taste of tuesday: recipes tried and recipe wanted

no matter how many times I try, I can never seem to make a good tasting guacamole. my favorite are from Chipotle and Agave. I can never seem to make it tastes as good. so I am calling on you to share your favorite guac recipe. do you use lemon or lime? fresh garlic or powder? cilantro and onions? salsa? do tell...
and a few recipes I've tried in the past months (sticking to my new year's resolution)

• artichoke stuffed chicken breasts: not worth all the work they took to make. you could take all the ingredients and throw them together with pasta and a sauce for less effort, same taste.
• buttermilk baked chicken: no flavor. I've always heard using buttermilk makes the chicken stay moist, but I found it to be dry and the cornflake crust didn't stick to the chicken. my stove top chicken fingers are better.
• london broil marinade: this recipe was lacking salt and would have been better on flank steak. london broil was on sale so I tried it instead. not good. next time: more salt and flank steak
• homemade granola: this is the 3rd recipe I've tried and still no success. burned every batch. if you've got one that's a winner, loaded with cranberries, apricots and nuts, do share. and coconut is always welcome...
• chocolate tofu cheesecake: truth be told, I haven't tried this yet. it has been book marked for 6 months. I was intrigued by the use of tofu making it a "healthier" cheesecake. I like tofu, just not sure I would like it in a cheesecake. maybe I'll try it out at the ward cook off this weekend. if you attempt it, let me know.

taste of tuesday: flank steak and garlic balsamic asparagus

It rained everyday last week, therefore I have been baking A LOT of goodies to warm the house. I took said goodies to the Bachelor viewing party last night and I now have a stomach ache from consuming too many sweets. So, for today's recipe, I wanted something without sugar and butter. I made flank steak, roasted asparagus and white sweet potatoes for our Sunday meal. It was really tasty and very easy. and the best part-Jack loved the meat. He is a "vegetarian" and the lack of meat in his diet is the reason for his excessive bruising (or so I think). This marinade would be great on other meats, i.e. London Broil (anyone know the difference b/n London Broil and flank steak?). The steak was tasty the next day and would be great for a sandwich or salad so make extra.Marinated Flank Steak
(Sister's Cafe)
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 1 tsp ginger (didn't have this and it tasted great)
• 2 TB lemon juice (used lime juice instead)
• 2 TB canola oil
• 1 TB onion chopped
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Place steak in ziploc bag. Pour marinade over steak and marinade over night. Another suggestion: freeze the steak in the marinade and it marinates while it defrosts!

2. Grill until cooked to desired tenderness. place meat on plate and tent with aluminum foil. allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

* * * * *

Garlic Balsamic Asparagus
(Out Best Bites)
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. asparagus
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. minced or pressed garlic

Directions:

If roasting in the oven, heat oven to 425. If grilling, prepare grill to medium heat. combine salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, and garlic. Drizzle over asparagus and toss to coat. Roast/grill 8-10 minutes.

taste of tuesday: hotdish

this is not a fancy dish that looks pretty, has exotic ingredients or requires special cooking instructions. just like my Midwestern grandma from which this recipe stems, it is comfort food-simple, yet flavorful. I don't know if hotdish is a Midwest thing, a Scandinavian thing, a Minnesotan thing, or my grandma Betty's thing. what you call a casserole, I call hotdish (aka: poor man's dish). I usually don't like recipes that call for cream of anything, but in this recipe, I love it. and bonus-it is Jack's favorite meal. he will eat left overs for days. I made it for dinner last week and Jack could not wait for it to cook. it always receives a thumbs up from my boys. it is so easy and I always have the ingredients on hand. this recipe is perfect for that extra frozen hamburger you have sitting in your freezer. there are no real measurements which allows for pretty much anything. serve with steamed green beans and a green salad and you've got an easy go-to meal for those busy nights.

Grandma Betty's Hotdish

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 lb hamburger, browned and drained
• 1 bag of elbow macaroni, cooked (can use what ever pasta you have on hand)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2-1 can milk (depending on how "wet" you want your hotdish)
• 4-5 large spoonfuls of sour cream
• cheese-lots of cheese, shredded or cubed
• S&P to season
• optional fillers: frozen peas

Directions:

combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish and cook @ 350* for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

taste of tuesday: turkey joe's with spicy mac & cheese

for an easy, summertime meal, try emily's sloppy turkey joe's and PW's spicy mac & cheese. a winning combination. bon appetit!

taste of tuesday: au jus sandwiches

love, love, love this sandwich. this recipe was perfect for our Sunday afternoon meal on the patio. so easy and so good. minimal time in a hot kitchen, which maximized my time outside shooting hoops with Jack (he's much better than I am).

Au Jus Sandwiches
Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs of London Broil
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1 packet Au Jus seasoning
• 1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
• hard rolls
• provolone cheese

Directions:

Put everything in the crockpot and cook for at least 8 hours. cut meat and place on hard rolls. put in oven and melt cheese. Serve along side sweet potato fries and strawberry spinach salad. now dip!

taste of tuesday: carne asada tacos

If you can't drive to Midway every weekend and enjoy some carne asada tacos from Tarahumara, I've found a recipe that comes pretty close to the original. I made these for dinner on Sunday, and b/n the 3 of us, we almost ate the entire pound of meat. funny, I never liked red meat before I was pregnant, but once I started to nurse, I craved it...something about the iron in the meat??? Either way, here is a delicious recipe that is sure to please:

Taqueria Style Tacos-Carne Asada

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. flank steak
• 1/3 c. white vinegar
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika

Directions:

1. In bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice and olive oil. Add remaining seasonings and blend well.
2. Pour marinade over steak; turn to coat.
3. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 8 hours (I do mine over night)
4. Cook on grill, 10-12 minutes each side until no longer pink (the pinker the meat the tougher it is. flank steak is better when cooked well).
5. take off heat and let meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting into cubes.

Serve on Costco flour tortillas (or corn if you prefer), with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, and sour cream or cilantro lime dressing. Bet you can't eat just one.