(↑direct quote from my favorite checker at my local grocery store↑)

I realize this post is nearly 30 days overdue, but I recently cooked the squash recipe (below) again and was reminded of how much I liked it, so I thought, "now is as good a time as any to share these recipes!" You can make fun of me in the comments.


J and I decided that the best way to spend Valentines was an evening at home. No plans. No stress. No sitting in dinner reservation traffic. Sure enough. It was the best. We had a nice home-cooked meal, rented a movie and enjoyed some DUHlicious Sprinkles Cupcakes my husband brought home for me (MUCH better than a box of chocolates) along with some beautiful roses!

Dinner turned out great! I was pretty excited because I'm not good at making steak and when I multi-task preparations of new recipes...it usually turns out right around edible. I got some really nice cuts of fliet mignon at Whole Foods and went straight home to figure out how to not mess them up. Normally, I would grill them, but I was out of propane and didn't want to go to the store to get more. So at the advice of Culinary Kyle decided to pan fry/oven cook them. It worked!! I thought I'd share the instructions with you in case you've had trouble making steak too.

...Using the oven to cook your filets will only take a total of 16 minutes. Before you prepare your filet steaks for baking you should add any seasonings that you like and gently rub them into the meat. This will help to keep the flavor in. If you prefer to use a marinade and soak your steak overnight that is also great...

First, you will need to have a large skillet and one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Pour the oil in the large skillet, preferably one that can be place in the oven as well such as an iron skillet. Heat the oil until you notice small wisps of smoke appear, then place your mignon steaks in the skillet. Sear each steak for 3 minutes on both sides. This helps to hold in the natural juices of the filet steaks and also aids in keeping your steaks tender. Now, place the pan in the oven and bake in a pre-heated oven on 375 degrees. For a rare steak you will want to bake for 4 to 6 minutes, for medium 6 to 8 minutes, and for well done you will want to bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

I used a simple combination of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper as the rub and let it sit on the meat for about 10 minutes before placing the meant in the skillet. The trick is to not overcook them. The filet cut is very tender, but turns tough as you get closer to well-done.

J loves spaghetti squash, but I didn't know how to make it. Thanks to cooks.com, I do now. Do you know why it's called spaghetti squash? Because when it's cooked the pulp pulls apart and looks like spaghetti noodles!

STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH 
1 spaghetti squash (1 1/2 lbs.)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. diced onion and red pepper
1 garlic clove
8 oz. ground veal, or any meat
1 c. canned whole tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp. oregano
Dash salt and pepper
Shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the squash generously with a fork; place whole squash on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove and discard seeds. Scoop out pulp, reserve shells. Set both aside.

In skillet heat oil, add onion, red pepper and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent. Stir in ground meat, saute until meat is no longer pink, add tomatoes, seasonings and reserved squash pulp and cook, stir occasionally until liquid is absorbed. Spoon half of mixture into a shell.
Place shells in baking dish and bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on each one and then broil until melted and browned.
Serve with sprinkled parsley.
Makes 2 servings.

Since we were having steak as our entree, I skipped the ground meat in the recipe and served the squash as our vegetable. Here's a tip for you low carb friends out there - use the squash as pasta substitute in spaghetti! Bake the spaghetti squash, discard the seeds and remove the pulp. Prepare marinara meat sauce however you like it and serve over the squash pulp.

Pair the steak and squash with a nice cool glass of Sparkling Red Grape Juice from Whole Foods and some fresh fruit and you've got yourself a delightful meal!

This snack has been so popular I thought it deserved a spot on the blog. I remember my mom making this snack on many an occasion and it was always DU-licious!

Caramel Corn

3 bags microwave popcorn (or equivalent of stove-top)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup (or whichever corn syrup you have)
1/2 tsp baking soda

Put the popped popcorn into a large brown grocery bag. Combine brown sugar, margarine and corn syrup in a sauce pan*. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and let boil for 2 minutes. Add baking soda (mixture will turn frothy and bubbly). Pour this over the popcorn in the bag and shake well. Put the bag into the microwave for 45 seconds. Shake well again. Microwave again for 30 seconds. Shake well and pour out onto a cookie sheet to cool for a few minutes. Once cool to the touch break up with your hands and put it in a large bowl. ENJOY!!

