Stuffed Flank Steak

I made this new recipe this evening and I did like it but I felt that the red pepper over-powered the rest of the ingredients and flavors; I even used less red pepper. Instead of a whole red bell pepper I only used a third. All I could taste was steak and red pepper. I was hoping for a more cohesive dish where I would taste a pop of all the other ingredients and flavors-stuffing, garlic, onion, mushroom, etc. I found this recipe in my mom's recipe collection over the holidays, but the original recipe was submitted by BarbiAnn to Safeway.com.

2 c. dry stuffing mix (1 box Stove Top)
1 c. boiling water
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/2 lb. flank steak, pounded thin for easy rolling
2 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped (I only used 1/3 of the pepper)
1 (10.5 oz.) can mushroom gravy (I used a packet of dry mushroom gravy mix and made it according to the instructions for making and added the recipe ingredients)
1/4 c. red wine or apple juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine stuffing, water and butter. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes. Spoon stuffing onto steak, leaving a 1-inch border. Add green onion and red bell pepper (I actually mixed them into the stuffing to get a more even mix).
3. Roll from long edge of steak and secure with wooden toothpicks. Place steaks seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish.
4. In a separate bowl, combine gravy, wine or apple juice, garlic and cheese. Mix well and pour over the steak.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, remove from oven and let stand before slicing.

4 servings

NOTES: Instead of one flank steak, I had a package of three smaller flank steaks. We found the dish to be very filling. Each steak was cut in half and then each half into 4 slices. Half of one of these stuffed steaks was quite enough for each of us, so ultimately we got 6 servings out it, plus about 1/3 of the stuffing left over that didn't fit into the steaks. Because we used smalled steaks, I think the baking time should have been less; they seemed to be a little over-cooked and not quite as tender as I would have liked-the disadvantage of using small steaks instead of one large one. Overall, it was a good recipe but not a favorite.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: 496 calories, 29.4g fat, 71mg cholesterol, 1129mg sodium, 28.8g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 25.8g protein.

Mom's Tex-Mex Snack Mix

I love this snack mix and my mom makes it every year at Christmas time. I don't think it is actually her recipe, I believe she got it out of a magazine or something at one point but it was many years ago; most likely a Chex recipe. Many of you have probably had it, too, but I thought I'd share it anyway. There is another one I really like-Muddy Buddies with chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar but I'll have to share that one another time.



1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 pkt. Taco Seasoning (Mom prefers Taco Bell brand)
4 c. cheese crackers (Cheez-It, Goldfish or any other you like)
4 c. corn Chex cereal (or something similar)
2 1/2 c. peanuts (I prefer mine to be unsalted, but it is a matter of taste)
2 c. mini pretzels
2 cans French Fried Onions (I used two of the small cans)

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Melt butter and mix in taco seasoning; set aside.
2. Combine crackers, cereal, peanuts, pretzels and onions in large bowl and carefully mix.
3. Pour butter seasoning all over the snack mix and mix through until all is coated.
4. Pour snack mix into large baking dish and bake for one hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool and serve. Store leftovers in airtight container.

NOTE: I don't have a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients or a baking dish large enough to bake it all in, so I divide everything in half. The butter and season are mixed in two small bowls, the snack mix in two large mixing bowls and then they are baked in two 13x9-inch baking/casserole dishes. I can bake both dishes at the same time, side-by-side in my oven so it still only takes an hour.

UPDATE 2/1/10: I have been playing in the kitchen with flavors for this snack mix trying to make it more bold. I think I have it just about perfect! Since I divide my season into two bowls, to make the taste more bold to each bowl, I added 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp. mild taco sauce and 1 tsp. garlic powder.

Soupy Chicken

I have had this recipe since Jarom and I have been married. His mom gave it to me because it is one of his favorites. I tend to trade the Cream of Mushroom soup for Cream of Chicken and it is just as good. It calls for butter/margarine to be dotted on top but I leave that out too and it makes it a bit healthier. I'm sure it can be found on the Campbell's soup site too.

