"Steak BBQ On A Budget" & A $25 Walmart Gift Card Giveaway

I was contacted earlier in the month asking if I'd like to try Walmart's new USDA Choice steaks.  Mr. H is a huge meat eater, so of course I said yes! Have you seen the commercials on TV where the people are dining in a steakhouse and a guy comes along telling them they've just eaten Walmart Steaks? Well these are those steaks!

I was given two $25 Walmart gift cards. One for me to create a "Steak BBQ On A Budget" and one to give away to a lucky reader! I went to Walmart and immediately spotted the USDA Choice steaks since they are easily identified by the black tray packaging.  There were several different cuts of meat to choose from, but Mr. H is partial to filet mignon, so that's what we got. My one complaint about the filets were that they were packaged individually rather than in pairs (like the rib eye steaks) so it was difficult finding two that were similar in size. I like to pan sear my steaks rather than putting them on a grill, so while the cooking times varied because one steak was larger than the other, it did not affect the flavor one bit. 

The steaks were fresh and well trimmed and tasted like any others that I would get from the butcher counter at my local market only at a lower price point. The steaks we chose were $14.99/lb. We purchased two steaks, but ended up getting three servings out of them. In addition to the seared steaks, I made rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes and in lieu of a salad, I set out fresh veggies and dip. A fruit salad served as dessert. It was a perfect Summer meal and it was affordable. I spent just over the $25 limit because I got a little carried away with the fruit but if you think about it- a filet mignon steak dinner for three people under $25 is a great deal! It would be at least three times that at a restaurant. 

I simply seasoned the steaks with salt and pepper and seared them in a super hot pan with a tad of butter until they were medium rare. I don't have a recipe for that, but I am sharing my favorite way to make roasted potatoes. These are delicious, if I say so myself :-)

Rosemary & Garlic Oven Roasted Potatoes from Monica h

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• 2 lbs. new potatoes, rinsed and patted dry
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 3-4 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 2-3 tsp. kosher salt
• black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set aside. If using foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

Cut your potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks. You want them to be all about the same size (quarter the smaller potatoes, cut the larger ones into 8 pieces). Place them in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Once the potatoes are well coated, place them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. 

Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, turning them with a spatula every 10-15 minutes, until uniformly golden and tender. 

GIVEAWAY:  I have one $25 Walmart gift card for one lucky reader to purchase Walmart's USDA Choice Steaks so that you can create your own "Steak BBQ On A Budget". All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me what your ideal steak dinner is. I want details- what kind of steak do you like, how do you like it cooked and what are your favorite sides? 

I'll announce a winner later in the week. Good luck!

Special Brownies Because I'm Getting Old!

I have a BIG birthday coming up on Friday. I'll be 30! To be honest, that number is kind of scary to me. I've always felt older than I am because I didn't have much of a childhood and I was always more mature than the kids that were my age. Even to this day, the majority of my friends are older than I am and I'm okay with that. I just couldn't relate to kids my age. When I was 18, I told people I was 19. When I was 19, I told people I was 20. It wasn't because I was lying, I just have always felt older than my true age. But now I am 29, and I want to stay that way. haha! I will NOT be telling people I am 31 once I turn 30. NO way!

So I am 29 years old for 2 more days and I am trying to make peace with my birthday (aka. Dooms Day!) I don't know why this number feels so different from all the others. I didn't feel that way when I turned 20. My aunt who is 51 says it's not a big deal and maybe when I'm her age it won't be because I'll be wishing I was 30 again. (Love you Letty :-P) All I know is that I'm entering a new age bracket and I have creaky knees. Seriously, I put Hayden down for a nap and quietly back out of the room and my knees crackle and pop like rice krispies. 

I'm getting older old and while I want to celebrate with all my friends and family in a big way, I also want to just ignore it and hope everyone forgets about it. I guess that's not an option anymore though since I'm announcing it to the world here on my blog, but you know what I mean. I was also hoping I wouldn't see my first white hair until after I turned 30, but that didn't happen either. I just discovered my second white hair and neither of them were on top of my head! Think a little further south. No, not that far down, this is a family friendly blog. Would you believe I got my first white hairs in my right eyebrow?! Weird huh? I plucked those suckers at a rapid speed. If you ever see a picture of me and I only have one eyebrow, you'll know why. 

And because this is a food blog, a quick note about these brownies. They're delicious and somewhat healthy.  At least that's what I'm telling myself since I had one for breakfast. Right after I baked them, they were fluffy and cake-like, then the next day they became somewhat fudgy and more like a brownie. The zucchini adds tremendous moisture without tasting like there are vegetables in your brownies. You don't taste the zucchini one bit and if you have skeptical ones in your family, then just peel the zuke before you shred it and they'll be none the wiser. The addition of the chocolate chips don't hurt either. Oh and I forgot to mention, if you omit the chocolate chips, then you'll be left with a completely vegan dessert. 