(*you can also make the caramel in the microwave if you prefer)

Thanks Beth!

WOW!

Cooking Light Magazine
About 2 servings (double for 4 and so on)

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp water
1 cup chopped skinless, boneless, grilled chicken OR 1 - 5 oz can chicken breast in water
1/4 cup red apple (about 1 small)
1/3 cup diced celery
3 Tbsp raisins
1/8 tsp salt

Combine Mayo, curry and water in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Cover and chill. Serve with whole grain crackers, or spread on whole wheat bread with a romaine lettuce leaf for a sandwich.

Yield - 2 servings about 1 cup each
Calories: 222 (22% from fat)
Fat: 5.4 g
Protein: 17.5 g
Carb: 26.9g
Fiber: 2.5g
Chol: 50mg
Iron: 1.5mg
Sodium: 731mg
Calcium: 30 mg

This is a family recipe that my Grandma still makes. Delicious!!

Marinade
Equal parts Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Dark Brown Sugar*
For each cup of soy sauce in the proportion add:
3 large cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice power (optional)
2 Tbsp oil (optional)
*I add 2-3 Tbsp dry white wine to the sauce/sugar mixture

(1 cup equal parts soy sauce and sugar for 1 chicken or 2 lbs other meat)

Directions:
Marinate chicken/meat for a minimum of 30 minutes and maximum of 8 hours. (For advance preparation, meat may be marinated and then removed from the marinade and frozen until needed.) Oven bake at 325 or grill on BBQ.

Thanks Aunt Jenny!!

Yeah....I know, it sounds weird, but trust me, it's AWESOME

Burgers
Ground Beef
Sausage
1 Green Apple (chopped finely)
1/4 Onion (chopped finely)
Garlic Powder
Worcestershire Sauce
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Cran-Mayo
Cranberry Sauce (may substitute with any tart fruit sauce)
Mayonnaise

I usually use a raw breakfast sausage, but whatever kind of sausage you like is fine. Using your hands, mix all the burger ingredients together so that they are equally dispersed. Careful not to overmix, this makes the meat tough. Form patties and grill to your liking. Mix 1 part cranberry sauce to 2 parts mayonnaise together. Serve with lettuce and pepper jack cheese. (tomatoes and avocado add a nice flavor as well) Enjoy!

Thanks Amy & Beth!!

Makin’ it Easy - Food Network
Serves: 2-3

Sauce
2/3 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons ketchup
6 slices unpeeled fresh ginger
Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 a lemon
 
So it has time to cool, make the sauce before starting the chicken. Combine the preserves, soy sauce, ketchup, and ginger in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until the preserves melt, about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice and let cool.

Chicken
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (or just breasts cut into 3rds)
2 cups panko (Japanese coarse bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
3 large eggs
Vegetable oil for frying
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Set a rack on a baking sheet, put it in the oven and preheat to 200 F. Toss the panko, lemon zest and 2 teaspoons salt in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Beat the eggs lightly in another.

2. Heat about 1/2 inch oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper to taste, dip in the eggs, and then press into the bread crumb mixture to coat evenly, shaking off any excess. Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the pan. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a constant sizzle. Fry the chicken, a few pieces at a time, turning once, until evenly brown, about 5 minutes total. Keep cooked fingers warm in the oven on the rack. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Serve hot with lemon wedges and the dipping sauce.

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Raw Sugar
5 Tbsp Soy Sauce (or lite soy sauce)
1/2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
7 oz Round Steak, cut into strips
1/2 C Bean Sprouts
1/2 C Green or Red Pepper, sliced into strips
1 C Green (Napa) Cabbage, sliced into strips
1 C Fresh Pineapple, cubed

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and pepper together. Spray the skillet with a small amount of cooking spray (if desired). Turn on medium heat and add the sauce mixture and the meat, cook over medium heat about 5 minutes (add water if needed). Add the bean sprouts, bell pepper and cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pineapple, stir and cook until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp-tender. (careful not to overcook the meat)

Makes 2 Servings

Tea-licious

1 cup strongly brewed peppermint tea, cooled
1/2 cup lemon sorbet
1 1/2 cups frozen orange segments
1/2 cup frozen grapefruit segments

Combine the tea and sorbet in a blender. Add the orange and grapefruit segments. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a fresh orange or lemon wedge.