Flank Steak Stir Fry with Snow Peas and Peppers

As I was devouring this stir fry I was asking myself "Why dont I make this more often"?  Its easy, quick, and absolutely delicious!  Plop it over a mound of rice and you have a really hearty and tasty dinner. A great tip I have learned about flank steak is to put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you slice it.  It will firm up the meat and make it easier to cut.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound flank steak, sliced into bite size strips
2 medium red or yellow peppers, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups snow peas
2/3 cup stir fry sauce
3 tbsp olive or peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups cook rice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil on high heat a wok or stir fry pan.  Let pan get very hot.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Add steak, turning often, about 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium-high and add peppers and snow peas and cook until soft but still crisp, about 3-4 minutes.  Add stir fry sauce and toss to coat.  Cook about another minute.  Pour over rice and serve.

Baked Ziti

In my opinion, this is comfort food at its best. Serve with a side of garlic bread and you have the perfect winter night supper.  You can use ground beef or sausage in this recipe, both are equally good.  I usually just use whichever I have on hand.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 oz) package ziti
1 pound ground beef or sausage
2 (24 oz) jars marinara sauce
1 tbsp fresh basil
12 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package directions minus one minute. 

Brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat adding onions and garlic when meat is mostly browned.  Cook until onions are soft. Drain, and set aside

In a separate saucepan, heat marinara sauce until hot.  Add basil and Italian seasoning and stir until mixed in.  Combine ricotta with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

Spread the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan with a little of the sauce.  Layer half the ziti, half the meat, half the ricotta, and half the sauce.  Cover with half the mozzarella.  Repeat layer.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Ah...risotto.  The thought of trying to make risotto has always intimidated me for some reason.  So many times I have heard how difficult it is to make, how time consuming it is, and so on.

I have had a jar of arborio rice (this is the type of rice that is used to make risotto) sitting in my cubbard for longer then I am willing to admit.   I purchased it many months ago with the very brave intentions of making a fabulous risotto for me and my husband.  Every time I opened the cabinet door, there it was, calling out to me.  "Sarah...please try me...do not be afraid Sarah...you can do it"

So I did.  And the results were nothing short of  impressive.  While it certainly was time consuming, I would not call it difficult.  I cant wait to make it again!

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsp butter
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, cut into half inch pieces
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
7 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Melt half the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and saute about 4-5 minutes.  Add white wine and bring to a boil.  Allow liquid to reduce by about half, about 3 minutes.  Lower heat to medium and allow to simmer5 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

Bring stock to a simmer in a deep pot.  In a deep saucepan, heat oil and remaining butter on medium-low heat.  add shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  add rice and stir to coat.  Add hot stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until stock is mostly absorbed into rice before you add another 1/2 cup.  Continue this process until all stock is used (this will take about 25 minutes).  When done rice should be slightly chewy.

Stir in the mushroom mixture and the Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.