1 can (10.75 oz.) Cream of Mushroom soup
1 c. water
3/4 c. uncooked rice (not instant rice)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. butter/margarine

1. In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix soup, water, paprika, pepper and rice together. Top with chicken. Sprinkle additional paprika and pepper on top; dot with butter/margarine and cover.
2. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. (I bake it covered for about 30-35 minutes and them remove the foil and finish baking it-it give the top of the chicken and top layer of rice a bit of a crunch.)

Baked Mac 'N' Cheese

My cousin asked me about a macaroni and cheese. I'm very picky about my macaroni and cheese-it has to be creamy, not gritty; maybe with a little of the cheese browned crisp. My favorite recipe is a Campbell's soup recipe that I found in my "Campbell's Back Label Recipes" cookbook back in 2001 while we were living in Guam and I immediately fell in love with it. It has been my favorite ever since.

2 cans (10.75 oz. each) Campbell's condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 soup can of milk
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 c. hot cooked corkscrew pasta
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs (I leave this ingredient out)
1 tbsp. margarine, melted

1. In 2 quart casserole dish, mix soup, milk, pepper and macaroni. In small bowl, mix melted margarine and bread crumbs together.
2. Sprinkle bread crumbs mixed with melted margarine over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

I think I have shared this recipe before. For the last three years, I have made them at Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are one of my favorites because it isn't a cookie you see often at all, plus, they are really moist. The icing adds just a touch of sweetness to make them perfect.



1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon (I always add extra)
1 c. can pumpkin
White cookie icing

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets if not non-stick.
2. In a large bowl, cream sugar, egg, shortening and vanilla.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir into creamed mixture. Stir in pumpkin.
4. Spoon dough onto cookie sheets (I used a 1-inch mellon scoop from Pampered Chef for a small cookie; of course you can make yours as large as you wish). Bake for 10-12 minutes; remove from cookie sheet immediately to cooling racks. Cool completely.
5. Once cookies are cooled completely, drizzle icing on top. If you want a more personal touch, you can wrtie the first initial on the cookie with the icing.

4 dozen

Peanut Butter Balls

This recipe has always been apart of my Christmas goody tray and I have been making these with my mom since I was little. It is also a recipe I don't tend to share. There are many versions of Peanut Butter Balls but I have yet to find this exact recipe. I like to keep the recipe special between my mom and me. I have many dear memories making these with my mom & it is something that we never receive from anyone else and we always seem to be the only ones to make them and share them with family & friends. I like to keep things special like that so I contemplated long and hard about sharing this recipe. They are one of husband and Dad's favorites. As you can tell, I decided to share it. I hope you will treasure it as much and my mom and I do.

These are my Peanut Butter Balls-I can never get them to look as nicely rounded and coated in chocolate like my mom can. Hers look professional, mine look like a 6 year old did it.



2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. peanut butter (if you want a bit of crunch, you can use crunchy peanut butter)
1/4 c. butter or margarine (softened)
1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet but it is a matter of taste)

1. Mix powdered sugar, butter and peanut butter until mixed well. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and set aside. You may store them in the fridge to firm them up before covering with chocolate.
2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Constantly stir chocolate until all melted and smooth. Be sure not to scorch the chocolate. It is best to use a low setting on the stove.
3. Drop peanut butter balls 2 or 3 at a time into chocolate. Roll around until balls are completely coated. Carefully remove each ball and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet to cool completely and chocolate sets.
4. Store in airtight container in fridge.

4 dozen

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I have a secret love affair with cinnamon. I absolutely love it! Last year, a friend made this cookie for Christmas and shared some with us. I was in heaven and had to have the recipe, so here it is and another new addition to my Christmas goody tray.

Non-Iced Cinnamon Roll Cookies


Iced Cinnamon Roll Cookies


3 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter @ room temperature
1 c. sour cream
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla

CINNAMON-SUGAR MIX:
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

GLAZE:
1-2 c. powdered sugar, plus more if needed
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add sour cream, egg and vanilla, beating well. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Add flour, 1 c. at a time and mix well.
2. Divide dough into two portions, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll dough into rectangle 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll up lengthwise.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the rolled up dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and place 2-inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until firm and bottoms are lightly browned. remove cookies and cool on wire racks. Repeat process with remaining dough.
6. When cookies are cool, drizzle with glaze and allow to dry. Store cookies in airtight containers.