Elizabeth Obsesses...

Beefaroni:  A new take on a childhood classic I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I used to love Chef Boyardee Beefaroni when I was a child. My mother used to split one can between my brothers and I and we would each get a little piece of toast to go along with it.  It was so good! Somewhere along the way, I grew up and had children of my own.  One afternoon I wanted to recreate for them one of the meals I loved as a child.  So, I bought a can of this magic stuff and warmed it slowly in a sauce pan while toasting some bread.  I set the table and sat down with my kids to share in this meal from my childhood...and wondered what the hell happened.  This was not delicious.  In fact, this stuff was awful!  And Orange!  The noodles had a weird fake texture...and the meat?  Just what kind of meat was that , anyway?  It didn't taste like beef at all!  Needless to say, that was the end of that. But what if it didn't have to be , I wondered to myself.  So I set out t

Philly-style Steak Sandwiches All Winter, I've been waiting for snow.  I mean, a really good snowfall that would completely shut the roads down encourage us to stay inside and keep warm. Well, this past week it finally arrived!  I was so excited with anticipation that I planned out our snow-day food in advance.  Yeah, not kidding here...just tryin' to keep it real. The plan was to make something hearty, warm, and filling.  This was important because I knew that guy I have a huge crush on would be out shoveling the driveway and sidewalk and I wanted to make something he'd especially love:  Philly-style Steak Sandwiches.   My take on these delicious sandwiches is a little different because it's even heartier than the original IMHO.   I use tender fork-shredded chuck roast slow cooked all day in a delicious marinade which is then reduced to sandwich-ready perfection.  To really top it all off, I served it with my homemade  hand-cut French Fries .   Man food at it

Romertopf White Bread:  The easiest loaf of bread you'll ever make! Clay pots or earthen-ware may be the oldest type of cookware ever found.  In fact, they've been unearthed by archaeologists at historic sites all over the world!  We know that these ancient civilizations put these clay pots in the glowing embers of fires, and used them to bake, roast, poach, and braise all sorts of meals.   I admit that I'm new to clay pot cooking.  My mother-in-law gave me a beautiful covered Romertopf roaster for Christmas and when I started learning about how to use it, all I could think about was bread .  I make a lot of bread in my oven, but I was incredibly excited to try it in a clay pot!  After all, I reasoned, this would have to be as close to an authentic brick oven as I was likely to get, and I couldn't wait to get started. The basic bread recipe, which was included with my cookware, was the first one I tried.  Because you soak both pieces of the clay pot p

Vegetable Lo Mein Lo Mein is a delicious Chinese dish, featuring sliced vegetables and soft noodles that are stir fried and married in a sauce, bringing everything together.  I love it because it's so versatile.  You can make it as an accompaniment to a main course, or it can even be the main course by simply adding some meat to the mix.  It's simple because you can use whatever you have on hand and it always seems to work .  Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients.  It literally takes 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of sizzle, before you'll be eating and wondering why you didn't try this sooner. I'm always looking for food the whole family will enjoy that's easy to prepare on my busy work night evenings but tastes like I spent all day cooking.  This one came together in a flash, and everyone loved it.   Everyone!  I wasn't sure my sons would try it...not only did they try it, they loved it so much I had to stop them from eating it

Taco phyllo poppers with creamy Chobani yogurt If you're looking for a super easy Super Bowl snack that is equally delicious and beautiful, look no further - you've got to try these taco bites!  Whether you plan on having a big party or it's just you and your family, these mini tacos make the perfect treat. It only takes about 20 minutes to brown ground beef and assemble these treats, but if you plan ahead and "feed your freezer" it takes even less time.   "Feeding your freezer" is one of my favorite time saving techniques where you do the prep work up front and freeze the results for nights when you don't have time.   For example, when I go to the big warehouse stores, I buy five pounds of ground beef at a time! When I get it home, I brown it all in a big dutch oven with onions, but no other seasonings.  After all, it doesn't take that much more time to brown five pounds of meat than it does to brown one! Once it's all browned, I s

Chobani Vanilla Cheesecake Bites The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and I'm already obsessing about my menu.  After all, the Super Bowl is the um...well, it's the  Super Bowl of cooking holidays!   I know some people might think that Thanksgiving  is the center of the cooking world, but they'd be wrong.  While I love roasting turkey and making all the sides, being constrained by tradition is not nearly as fun as coming up with an outrageously different feast filled with amazing entrees and appetizers for hungry masses every year ! This year, I'm whipping up these delicious vanilla cheesecake bites using vanilla flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt in the batter.  They are amazing and turned out even better than I imagined.  So good, they may just be my new "go-to" cheesecake recipe. Now - what is everyone else having for Super Bowl Sunday?  I need some more ideas, so please respond in the comments! Chobani Vanilla Cheesecake Bites Choban

