Flat Iron Steak

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds flat iron steak
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry mustard powder

DIRECTIONS
1 - Place the steak inside of a large resealable bag. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, chives, Cabernet, salt, pepper and mustard powder. Pour over the steak in the bag. Press out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
2 - Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the steak in the hot skillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or to your desired degree of doneness. Discard the marinade. These steaks taste best at medium rare. Allow them to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

THOUGHTS
We had to cook the steak longer than recommended in the recipe, but if I had tenderized the steak prior to marinating, I think the time would've been about right. This meat turned out so tender that it could be cut with a fork!

Potatoes Au Gratin

INGREDIENTS
4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2 - Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
3 - Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Add Garlic and Onion powder to taste, and add the remaining potatoes.
4 - Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5 - In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
6 - Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute.
7 - Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened.
8 - Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds.
9 - Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
10 - Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

THOUGHTS
This dish was really easy and really tasty. The cheese sauce could be used as a fondue or hot cheese dip.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS
1 - Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain.
2 - Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

THOUGHTS
I didn't have any lemon pepper, so I used lemon juice and black pepper. They turned out really great with a nice tangy flavor to them.

Beef Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS
2 lb sirloin
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz butter
4 green onions, white parts sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10 oz) jar/can beef broth
1 tsp mustard
2 (4 oz) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup cream cheese
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1 - Remove fat & gristle from roast & cut to bite sized strips (1/2"x 2"). Marinate in 1/3 cup red wine for 1 hour. Season with salt & pepper
2 - In large saucepan on medium heat, melt butter & brown beef quickly
3 - Push strips to one side and add onions and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
4 - Stir the flour into the beef broth, add to saucepan and bring to a boil by increasing the heat to high and stirring constantly.
5 - Lower heat to Medium-Low, add the mushrooms and stir in mustard so that all ingredients are mixed together.
6 - Cover and simmer for 1 hour
7 - About 5 minutes before serving, stir in sour cream & cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, leave on eye until heated through
8 - Serve over egg noodles

Tuna Spirals

INGREDIENTS
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
6 oz solid white tuna in water, drained
2 tablespoons Russian dressing
12 slices white bread, crustless

DIRECTIONS
1 - Flatten bread w/ rolling pin
2 - Combine other ingredients in bowl and mix well
3 - Spread mixture on bread and roll into cylinders
4 - Wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours
5 - Cut each roll into 5 slices

THOUGHTS
These turned out kinda ugly, but that might have just been me. I really like this tuna mixture (especially since it is so clearly a healthy addition to my diet) so I think I might just make mini-sandwiches out of it next time instead of trying the whole spiral thing.

Breakfast Pizza

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg crescent rolls
1 lb sausage, browned & drained
2 cups frozen hashbrowns, thawed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
5 eggs well beaten w/ salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 - Layer 1st 4 ingredients on greased pizza pan in order
3 - Very carefully pour eggs over other ingredients
4 - Bake for 15-20 minutes

THOUGHTS
I love this when my mom makes it, but my pizza pan is pretty crappy so the center never cooks as well as the rest of the pizza. I recommend using a nice pizza pan or trying really hard to keep the eggs on the outer edges and as far from the center as possible while pouring.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. pork sausage, browned & drained
1 tsp. dry mustard
6 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 slices white sandwich bread, cubed

DIRECTIONS
Add dry mustard to browned sausage. Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper and Worchestershire sauce in bowl. Combine all remaining ingredients together and mix well. Pour into greased (I use Pam) 9" x 13" Pyrex 2 quart dish and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until set and nicely browned.

THOUGHTS
We have this every year for breakfast on Christmas morning. So very tasty!!

Kelly's Corn Pudding

INGREDIENTS
1 - 16 oz. can cream corn
1 - 16 oz. can whole kernel corn
1 stick of butter melted
1 - 8 oz. container of sour cream
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg

DIRECTIONS
For Oven:
1 - Combine all above ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir until blended
2 - Pour into a greased 9x13 dish
3 - Bake 350 for 35040 min. or until golden brown

For Crock Pot:
1- Toss all ingredients into crock pot and stir well
2 - Cook on high for 3-4 hours

Rachel's Spinach Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/3 c low-fat yogurt or sour cream
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese (parmesano reggiano is tastiest)
Juice from 1/2 small or 1/4 large lemon (2-3 Tbsp)
Salt
Black pepper
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
8 oz frozen spinach, cooked and pressed between paper towels or in cheesecloth to remove excess moisture
Milk

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2 - In a food processor, blend cream cheese, garlic clove, garlic powder, mayo, yogurt/sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice until smooth.
3 - Add salt and pepper to taste (start with about 1 tsp each)
4 - Add artichoke hearts and cooked spinach and pulse food processor gently several times
to incorporate. Mixture will be thick.
5 - Stir in enough milk so that mixture is the consistency of soupy applesauce (remember this will thicken as it is baked and the cheese melts)
6 - Bake in 375-degree oven for 45 minutes or just until top edges begin to brown and mixture is bubbly.
7 - Enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers, or baguette slices.

