what's for dinner tonight {cheeseburger soup}.

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i used to be the girl that never would go to a restaurant and order a burger.  ever.  i just never cared that much about red meat nor did i crave it.

until i met nick.

soon into our dating, somehow i was telling him how i had been anemic and he promptly declared "you need to eat more red meat", and all of a sudden late night dates for cheeseburgers became our "thing".  and ever since then, i love a good burger.  yes, i'm now that girl.  and i fully embrace it.

in fact, one of our favorite local pizza joints has a to die for big mac pizza on their menu.  it is one of my favorite things and we actually just ate it the other night: ground beef, lettuce, cheese, pickles and the sweet, tangy "big mac" sauce... i know what you're thinking: pickles on a pizza?!  you have no idea.  where was this pizza when i was pregnant??

it's been chilly here this week and that only means one thing: the beginning of fall/cold weather/comfort food cooking... and that means lots of soup and chowders.  i've made cheeseburger soup a few times, but our trip to our pizza joint and feasting on their big mac speciality just made me want to take it up a notch... and so i did.

i added pickles.

i used this recipe as my base, and then tweaked it a bit.  the end result?  absolute deliciousness in a bowl.  with cheese.  and pickles.

need i say more?

cheeseburger soup

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 t. dried basil
* 1 t. dried parsley
* 4 T. butter
* 3 c. chicken stock
* 2 medium potatoes, chopped
* 1/4 c. flour
* 1/4 c. dill pickles, diced
* a generous splash of pickle juice (sorry; didn't really measure...suit your taste!)
* 1 t. salt
* 1/2 t. pepper
* 2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
* 1 1/2 c. milk
* 1/4 c. sour cream

- in a large stockpot, melt 1 T. butter over medium heat.  add onion, carrots, celery and ground beef.  cook until beef is brown.
- add chicken stock, basil, parsley and potatoes and bring to a boil.  cook until potatoes are fork tender.
- melt remaining 3 T. of butter, whisk in flour and milk until smooth.  slowly add milk mixture to the stockpot, stirring constantly.  bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.
- add in pickles, juice and salt and pepper.  stir in cheese until melted.
- stir in sour cream and heat through; DO NOT BOIL.
- serve with crusty bread and be happy.  it's delicious.

enjoy!

what's for dinner tonight {crockpot fajitas}.

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i've been on a mexican food kick these days... with frequent runs to taco bell, i decided i needed a healthier alternative to help aid my mexican food pregnancy cravings.

healthy + crockpot cooking = my dream come true.

not even joking. how could it get any better than this combo?? i have fallen into the pinterest trap... but it is a wonderful place for me to gather many ideas and inspiration sources, especially recipes. so when i found this crockpot fajita recipe, i knew i had to try it. and soon.

here it is. SUPER delish.

crockpot fajitas

* 3 chicken breasts, sliced into strips

* 1 lb. thinly sliced steak, sliced into strips

* 1 yellow onion, sliced into half circles

* 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

* 1 green pepper, sliced into strips

* 2 t. chili powder

* 1 t. ground cumin

* 1/4 t. salt

* 1/2 c. chicken stock

* 3 T. lime juice

- prepare meat and veggies. place in crockpot. sprinkle with spices, top with chicken stock and lime juice.

- cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 6-7 hrs.

- serve with your favorite fajita fixings:

* flour tortillas

* refried beans

* shredded cheese

* guacamole

* salsa

* sour cream

super yum, healthy, and extremely easy. a winner all around, i say. and a perfect sunday night meal for watching football with your man on the couch :)

what's for dinner tonight {slowcooker beef stew}.

as i have stated repeatedly on this blog, fall is my favorite season. i just love it. aaaaaand i love cooking fall-ish foods. apple crisp. pumpkin bread. chili. chicken pie. comfort foods, mostly. it just makes me feel all warm and cozy. here in dallas, when my daughter is still wearing sundresses the last week in october and the temperature is barely getting out of the 80s, it's especially important to me to make it actually feel like fall through the things that i cook.

weird? maybe. but that's me.

tonight i made beef stew in our crockpot and it was pretty good. i mean, i'm no beef stew extraordinaire but it was tasty... AND easy... AND i started it before i left for my afternoon job and came home, tired and hungry to an apartment smelling like worcestershire and beef broth and an already prepared dinner.

love. that.

i served it with easy homemade biscuits that i made before work and reheated for dinner. yum.

slowcooker beef stew

* 2 lbs of beef stew meat cut into cubes
* 1/4 c. flour
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1/2 t. pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tsp. paprika
* 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 c. beef broth (may need to add more... i actually used 4 cups because i wanted the broth to cover all the meat and veggies since i was going to be gone all day and my crockpot cooks fast)
* 3 potatoes, diced
* 4 carrots, sliced
* 2 stalks of celery, chopped

-put meat in crockpot. mix flour, salt and pepper and pour over meat and stir to coat.
-stir in the rest of the ingredients.
-cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hrs or on high for 4 to 6 hrs.

serve with...

fluffy biscuits

* 2 c. flour
* 4 tsp. baking powder
* 3 tsp. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 c. shortening
* 1 egg
* 2/3 c. milk

-combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. cut in shortening until it resembles course crumbs.
-in a separate bowl, beat together egg and milk. add to dry mixture until moistened.
-turn onto a floured surface. knead 20 times.
-roll out to 3/4 in. thickness and cut with a floured biscuit cutter.
-place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

what's for dinner tonight {marinated steak}.

ok, so sometimes rachael ray reallllly gets on my nerves, but i do admit to watching her talk show every once and a while; especially lately as i'm nursing bella or "playing" on the floor with her. let's be honest, there's only so much "playing" a one month old can do and, well, sometimes i just need some entertainment too. enter: rachael ray's talk show at 9 am.

well rachael ends her show each morning with "what's for dinner tonight" where she shows her audience how to cook a particular meal. i know all of us are in need of some good recipe ideas... and i love to cook... so i will post a "what's for dinner tonight" entry each week (fingers crossed!) with a new recipe or something i made. so here's this week's entry...

nick and i started a new father's day tradition (since this was his first... i have a dad blog i'm planning on posting later this week, just haven't had the time) and this tradition is going to be a steak dinner. yum. we bought steaks last week on sale at sprouts... it's like a smaller version of whole foods, and well--a whole lot cheaper. for those of you that live in the dfw area, FIND A SPROUTS! and shop the weekly deals. amazing. nick and i have started buying all of our fruits, veggies and meat/seafood there. their meats are hormone free and you can get great deals. we bought tenderloin steaks last week--2 for under *eight bucks*. yes, it's true. so here is the recipe for the marinade we used and directions for steak cooking (thank you, ina garten... aka barefoot contessa).

steak marinade:

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. olive oil

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice

1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 T. garlic powder

3 T. dried basil

1 1/2 T. dried parsley flakes

*mix all ingredients together in a shallow dish, and let meat sit for about 8 hours.

*heat a skillet on high heat until very hot. sear meat for 2 min. on each side.

*top each steak with 1 T. of butter (why not... live on the edge!) and cook in a 400 degree oven until an instant read meat thermometer reads around 130 if you like it to be still a little pink in the middle (medium rare-ish)... adjust according to your taste.

i served ours with mashed potato and asparagus i sauteed with fresh garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. delish. make it your new fathers day tradition... or tuesday tradition; it's that good :)enjoy!