Chobani Chicken Fingers with Chipotle Chobani Dip  Years ago, when I was a new mom,  I made it a point to keep a bag of frozen chicken tenders in the freezer for nights when I just didn't have the time to get a "real" dinner on the table.  I thought this was a good mom thing because it kept us out of the local drive-throughs.  Those days are a distant memory now for two reasons:  first, I learned how easy it is to whip up delicious fresh chicken fingers  from scratch and second, my children will no longer tolerate anything that's not "home-made".  I laugh about it, but they're quite serious.  They know the difference and now they won't let me live it down ! These chicken tenders are made using Chobani Greek Yogurt as a base in the marinade instead of buttermilk.   Like buttermilk, it helps to tenderize the meat, adds flavor, and helps to retain the moisture in the chicken throughout the cooking process.  While buttermilk is tangy, the yogurt

Chobani Ranch Dressing Whether you're dipping chicken strips or fresh vegetables, Ranch Dressing is king in my book.  Especially when it's homemade.  So when Chobani contacted me about helping them come up with great game day recipes to support their #madewithchobani  #deliciousbowl campaign, I knew that I wanted to start with one of my favorite things:  Ranch Dressing. This version is healthier than ones with sour cream, but thankfully you don't have to sacrifice great taste for great health .  It has far less fat and is a great source of protein, too.   Even my kids couldn't get enough!   It only takes less than ten minutes to whip up, and it's far better than the bottled or powdered versions you find in the condiment aisle of the supermarket. This recipe is for a basic ranch dressing, but you can spice it up to suit your own tastes by adding ingredients like jalepenos, dill, chives, chipotle, or rosemary.  The possibilities are truly endless. Choban

Super Moist Carrot Cake Although it's been around since the latter part of the 1800's, Carrot Cake didn't become widely available in American diners until the 1960's - and then it was viewed primarily as a novelty item.  But when viewed under the shimmering light of disco balls with the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever playing in the background, this dessert hit it's stride and achieved righteous cult status in the 1970's.  What I'm saying is Carrot Cake is to the 1970's what Salted Caramel is to the 2010's.   With it's bold orangey color, it could hardly miss.  It fits right in with zig-zag print couches and plaid pants. I guess I'm just a sucker for the '70's because it's always been fashionable in my eyes.  With it's perfect blend of Autumnal spices and a thick layer of vanilla bean speckled cream cheese frosting, this is *the* perfect dessert for any occasion.  Whether you're hosting a dinner or just feedi

Big news over here! The Chobani Yogurt company emailed me this evening asking me to participate in their Superbowl campaign by developing game day food items and blogging about them. I'm so excited, I just had to share the news! So, be on the lookout for some exciting new recipes over the next two weeks!

Chipotle Chicken Tacos So, earlier this week I made these chipotle chicken tacos, and they were really amazing.   As I mentioned in  Mango Salsa  post, we're having a cold snap here in Delaware, and I'm trying to bring back the tastes and smells of Summer with some really good hot weather food.  It was too cold to stand out and grill them like I would ordinarily ( and by that, I mean like my husband would ordinarily, lol ), so I pan seared them in a screaming hot skillet, then popped them in a 375F oven for 20 minutes.  That's it!  A quick peek inside revealed that they were cooked to juicy perfection. If this was the only meal I could eat every day for the rest of my life, I would be totally okay with that.   In my opinion, the spicy, smoky chipotle peppers are the shining star of this dish, and I use them to make a marinade for the chicken.   Because these guys are bringing the heat, I temper them with a good amount of honey along with a host of other good stuff:  g

Mango Salsa This past week an Arctic Blast has whipping through Delaware, and it has been so c-o-l-d.  While I know other parts of the country have it worse, but here on the East Coast, we don't usually see temperatures that low.   They even had a 2-hour delay for most of the area schools because the temperature was only 10F in the morning. I decided that if I couldn't get the weather to cooperate, I'd bring some color and a little bit of heat back in the form of this bright, citrusy treat.  If you're anything like me, you're looking at this Mango Salsa and longing for the warmer nights of Summer.  The bright flavors and combination of ingredients balance the heat of the Jalepenos perfectly.  Served with warmed tortilla chips or alongside a chicken breast marinated in my  honey chipotle sauce, you can't go wrong.    This recipe can't get any easier and it only takes ten minutes to whip up. Now, I need other recipes to help us warm up!  If you have