Mongolian Beef Ramen

 I used this recipe from Delish to make Mongolian Beef Ramen. It is so simple and delicious! 

 Ingredients

• 3 package instant ramen, flavor pack discarded
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lb. sirloin steak, sliced against the grain
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 c. chicken (or beef) broth
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

 

 Instructions

1. Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add beef to skillet and cook until seared about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sesame oil to skillet and stir in garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute then add soy sauce, brown sugar, and broth. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add broccoli and carrots then cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Return beef to skillet and stir until completely coated in sauce. Stir in cooked ramen noodles, red pepper flakes, and green onions. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

 

Creamy Tortellini Soup

This delicious soup came from the Damn Delicious blog. I made a few alterations to make it a little friendlier to my dietary needs. I'll go ahead and leave the original recipes for my milk and cheese lovers, and include my alterations in parentheses. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock (reduced sodium)
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated three cheese tortellini (I used a tomato and oregano tortellini from Aldi, it was good, but I think the cheese is probably better!)
• 1/2 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (I like to use oatmilk or oatmilk creamer when I can find it)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
2. Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in tortellini; cover and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and basil until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Serve immediately.

Instant Pot Instructions: 

1. Set Instant Pot to saute setting.
2. Drizzle olive oil into the pot and add Italian sausage and cook until browned, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat (if using a milk substitute, you may want to leave a little grease in the bottom, since you're losing fat from the heavy cream).
3. Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent; season with salt and pepper, to taste. (I did not add any salt to this recipe. I think it would be fine to leave the salting to the individual taster. I also did not need to add pepper, as I used hot sausage)
4. Stir in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
5. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato sauce. 
6. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then a controlled quick release.
7. When the pin drops open the lid. 
8. Stir in tortellini, kale, heavy cream (or milk substitute), and basil until heated through. (You could add the cream and tortellini first, and then the kale and basil after about 5-8 minutes, once your tortellini has had time to cook.)
9. Serve immediately (season with salt and pepper, to taste).

Pumpkin Spice Cake

This cake was an unexpected delight! I made it from a couple of things I had in my cupboards, hoping that it would turn out well. It was better than expected! I adapted this recipe from this Skip to my Lou recipe.  This can be made as cupcakes, or as cake. Choose your preference.

Cake Ingredients

• spice cake mix
• 1 can pumpkin
• 3 eggs

Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c butter (I used a little more, since it was a little dry)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
2. Mix cake ingredients (I used a hand mixer). 
3. Prep your cake batter (in pan or cupcake tins).
4. If you're adding streusel topping, do so before putting it in the oven.
5. Cook until you get a clean knife or toothpick from the center.
• Cupcakes: approx. 15-18 min
• 8x8 Cake: approx. 45-60 min (mine took 60)
• 9x13 Cake: approx 25-30 min

Notes

If you prefer cream cheese frosting, you can add that after baking.

**Could be made gluten free with gluten free cake mix.

(Dairy-Free) Zuppa Toscana

I have a friend who makes a delicious version of Zuppa Toscana (to be honest, I've never had it at the Olive Garden!), so I finally decided to try it myself. I decided to try oatmilk creamer in place of the heavy cream. Also, there are versions with bacon as well, which I'm sure is delicious, but I left it out of my recipe (bacon is not a necessity for me most days).

I borrowed ideas and measurements from this tablespoon.com recipe and this one from thechunkychef.com. The Chunky Chef link will give you lots of tips and options, as well as instructions to use on the stovetop, crockpot, and instant pot. I made mine in the instant pot, but used more of the recipe from tablespoon.com. In either recipe, oatmilk creamer could be substituted for the heavy cream - or cream it up, if that's what you like!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 medium (yellow) onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T flour
• 2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken broth (I used low sodium)
• 6 russet potatoes (cut in half lengthwise, then in 1/4" inch slices)
• 1 cup oatmilk creamer (can use heavy cream, if not dairy-free)
• 6 cups torn kale (about half of a bunch)
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes

Instructions (Instant Pot)

1. Set Instant Pot to saute setting.
2. Drizzle olive oil and add Italian sausage. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is lightly browned (around 5 min), making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks.
3. Drain excess grease (I didn't have a lot of extra grease, so I left it, adding a little fat to make up for my oatmilk creamer having less fat).
4. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions become soft (about 3-5 min).
5. Sprinkle flour over mixture, and stir in completely.
6. Add potatoes and chicken broth.
7. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then a controlled quick release.
8. When the pin drops, open the lid.
9. Add oatmilk and kale, and stir together.
10. Serve. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Chocolate "Cheese Cake"

This recipe was my aunt Betty Motley's recipe. I totally forgot to take pictures of what it turned out like, but it was beautiful and delicious! I do have a couple that my mom sent me (this was her Mother's Day request), because they loved it so much! So, you get to see this lovely dessert with my even lovelier grandma!

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 stick butter (melt)
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1 1/4 c. pecans

Filling:

• 1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 large carton Cool Whip
• 2 small pkg Instant Chocolate Pudding

Instructions

To make the crust:

1. Mix ingredients.
2. Press into 9x13" pan.
3. Bake 15 min. at 350 degrees.

To make the filling:

1. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together.
2. Add 1/2 large carton of Cool Whip.
3. Spread on crust.
4. Mix pudding according to pkg instructions.
5. Pour over cream cheese mixture.
6. Top with remaining whipped cream.

Accompanying this final photo was a "What are you bringing next weekend?" message. 

Turtle Cheesecake

This cheesecake was a major hit at Thanksgiving this year! I adapted this recipe from the Barefeet in the Kitchen blog. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (about 1 cup finely crushed, gluten free cookies work fine)
• 5 tablespoons butter melted
• 3/4 cup caramel sauce (I did not measure this, and just used a drizzle-y caramel sauce from the store)
• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted if desired

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees (this can wait until you put the crust in the refrigerator, unless your oven needs more than 15 minutes to pre-heat). 
• Crush the oreo cookies - I love using a food processor to do this! You can also put it in a large freezer-weight ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or something else hard enough). 
• Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-10" springform pan. Pour 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over this crust and spread it out lightly with a spatula. Refrigerate the caramel coated crust for 10 minutes.
• Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until each one is blended. 
• Pour this mixture over the refrigerated crust. Place the spring-form pan on a large baking sheet prior to placing it in the oven. (If you line the baking sheet with foil first, clean up will be a breeze.) Some of the caramel in the crust will drip through the pan onto your oven if you forget the baking sheet - this is very important.
• Bake 65 - 70 minutes, until the center is almost set. Run a knife around the edges of the pan while it is still warm. Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before removing the sides of the pan.
• Once the sides of the pan have been removed, sprinkle the pecans across the top of the cheesecake and then drizzle with the remaining caramel and the melted chocolate. Store remaining cheesecake in the refrigerator.