THOUGHTS
Rachel made this and froze it ahead of time for the nutty reunion. When this stuff came out of the oven, we all burned our mouths gobbling it up and it was gone before it even cooled. Yum.

Rachel's Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I use extra light--not extra virgin--olive oil)
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (fresh-grated is best)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh-grated is best)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup raisins
OR 1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 - Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.
3 - Beat sugars and oil in large bowl to blend.
4 - Mix in eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce.
5 - Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl.
6 - Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions.
7 - Mix in raisins and walnuts OR chocolate chips.
8 - Divide batter equally between prepared pans.
9 - Bake just until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
10 - Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves.
11 - Turn loaves out onto racks and cool until just warm to touch, then wrap in aluminum foil or eat.

THOUGHTS
Rachel made us pumpkin bread for the last nutty reunion and this stuff was amazing. I still haven't had a chance to try it on my own to see if mine will even come close to her's, but I'm planning on doing so this weekend. Rachel adds that the bread freezes well in foil inside a ziploc bag.

Clayton's Pecan Pie

INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup corn syrup
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 - Beat eggs and stir in sugar and flour
3 - Add corn syrup, butter, and vanilla
4 - Fold in pecans
5 - Pour into crust and bake for 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean

THOUGHTS
This is a great basic pecan pie recipe. Next time we want to experiment with some bourbon!!

Mom's Mac n' Cheese

INGREDIENTS
8 oz. elbow macaroni (cooked & drained)
3/4 cup mayo
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 lb. grated medium cheddar cheese
8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 small jar diced pimento
1/2 small onion, chopped
Ritz crackers

DIRECTIONS
1 - Mix all incredients (except crackers)
2 - Pour into 3 quart casserole and top with Ritz crackers. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

THOUGHTS
This is some good stuff. My mom makes it for most of our family events.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Mustard Dressing

INGREDIENTS
1 (10 oz) package baby spinach
4 hard cooked eggs, peeled & sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 strips crisp bacon, crumbled
10 oz. swiss cheese, shredded
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1 - Place spinach in a large serving bowl, top with eggs, mushrooms, 4 crumbled strips of bacon, and swiss cheese
2 - Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in shallots & garlic. Cook until softened & translucent (2 minutes). Whisk in vinegar, dijon mustard & honey. Add 2 crumbled strips of bacon, season with salt & pepper and cook until hot.
3 - Pour dressing in salad bowl and toss to coat.

THOUGHTS
Too sweet. Maybe I was a little low on spinach, but it just overwhelmed me. Probably won't make this one again.

Strawberry Lemonade

INGREDIENTS
1 can frozen lemonade
Bottle of Vodka
Frozen Strawberries
Water

DIRECTIONS
1 - Pour vodka into a wide mouth container (with lid) and drop 5-10 frozen strawberries into the container. Close and put into the fridge for 2 hours or more
2 - Make the lemonade according to the directions on the can, replace some of the water with the strawberry vodka.

THOUGHTS
A strong drink could be made by going 50/50 on the water to vodka ratio. I personally prefer going about 70/30 water to vodka so that my friends and I can enjoy it by the pool without getting ill or smelling like fruity hobos.

Sesame Tuna with Miso Soy Dressing

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sesame seeds, divided
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon wasabi powder
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
3 oz milk
2 (4 oz) tuna steaks (~3/4 inch thick)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (1.1 oz) package miso soup mix
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

DIRECTIONS
1 - In shallow bowl, mix 1/2 cup sesame seeds, seasoning salt, white pepper, onion powder, wasabi powder, kosher salt & flour. Set aside.
2 - In separate bowl, mix eggs & milk
3 - Dip tuna steaks in egg mixture then coat in dry mix on both sides
4 - Heat vegetable oil in large heavy skillet over medium high heat
5 - Fry tuna steaks for 2 minutes per side & immediately remove from heat. Inside of fish should be red
6 - Mix together miso soup mix and soy sauce. Heat in small sauce pan and drizzle over steaks.

THOUGHTS
Since you will be eating the tuna rare or medium rare, be sure to invest in sushi grade tuna, if possible. I was pretty impressed with this dish but wonder if the sauce needs a little tweaking because it is really salty. Update: I tried this again last night and just wasn't impressed at all. My seared tuna steak recipe is so much better.