Zucchini Brownies adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

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• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 packed cups shredded zucchini
• 1 cup chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine sugar, canola oil, vanilla, flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Mixture will be dry and sandy. With a wooden spoon add the shredded zucchini and stir until well combined. (The mixture will be thick and somewhat dry looking, just keep stirring until it's fully incorporated and brownie-like). Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.

Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut brownies into squares and serve.

Carrots For Breakfast? Yes!

Do you make resolutions for the new year? Did any of you resolve to eat healthier this year? If so, then I have a healthy and delicious breakfast recipe for you today. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because they often get broken and I can't stand the guilt and shame I bring upon myself when I don't follow through with them. Instead I just try to do better everyday, though sometimes I slip. The one silent resolution I did make this year was to read more to Hayden- simple yet gratifying.

Anyway, back to this recipe. Carrot Cake Pancakes. Sounds and tastes completely indulgent but they're light in calories and cram packed full of goodies. I've made these pancakes before but I didn't like the way the photos turned out so I never blogged them. I decided to make them again (only better this go round) when Grimmway Farms offered me some of their carrots to make a recipe with. Grimmway Farms, also known as Cal-Organic and Bunny-Luv has some great California grown produce. We used to feed our bunny, August, Bunny-Luv carrots and he, of course, loved them :-)

These pancakes are delicious. They have all the basics that are in the actual cake, including shredded carrots, brown sugar, nuts and spices. But I decided to kick them up a bit by adding crushed pineapple, sweetened shredded coconut, and raisins. Of course most carrot cakes are topped with cream cheese frosting, but a single pat of butter and some golden maple syrup is all these really need. These pancakes are dense, hearty and satisfying but not heavy. If you're looking for a little something different to try this weekend, I hope you'll try these pancakes. They also freeze and reheat well so make a double batch to enjoy during the week.

Carrot Cake Pancakes adapted from Picky Cook

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• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 Tablespoons crushed pineapple
• 3 Tablespoons shredded coconut
• 3 Tablespoons raisins
• 3 Tablespoons toasted chopped pecans
• butter for pan

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a large bowl with a whisk.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and eggs together.

Add sugar mixture to the flour mixture and gently combine with a large spatula. Do not overmix. Fold in the carrots, orange zest, pineapple, coconut, raisins and pecans.

Heat a cast iron skillet/griddle/other large skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom with butter. Spoon (1/4 cup) batter into the skillet and gently spread the batter out a little bit. Cook for a couple minutes or until you see the top covered with bubbles. Flip over and cook another minute or two.

Keep pancakes warm in 190 degree oven until you are ready to serve. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes about 12 four-inch pancakes.

Ooooh, come to momma!

If you'd like to give Grimmway Farms carrots a try, just tell me how you'd use them and you may be chosen to receive a coupon for free produce. Thank you Grimmway Farms!

The recipients of the Grimmway Farms coupons are revealed HERE.

Baby Shower: The Food

I had my baby shower this past weekend! It was truly a wonderful (yet exhausting) day. I'll share all the food with you today then in the next couple posts, I'll share a couple recipes that I made. On the table were also painted wooden frames with copies of sonogram pictures of my little boy from the gestational age of 10-28 weeks. This was my favorite addition to the table.

Here is all the food:

Everything at the shower was homemade by either my mother, my mother-in-law or myself. It was all delicious but this cake was bakery made. It's my all-time favorite cake- Chocolate Italian Cream with chocolate cream cheese frosting and it's just amazing. Oh what I wouldn't do to get my hands on that recipe!

Not everyone that came to the shower liked coconut or pecans (or had allergies) so I also made a vanilla bean bundt cake with strawberries as well. I put it on my Jadeite cake pedestal that I bought on the day I found out I was pregnant with this little guy :-)

These are the adorable napkins that I bought from a local hardware store. I love that they look like onesies and that they stand up. I think people were afraid to use them, so I had a lot left over.

We had limeade punch with a frozen ring of limes and cherries. My mother-in-law said she couldn't find frozen limeade, so she used frozen margarita concentrate (non-alcoholic) instead and I thought it was pretty good!

We had ham and asparagus roll-ups- blanched asparagus wrapped up in deli ham with a schmear of Boursin cheese in between. These make great appetizers in you cut them into bite sized pieces.

These are sausage balls and chunks of fresh pineapple turned into kabobs. This is a spin on bacon wrapped pineapple- also very delicious!

A veggie and cheese tray with homemade Ranch dressing. All that was missing were the cucumber slices that were accidentally left at home.

