- Valentine's Day 2010 -

Hey everybody, I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day .. what did you and your loved one do for the big day?  Go out for dinner?  Take in a movie?  Or, did you keep it pretty frugal .. a picnic in the park?  Rent videos and stay inside all nice and toasty?  Whatever you did, how fabulous for you!

So, you know you wanna ask!  What did moi and the silly Dutch guy do for V-day?  We both had to work .. ALL DAY!  Sure, someone has to be around to decorate cakes and rent out videos to all you Valentine's Day celebrators .. and that just happened to be us!  You should have come in and said hi .. *wink*

It's all good, it gave me ALL DAY to think of something special to make for my sweetheart for dinner ..

I racked my brain for something different, something sandwichy for the Dutch guy .. something that wouldn't take forever to fix ..

Folks, :drumroll: I give to you, the ..

Savory Mushroom and Swiss Marinated Beef sandwich!

Warning:  We did not harm any condiments during the eating of this sandwich but,
you could add anything you want to if need be!

 

I know, I know .. it's a thing of beauty, isn't it?

 

Look at all that cheesy goodness!

 

Wait for it .. waaaaaait for iiiiiit ..

 

BOOM!  That's what I'm talkin' about!

Look at all that meltiness!

 

Oh man, I can't contain my excitement!

I even amazed myself, people!

 

The silly Dutch guy can't contain all that excitement either!

Dig right in, behbe .. Happy Valentine's Day and I love you!

Savory Mushroom and Swiss Marinated Beef sandwich

1 lb. top round roast, thinly sliced

2-3 T. soy sauce

1 T. dried parsley

1/2 t. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

 2 T. olive oil

8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced

 2 T. butter

1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
4 slices baby swiss

1. In a large ziplock baggie or bowl, add first 5 ingredients.  Mix well and let set for 10-15 minutes.
2. Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat.  Put contents of beef mixture into pan and fry until meat is no longer pink.
3. Add mushrooms and butter, stirring to combine ingredients.  Turn heat down to low and cover, cooking for 30 minutes. 
4. Slice ciabatta loaf longways and toast in a 400F. oven for 5-7 minutes.
5. Take meat mixture and pile onto bottom half of ciabatta.  Take your swiss slices and lay across top of mixture.
6. Put back into the oven and broil until cheese is melted.
7. Top with other half of ciabatta and slice down the middle or into fourths.

Feeds 2 hungry, hard working Valentine's or 4 not so hungry, everyday folks.

Enjoy!

Savory Mushroom and Swiss Marinated Beef Sandwich

Chicken Nachos are a thing to behold!

The Silly Dutch Guy's statement of warning!

We absolutely loooooove making Chicken Nachos and every once in a while, we get a wild hair.  We want to do it up right and yet, make it an easy cleanup meal.  This has got to be one of the easiest dinner ideas we have and I'm gonna share it with you right now but, you must promise not to divulge any information .. you hear me?  This little secret is just between you and me .. it is stealthy and culvert in its mission for taste bud  satisfation.. I give you, the Chicken Nachos of your dreams!

Here goes:

 

Grill some chicken breasts, we just happened to have sprinkled them generously with 'Tastefully Simple' Fiesta Party dip mix. Once they're done, cut into strips and then cut into bite size pieces.

Add a caption

Grilled some chicken breasts, sprinkled generously with 'Tastefully Simple' Fiesta Party dip mix. Once they're done, cut into strips and then cut into bite size pieces.

 

Layer your serving dish with tortilla chips, the chicken and whatever cheese you like (we use a Colby/Jack blend). Keep layering until desired height (here, we did 3 high). Bake in a 375 F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

 

Turn your oven to 'Broil' and heat it for about 4-5 minutes until brown and bubbly.

 

There you have it .. Cheapy Cheesy Chicken Chachos .. ehm, whatever!

 

Top with your favorite salsa.

 

Add a touch of sour cream and diced onion, we thought red onion would be tasty but, we normally use yellow.

 

That's one seriously hungry face .. eat up, Behbums! Lekker!

 

Spots is giving his best fainting from hunger look as Leia knows that patience will prevail in the end ..

Blacks is trying to use the 'Jedi mind trick' to get Daddy to give him a bite! Better luck next time, Junior!

Give it a try one of these nights when you're feeling like something easy and satisfying .. enjoy!

Chicken Breast

This post was linked to:

My Mama's famous Mayonnaise cake

My Mama has done her fair share of cooking.  She can't really say she enjoyed cooking, she kind of had to cook.  She got married pretty young at 17, had a husband and 3 children who needed sustenance and a budget that wasn't always hefty.  She really had to be creative and she took a lot of what she learned from her Mom and big sister Ava Lee (who was married at 13 herself).  Cheap pieces of meat cooked for longer periods of time, beans and cornbread were a staple, cornbread and milk was a nice treat but, her one shining glory was her Mayonnaise cake.

I'm not sure where she got this recipe but, she's had it for ages.  My brother, Monte, always had to have a Mayonnaise cake .. when he was in the Army, when he was out of the Army, whenever she could have one made for him, he wanted it.  He was a Mayonnaise cake junkie and that's no lie.  Any time he had a new lady in his life, he'd make them call her up just to get the recipe from her so THEY can make it for him.

When she married my Daddy and I was growing up, she made it quite a bit.  I wouldn't touch her Mayonnaise cake .. for years.  I wasn't a big fan of Mayo, never had been.  Although, I did come to appreciate Dutch Mayonnaise while living in Holland but, only the kind made with olive oil.  It was tasty with frietes (french fries).  When I FINALLY got up the nerve to sample it, I couldn't believe how wonderful it was.  So moist with just the right amount of spice.  She would sprinkle powdered sugar on it but, I could do without it .. it's fine all on its own.

Here it is, everyone .. give it a chance, it's fabulous!

Mayonnaise cake

In a separate bowl, combine:

1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. raisins
1 scant c. warm water
1/2 t. soda

In another bowl, combine:

1 c. sugar
1 c. mayonaise
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cloves
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
2 c. sifted flour

Preheat your oven to 350F.

1.)  Add to top ingredients in mixing bowl.
2.)  Stir like hell with large spoon.
3.)  Turn into greased 8 x 8 pan.
4.)  Bake until a toothpick comes back clean when inserted.

Now mind you, this is her own words .. I had no influence on it whatsoever .. ;-)