Halibut with Capers

INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 (8 oz) Halibut steaks
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup butter
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons capers (with liquid)

DIRECTIONS
1 - Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry the halibut steaks on all sides until browned. Remove from pan and set aside
2 - Pour wine into pan and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan
3 - Let the wine reduce to almost nothing then stir in the garlic, butter & capers. Season with salt & pepper to taste
4 - Let the sauce simmer for a minute to blend the flavors
5 - Return the steaks to the pan and coat them with the sauce
6 - Cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork
7 - Serve immediately with the sauce from the pan poured over it

THOUGHTS
I'm on a mission to find the perfect fish and caper dish. I don't think this is quite it, but it's the closest I have come. I served this over rice.

Salmon & Grits

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons minced fresh onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup regular or quick grits (NOT instant)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup sliced mushrooms
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 (6 oz) salmon filets (1" thick)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the broiler
1 - Combine first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil
2 - Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes
3 - Add water, bring to a boil
4 - Gradually add grits stirring with a whisk
5 - Cover, reduce heat & simmer 10 minutes
6 - While grits simmer, saute mushrooms with olive oil for 5 minutes
7 - Sprinkle salmon filets with salt, pepper & thyme
8 - Place filets skin side down on broiler pan coated with Pam
9 - Broil for 10 minutes or until flaky
10 - Remove skin from filets and serve over grits sprinkled with parsley

THOUGHTS
The measurements are a bit off for the portion sizes I am accustomed to. If I make it again, I will double the grits for 4 salmon filets or use the recipe above with only two salmon filets.

Potato Salad with Mint & Peas

INGREDIENTS
2 lb. small red potatos
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup thawed frozen baby peas (5 oz)
1/3 cup chopped or torn fresh mint leaves

DIRECTIONS
1 - Cover potatoes with cold salted water in 3 quart saucepan
2 - Bring the water to a simmer, cover and leave simmering until tender (10-15 minutes)
3 - While potatoes are cooking, whisk together vinegar, shallot, salt and pepper in a large serving bowl
4 - Drain potatoes, halve or quarter if necessary
5 - Add potatoes to vinegar mixture while warm & toss to coat
6 - Add oil, peas and mint. Toss to combine
7 - Season with salt & pepper
8 - Serve warm or at room temperature

THOUGHTS
I don't like mayonnaise based potato salads, so I tried this out as an alternative and found it to be a great success at picnics and cookouts.

Sesame Green Beans

INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 lb fresh green beans, washed
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS
1 - Warm large skillet or wok over medium heat
2 - When wok is hot, pour in canola & sesame oils then add beans
3 - Stir the beans to coat them with oil
4 - Cook until the beans are bright green & slightly brown in spots (~10 minutes)
5 - Remove from heat & stir in soy sauce
6 - Cover and let sit for 5 minutes
7 - Transfer to platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds

THOUGHTS
Very easy and very tasty. I usually serve these with an asian style fish or chicken.

Sauteed Tender Greens

INGREDIENTS
1-2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons & 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
1-2 lbs tender greens (spinach, beet greens, swiss chard) cleaned & stemmed (not patted dry)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS
1 - Heat garlic with oil over med high heat in a large saute pan or dutch oven
2 - When garlic sizzles & starts to turn golden, add wet greens to pan
3 - Cover & cook, stirring occasionally, until completely wilted but bright green (3-5 minutes)
4 - Uncover, season to taste & cook until most liquid evaporates (~2 minutes)
5 - Serve immediately with lemon wedges

THOUGHTS
Easy way to get some tasty green stuff on the table with dinner.

Pecan Spread

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons butter
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons milk
1 (2.5 oz) jar dried beef, chopped
2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS
1 - Heat & crisp pecans in butter.
2 - Mix all other ingredients except sour cream & blend with electric mixer
3 - Fold in sour cream
4 - Place in a baking dish
5 - Sprinkle pecans on top
6 - Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

THOUGHTS
It's so easy to burn the pecans while crisping them that I have had to do it twice every time I've made this. I use a glass pie dish and serve with buttery crackers (such as Ritz).

Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
2 packages sliced Swiss cheese
1 lb. shaved ham
3 packages small rolls (come in aluminum pan in the bread aisle)
Mayonnaise
3/4 stick Margarine
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard

DIRECTIONS
1 - Cut the package of rolls lengthwise
2 - Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of rolls
3 - Layer shaved ham and swiss cheese and place the top half of the rolls on top
4 - Melt the butter and poppy seeds and pour over the top of the rolls
5 - Cover the rolls in aluminum foil (keeping them in the aluminum pans they came in)
6 - Bake at 350 for 10+ minutes until cheese is melted
OR
6 - Freeze.

