YAY! For new things

I did a weight lose group at work and won 463 big ones, we had decided to buy a nice flat screen TV with our tax return, which of course involved buying a new TV stand so my plan was spend some of my winning on that when I went to the furniture the piece I liked best for our needs came in dark wood and it would not match what we had at all so a new coffee table and end tables we in order I spent a little more than I planned on but I wanted to get something I loved.  Here are a few pictures.  I'll post the whole living room later, when JT finally decides its time to get the entertainment center switched over.

New TV console and Juno checking it out.

New coffee table, love it, please excuse the mess I haven't cleaned yet, and you can see Cayden's checking out the new stuff too. 
One of the end tables with our old lamps. 

Juno likes the new stuff too.

Fajita Steak

This is one of the very few steaks I will eat and it just happens to be JT's favorite meal.  I rarely ever pull out the recipe for this steak anymore but when I pulled it out to type up for this blog entry, the page is covered in stains and has a big star next to it, a sure sign of a good recipe.

Source: Better Homes and Garden Cook Book Edition 12

4 boneless beef top sirloin steaks (pounds)

Salt and black pepper

Marinade

1/3 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.  Place in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish.  For marinade, in a small bowl stir together lime juice, oil, garlic and cinnamon.  Pour over meat; close bag.  Marinate in refrigerator up to 6 hours.  

Glaze

1/2 of a 7-ounce jar roasted red sweet peppers, minced

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

1. For glaze, in a small saucepan stir together sweet peppers, honey, mustard and the garlic.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced to 3/4 cup.  Remove from heat; set aside.

2.  Drain meat. Discard marinade.  Preheat frying pan, grill or broiler, this recipe works well cooked any way you choose.  Cook turning the meat once you see blood on the top of the steak, brush the cooked side with the glaze.  When the other side of the steak is done, place glaze on that side and cook for another minute.  I serve with more glaze on top.

We ate these steaks with homemade french fries baked in the oven with a little olive oil and Lawry's season salt and a salad.  

Crock Pot Buffalo Wings

I think I finally have JT on board with the crock pot when he asked me to try and make chicken wings in it.  

5 pounds of chicken wings

2 packages of French's Hot Buffalo cook in bag spices, I saved the cooking bags for another use

2 bottles of Frank's buffalo wing sauce

I was naughty and did unthaw the chicken wings before I cooked them, I did run them under cold water to remove the ice glazing on them. 

I coated the wings in bag spice seasoning, then poured 2 bottles of hot sauce in the crock pot to coat them.  Make sure you stir the wings around every so often so they get coated in sauce.  We cooked them on low for 5 hours.  This is also the first time I used a crock pot liner and they worked well until JT punched a hole in the bottom, but there wasn't any baked on curd to scrub out.  As you can see they were a big hit!

Sugar Cookie Bars

I like most people love sugar cookies, but honestly I don't have/care to take the time to make them.  I usually only make traditional rolled out cookies once a year for Christmas and usually JT will help me by making Santa's into penises, its a great family time.   When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try these.

Source: My Baking Addiction

Recipe: 

1 cup butter; room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 t. vanilla

4 eggs

5 cups flour

1 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg.  Add vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda and stir with a whisk to combine.  Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined.  Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 X 18 pan).

Bake at 375 degrees to 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely and cut into squares or triangles if you like or you can just leave in the pan and frost. 

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter; room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 t. vanilla

pinch of salt

4 cups powdered sugar

5 T milk

food coloring if you like

Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy.  Add vanilla and salt.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until combined, then add milk and mix until smooth and spreading consistency.  Spread over cooled cookies.

Menu

Sunday:  Cranberry chicken, herb rolls and rice

Monday: Pulled pork sandwiches in the crock pot

Tuesday:  Chicken Fajitas

Wednesday: Pizza Casserole

Thursday: Fried shrimp with homemade french fries

The Chewy

So I finally made this cookie, I've always been a fan of Alton Brown, I'm a math and science dork so its interesting for me to see the science behind the foods I love.  I've always made the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and was moderately satisfied with it but I love a chewy cookie.  I started to make this cookie and husband was a little nervous about not using the Toll House recipe and I told him it was chewy and his comment was "I like chewy."

Source: Alton Brown Good Eats

Ingredients:

2 stick unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 T. milk

1 1/1 t. vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in saucepan.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside. 

Pour melted butter in stand mixer's bowl.  Add sugar and brown sugar.  Cream the butter and sugars together on medium.  Add egg, yolk, milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Slowly add the flour and mix thoroughly.  Stir in chips. 

Chill the dough, then scoop onto baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet.  Bake 14 minutes or until golden brown.  

These cookies were a complete hit, for once hubby didn't have a comment on how to improve something.  Also I've figured out/given permission to use the new camera, so yea for better pictures!