Deviled eggs- never get tired of these!

Strawberries with Romanoff sauce. Seriously love this stuff!

I made mini cheesecakes but wasn't entirely thrilled with the way they looked. They turned out quite tasty but they sunk in the middle and the recipe made way more than stated. So I had to improvise and made the rest of the batter into Oreo cheesecakes (on the bottom). The plain ones on top were topped with lemon curd and fresh berries. Those got rave reviews but I didn't get to taste them since they disappeared so fast!

For some color for the table I took Hershey miniatures and wrapped them in strips of coordinating scrapbook paper. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Of course our hairy daughter, Autumn, was there. And she took the liberty to sit on the couch since it was vacant and no one else would sit there!

Mr. h and I next to some beautiful orange roses a friend dropped by. I am 29 weeks, 3 days pregnant in this picture.

And these were the favors I made for the shower- powdered sugar coated buttery pecan cookies. These were so good and just melt in your mouth. The recipe came from my neighbor and I will share those with you next week as well.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and we were more than blessed by our friends and our family. Thank you to all who played a part in making our day so special!

Reaching Into The Archives

I'm reaching into the archives today for this recipe. I made this bread back in August of last year and forgot to post it, then winter came along and it didn't seem very seasonal to share then and it just got lost in the shuffle. And since zucchini is plentiful at the moment, it just seemed like a good time to share this with you. I'm sure many of you have recipes that are backlogged....right? Please tell me I'm not the only one! I hope not, because there are more where this one came from.

Now that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy in the kitchen, because I have. In the past couple weeks, I made almond jam bars for a friend, chewy coconut lime cookies (that I'll share soon!), Mr. H's grandmother's homemade vanilla ice cream, and today I made a rustic apple pie with a secret ingredient. I'll share all of those recipes in due time, but today it's about a simple tea bread flecked with vibrant orange and green veggies- carrots and zucchini.

The original recipe was for two loaves of bread so I cut it in half to make one. It also called for a handful of candied ginger, but since I'm not a fan of the sweet heat, I left it out. Please feel free to include it in your loaf if that's what you fancy. I liked this bread because it was simple in flavor, not too sweet, and had a nice texture thanks to the shredded veg. Just like carrot cake or other zucchini breads, the carrots and zucchini add a healthful aspect and moisture without tasting like you're eating vegetables. It would be a nice addition to a bread basket, great with coffee or tea and a breakfast treat you don't have to feel guilty about. This would make great muffins too.

Carrot Zucchini Bread adapted from Baking With Lisa Printer Friendly Version

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1/4 cup minced candied ginger, optional
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated zucchini

Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda. Whisk in the salt and candied ginger, if using.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and foamy. Add the canola oil, sugar, and vanilla, whisking hard until well combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the carrots and zucchini.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir/fold until just blended. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour, until the loaf is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

"Simply Suppers" Cookbook Review and Giveaway!

I have a delicious and simple side dish recipe for you today. A couple months ago I was contacted by Katherine at Thomas Nelson and she wanted to send me a cookbook for review. The book was titled Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler. This sounded perfect for me because at the time, I just had surgery and was recovering. I didn't have much energy or the desire to cook. But when my body was feeling up to it again, I grabbed this book off the shelf and read each and every page, mentally bookmarking recipes and drooling along the way.

This book is categorized into several chapters including, but not limited to Soups, Meat, Pasta, Sandwiches, Grains and Vegetables. It is mostly comprised of savory meals and sides, but there is a section of Sweet Endings which has recipes for Double Decker Peach Cobbler, Banana Pudding Pie, Tarts and Cakes. Every single recipe is accompanied by a photo so you'll know what your food is supposed to look like. That also helps when trying to decide what to make. A few other useful sections in this book are 30 in about 30 (you guessed it, 30 recipes made in about 30 minutes), 10 Leftover Chicken Makeovers (recipes in the book you can make using a rotisserie chicken) and 20 Freezer Go-To's (recipes from the book that freeze well).

I chose to make Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes (p.189) as a side dish to brown rice and Pesto Parmesan Chicken. It was a fantastic meal if I do say so myself. Even Mr. H agreed with me and he's not a big fan of Parm. I made a couple adaptations to the recipes but rather than altering the recipe, I just made my changes in italics below. This would be a great recipe to make any time of year because roasting them makes them sweeter and taste like Summer even if the tomatoes aren't so ripe. After roasting, the tomatoes became soft and the flavor intensified. The tomatoes burst in your mouth, but the topping was crispy and garlicky. I could eat a whole bowl of just crumbs, they were that good! I'm looking forward to trying other recipes from this book, because if they're half as good as these tomatoes, I'm in for a treat.

Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes from Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler

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• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 large ripe tomatoes, cut in half horizontally
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 395 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic parsley and oregano until well combined.

Place the tomato halves in a shallow baking dish, sliced side up. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste. (I added the salt and pepper to the bread crumb mixture).

Sprinkle the tops of the tomatoes with the Parmesan bread crumb mixture. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the tomatoes. (I mixed the olive oil in with the bread crumbs so they'd stick together and create a crisper topping).

Bake until the topping is golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

NOTE: Since this recipe was part of a cookbook review I didn't want to alter the original recipe. Instead I added my changes to the recipe in blue italics.

Katherine from Thomas Nelson also wants to give away 3 copies of Simply Suppers for you to enjoy! All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me what your favorite side dish is.

Anyone and everyone is eligible to win. Just be sure to leave me your contact info so I can contact you if you win. One entry per person please.

I'll reveal the (3) winners next Tuesday, May 10. Good luck!

Purple, Green and Blue

When I see the contrasting colors of purple and green together they immediately remind me of my two sons' birthstones- Amethyst and Peridot. I did not make this bread because blueberries are purple and zucchini is green, but rather because I like the two flavors baked into sweet quick breads. I've never had the two together, but I really liked it and the crumble sent it over the top. Besides having fruit and veggies baked into one thing, topped with oatmeal, actually convinced me I was eating something healthy. I printed the recipe awhile back and didn't note where I got it from. I tried googling it to find it's origin with no such luck. If this is your recipe, let me know and I'll give you proper credit.

I also wanted to share with you a little about the "secret" anniversary trip Mr. H and I took this past weekend. We spent 5 nights and 4 days in New Jersey. What the heck in is New Jersey you might be asking yourself? Well my new found miracle of a doctor is there. On Friday morning I had abdominal surgery. We didn't take this trip for romantic reasons, but because we're trying to save our family. I am 12 weeks pregnant. If you'll recall, I've had 2 second trimester pregnancy losses in 2006 and 2007. We've been trying to conceive for the past 2 years and in December it finally happened. I didn't find out til January 15th and I've been keeping a secret from you all, not because I didn't want you all to know, but because I was scared.

The procedure I had was for placement of a Trans-Abdominal Cerclage (TAC). I have an incompetent cervix, which means that my cervix gives out and dilates under the weight of a growing baby, thus causing me to go into labor too early. Generally a cerclage is a stitch that is sewn through your cervix to keep it shut. But for me, it didn't work. This cerclage (TAC) was much more invasive and I had to have my abdomen cut open to have it done. The procedure is done much like a c-section, except that the baby is still growing inside my uterus and there wasn't a stitch placed through my cervix. This time a Mersilene band was tied tightly around my cervix just beneath the uterus. As the baby grows, the weight will be supported by this band. It's a permanent fixture in my body and this baby, as well as any in the future will be delivered via cesarean.

So the title of this post suggest that I have two heavenly babies with birthstone colors of purple and green and another miracle baby on the way due in September with a birthstone of Blue Sapphire. The colors in this bread reminds me all 3 of them. The TAC is 98-99% successful so we are optimistically hopeful that we will bringing a live baby home with us in a few months. We've waiting this for this for years and our time has finally come. That's also part of the reason that I've been so quiet lately. I really was sick for a while there, but the rest was from lack of appetite and energy. I am recovering at home now and will be for the next few weeks, but I promise to keep you all updated as I learn about the status of our growing and thriving baby. In the meantime, we are doing just fine and taking it one day at a time. I thank you all for the support you've shown me and I ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We know that we are not in the clear and I certainly do not take this pregnancy for granted. If anything, I realize how precious life really is because of the loss of our boys. I just want this time to be different.

Blueberry Zucchini Crumble Bread

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For the Crumb Topping:

• 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold butter

For the Bread:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup blueberries

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and oatmeal. Using your fingers, blend the butter into the other ingredients until well mixed. Mixture will be crumbly but should stick together in clumps when you squeeze it. Set aside.

To make the bread: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until slightly foamy. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the beaten eggs, and mix til well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until well incorporated, but do not overmix.

Using a spatula, fold in the grated zucchini and blueberries. Stir by hand until thoroughly combined but try and not break up the blueberries.

Sprinkle a 1/3 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the greased and floured loaf pan. Carefully pour the batter into the pan and evenly sprinkle the remaining crumble topping over the batter. It's okay to have some some larger pieces of crumble on top of the bread.

Place the pan into a preheated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

And now for the winners of the Frame By Frame Baking Cookbook Giveaway!

#40- Becky and #62- LeAnne!

Congrats ladies! I'll email for your addresses. Enjoy the books!