THOUGHTS
Baking takes quite a bit longer if they are frozen, so it's best to plan ahead and let them thaw a little in the fridge before baking.

Mojitos by the Gallon

INGREDIENTS:
15 Limes, juiced with pulp
45 Mint Leaves
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups white rum
2 1/4 cups club soda
6 dashes of bitters

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Put the juiced limes, mint leaves and sugar into the container and muddle all together until sugar is dissolved and mint leaves are bruised.
2 - Add rum, club soda & bitters, mix well
3 - Serve over ice

THOUGHTS:
I made these for Memorial Day weekend and used Mango rum which made the mojitos a bit on the sweet side. Next time, I will use unflavored rum and keep the recipe the same. If I use mango rum again, I will only use 1 cup of sugar.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
1 package Devils Food Cake Mix
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven as directed and line muffin pans
2 - Prepare cake mix as directed
3 - In a separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese and sugar. Mix until smooth then fold in the chocolate chips
4 - Fill cupcakes 1/3 full with cake mix then top with cream cheese mixture
5 - Bake according to directions on cake mix box

THOUGHTS
These things won a dessert contest at my company picnic.

Fudge

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 packages (12 squares) Bakers Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, chopped
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1 small can evaporated milk
1 (7 oz.) jar Jet Puffed marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS
1 - Heat sugar, butter & evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3 quart saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly.
2 - Boil on medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat.
3 - Stir in chocolate & marshmallow creme until melted. Stir in vanilla
4 - Spread immediately in a foil lines 9X13 pan. Cool at least 4 hours at room temperature.
5 - Cut into 1 inch squares and store in airtight container

THOUGHTS
Another staple dessert at the Mullinax home at Christmastime

Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups Quaker Oats, uncooked

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 375
2 - Beat margarine and sugars until creamy
3 - Add egg and vanilla, beat well
4 - Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt & nutmeg, mix well
5 - Stir in oats, mix well
6 - Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (or covered by parchment paper)
7 - Bake 8-9 minutes for a chewy cookie or 10-11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cook 1 minute on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack

THOUGHTS
These are a Christmas standard at my mom's house.

Lasagna

INGREDIENTS
8 oz. lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup minced onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (32 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz.) package large curd cottage cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg

DIRECTIONS
1 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles for 8-10 minutes, drain
2 - In a large skillet over medium heat, saute beef, onions, salt, & garlic salt until browned
3 - Drain fat, add sauce and bring to a boil
4 - Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes
5 - While simmering, mix 1 egg into the cottage cheese
6 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9X13 glass baking dish
7 - Line dish with 3 noodles
8 - Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles
9 - Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese cheese/egg mixture over the sauce
10 - Spread 1/3 of the mozzarella over the cottage cheese
11 - Repeat 7-10 two more times
12 - Cover and bake for 60 minutes at 350. Remove the aluminum foil cover after 45 minutes so the cheese can brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

THOUGHTS
Easy lasagna recipe that was even better as leftovers the next day.

Pulled Pork

INGREDIENTS
1 whole pork butt (Boston Butt)
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne (aka red pepper)

DIRECTIONS
1 - For rub, mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
2 - Rub pork with rub
3 - Place in a large plastic bag and refridgerate over night
4 - In the morning, take out the pork and re-rub
5 - Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours
6 - Roast uncovered in oven at 250-275 degrees until falling apart tender for 7-8 hours. When done, the internal temperature of the pork should be 195-200 degrees.
7 - Pull pork into pieces and serve.

THOUGHTS
Very easy and very good. Be prepared to hurt yourself while pulling the pork because it is way too hard to wait for it to cool. Tips on size of boston butt: bone-in - 2 servings per pound, boneless - 3 servings per pound.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

INGREDIENTS
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed
1 cup marinated artichokes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS
1 - In a small bowl, combine ingredients in order, mixing after each addition
2 - Place in a small, lightly buttered casserole dish
3 - Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees or until top begins to brown & bubble.
4 - Serve with sliced french bread or crackers

THOUGHTS
This thing makes people think I'm a really good cook. It is the perfect combination of cheese, spinach & artichoke and it's EASY.

Rosemary Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
4 (6 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

DIRECTIONS
1 - In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and rosemary; add pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 3 hours.
2 - Drain and discard marinade. Place the chops in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear.

THOUGHTS
Delicious!!! I can only imagine how juicy they would be if I had marinated them for longer than 45 minutes. I would also suggest using a meat thermometer for cooking since the thickness of the pork can vary so greatly. Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 175.