact, we're eating it as I type and Austin (my oldest) just told me how good he thinks his dinner is. One more point for mom.

Here's the recipe:

2 lbs chicken breast - cut into chunks

1 1//2 Tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin)

2 1/2 Tbsp curry powder

1/2 large onion

3 garlic cloves

1 can (14oz) coconut milk

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Paprika

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook 1 cup of rice (I do white rice) according to the package directions.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.             

Heat the olive oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add the chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cinnamon, paprika and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 minutes.  Uncover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve over the rice.

It is such a lovely flavor...that's the best word to describe it. Just lovely.
Try it! It's a great dish if curries scare you...it was the first one that I tried and I'm so glad that I did!

White Bean & Tuna Salad

This was surprisingly fresh, light and super delish! I found the recipe on another blog that I just adore. Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She has some fantastic recipes on there...great stuff.

Anyway, I followed the recipe pretty closely...just a couple tweaks. Here's how I did it:

*Makes about 6 cups of salad

1 red onion (chopped)
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 (5 or 6-ounce each) cans of tuna
3 (15-ounce each) cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
A few splashes of Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt and olive oil to taste

In a small bowl, sprinkle some of the lemon juice over the chopped onions while you prepare the other ingredients. This will take some of the oniony edge off the onions.

Drain the tuna and put it into a large bowl. Add the beans to the tuna and gently stir to combine. Add the onions, parsley, cheese, black pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix to combine. Add Tabasco or hot sauce to taste. If the salad needs more acid, add a little more lemon juice. If the salad seems a little dry, add a little bit of olive oil. Add salt to taste.

I toasted up some sourdough bread drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of cheddar. 

I served the salad on the bread. 

I really, really loved this. It was very filling, yet light. The flavor was not really what I expected, so it was a nice surprise and change to good old tuna salad.

The recipe made a TON, so I'll gladly be snacking on it today.

Hello my friends!

I have returned from....well, nowhere actually. I'd like to think that I have a crazy busy life full of spectacular adventures (does keeping your two-year old from mistaking deer poop as jelly beans count as that?) and that is why I've been on blogging hiatus. Actually, I've just been busy with family and normal every day life (in other words...laundry and other various chores).

Anyway, here I am and I am going to try and get back into doing this thing. Since my last post, I have acquired a 2nd 4 legged beast that thinks she needs to eat her weight (plus mine) in food each day. Dogs are fun, aren't they? :) Needless to say, my budget has changed a bit. Not by too much, but I have had to adjust to the extra mouth and the fact that my two kiddos eat as much as teenagers (oh how I fear those years!) now.

My weekly budget is now $100...but this has to include dog food, diapers, paper goods, toiletries, etc. As usual, it's a challenge. I've even come around to using the occasional coupon....GASP! It's all good. I'm not trying to be a grocery hoarder or willing to stand at the checkout for 2hrs in order to get my 18 bottles of Scope for free. I just want $0.50 off of my coffee creamer, thanks.

Okie Dokie. Let's do this thing.

This week summer has decided to grace us here in Colorado with it's presence. About dang time.  That being said, I do not have a/c and the thought of cooking over a hot stove just about makes me break out in hives. I'm going to try and cook all week without using anything other than the grill or crock pot. Well, I may have to throw a bowl of beans in the microwave once or twice...but that's still not the stove. This is what my menu looks like for the moment:

Fri - Cheese Burgers, corn on the cob, baked beans
Sat - Pineapple Chicken Salsa w/ tortillas
Sun - Grilled shrimp skewers, rice pilaf
Mon - Hot dogs (I don't feel so ghetto about hot dogs any more.  I have discovered the glory of all beef dogs and now wonder what the heck I have been feeding my family for the past few years. I am a changed woman.)
Tue - BBQ Chicken, baked potatoes, grilled bread
Wed - Mel's Tuna & White Bean salad over grilled sourdough
Thur - Baked beans & sausage

Wish me luck! Tomorrow is shopping day!