One of my favorite Mexican marinades is Carne Asada. Chances are you may have had these at a restaurant or made them before at home. Carne Asada steak makes a delicious meat for tacos or burritos. You can either marinade, then slice the steak into strips and cook. Or, you can leave the steak whole, grill it and then cut it into strips, which is what I did. I would recommend marinating for 8 hours to overnight for maximum flavor. The marinade uses simple ingredients such as soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and chili powder. If you are making tacos or burritos some condiments would be tomato, sliced red onion, pico de gallo, and cheese. If you are looking for a great Carna Asada marinade recipe, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 lbs flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
4 garlic cloves (minced)
2 limes (juiced)
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Place flank steak in a large bowl. In a medium bowl whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, garlic cloves, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Mix until well blended. Cover, place into the refigerator and marinate for at least 8 hours.
Step 2: When the meat in done marinating, slice the steak into strips and cook in a fry pan until the steak is cooked through. Use cooked steak meat for tacos or burritos.

Here is another fantastic recipe for the Holidays, green bean casserole. This is nothing but a classic right here. Chances are many of you already have your own recipe for this but this one is a little different. This recipe has whole mushrooms in the casserole and uses fresh green beans. I always prefer fresh green beans over the canned or frozen kind but if you cannot find fresh, frozen will work as well. The process of making this dish is fairly simple. The green beans are boiled in chicken broth until tender and then mixed into a cream of mushroom soup mixture, placed into a casserole dish and baked in the oven.  If you are looking for a delicious green bean casserole recipe for the holidays, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
6 cups fresh green beans (ends removed and cut in half)
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 (10 ¾ ounce) cans low-sodium condensed cream of mushrooms soup
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 (2 7/8 ounce) cans French fried onion rings
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet melt butter and add mushrooms and garlic. Cook while stirring until mushrooms loose their moisture. Set aside.
Step 2: Add green beans to a large sauce pan and pour chicken broth over them. Bring to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until green beans become fork tender. Drain green beans (but do not  rinse).

Step 3: In a large bowl combine cream of mushroom soup, cooked mushrooms, parmesan cheese, pepper and onions rings, mix well. Gently fold in green beans. Pour into a greased 3 quart casserole dish. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top return to oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
(Makes 6 Servings)

These Pumpkin brownies make a great treat for the Holidays. These brownies are like an actual brownie and not a pumpkin pie bar. They are basically a combination of pumpkin pie and chocolate brownies. They are made by creating two separate batters, layering the batters in a baking dish and then swirling with a knife. These brownies are extremely moist and will leave you coming back for more. If you feel the seasonings might be a little strong, you may want to cut back on them just a little. For the pumpkin puree, you can either use canned or homemade. Lining the baking dish the aluminum foil is optional but I find it is way easier to remove the brownies from the baking dish and cut them nicely into squares that way.

Ingredients:
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter (melted)
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup walnuts (chopped)
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Step 2: In a separate bowl mix together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs (one at a time). Add in the flour mixture, a little at a time and stir until the batter is evenly moistened. Divide the batter in half evenly into 2 separate bowls.
Step 3: In one of the bowls blend in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In the second bowl of batter stir in pumpkin puree, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Step 4: Spread ½ of the chocolate batter mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Pour ½ of the pumpkin batter mixture over that. Repeat the layers, ending with a pumpkin layer. Drag a kitchen knife or spatula through the layers in a swirling motion creating a marble appearance.  
Step 5: Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.

If you have never had a fajita pizza you are missing out. My first time making a fajita pizza was just a few days ago, and it turned out so good I just had to post this recipe. This is basically chicken fajitas on a pizza. Pizza crust topped with salsa, chicken, sliced bell peppers, cheese and onions. This will make a 12” pizza and for the crust, you can make your own, use a box mix, or a premade crust. I use the Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough. All you need to do is unroll it and press onto your pizza pan. For the chicken, I actually rubbed the chicken with the spice mixture, grilled it and then cut into in to small pieces. Pre-baking the crust is important so it doesn’t get soggy. I always enjoy my pizza crust as least a little crispy. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small strips, *leave whole if grilling)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup onion (sliced)
½ cup green bell pepper (sliced into strips)
½ cup red bell pepper (sliced into strips)
1 (12 inch) pizza crust (homemade, dough or box mix)
½ cup salsa
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. To pan fry chicken, add olive oil to a large skillet. Heat to medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned. Stir in chili powder, salt and garlic powder. Add onions and bell peppers and cook for another minute or until the vegetables are crispy tender.
(or to grill chicken- season chicken breasts on both sides with chili powder, garlic, and salt. Lightly oil grill grates and grill on high until chicken is fully cooked. Slice cooked chicken breasts into strips. Cook vegetables in olive oil in a fry pan for about 1 minute).

Step 2: Lightly grease pizza pan and press dough into the pan. Place into the oven and pre-bake crust for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and scatter chicken strips over the crust, spoon salsa over the chicken, then toss on sliced bell peppers and onions and top with cheese.
Step 3: Bake for another 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

This is by far the best chili I have ever had. This recipe for chili is great for football season and almost everyone is sure to enjoy it. As you can see from the ingredients, this chili can be a little expensive and time consuming but I can assure you, it’s worth it! I have tried a lot of different chili recipes that seemed a lot easier but none of them were as good as this. The ingredients blend perfectly for a spicy and delicious chili.  This chili is also great re-heated if you want to make it ahead of time and serve it the next day. It makes quite a bit and will serve about 12 people. Other than the prep work, the stove does the rest. The longer you let it simmer, the better it will taste. If you are looking for a good chili recipe, make a batch of this for game day. Serve with corn chips and shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
3 (15) ounce cans chili beans (drained)
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large onion (chopped)
3 stalks celery (chopped)
2 green bell peppers (seeded and chopped)
2 green chili peppers (seeded and chopped)
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 beef bouillon cubes
½ cup beer
¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (or any hot sauce)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large stock pot over medium-high heat add ground beef and Italian sausage. Break into small pieces with a spatula and cook until browned. Drain off any excess fat.
Step 2: Add spicy chili beans (with the sauce), chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Next, add in onion, celery, green peppers, green chili peppers, bacon bits, beef bouillon cubes and beer. Season the chili with chili powder, garlic, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and sugar. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
(Makes 12 Servings)

Looking to make your own Pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year? If so, you might want to consider giving this one a try. This is one of the best pumpkin pie recipes I have tried and it’s very easy to make. For this recipe we are using a pre-made pie crust or a box mix. I know this is cheating but it saves a lot of time. I prefer the Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts, all you need to do its press them into your pie dish. If you want you can substitute the cinnamon, ginger and cloves with 1 2/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. The taste will be slightly different but still good.  This is the perfect recipe for busy Holiday cooking; you can have this in the oven within 15 minutes. Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
¾ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9” deep pie crust (pre-made or box mix)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Press pie crust into a lightly greased 9” pie dish. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and ground cloves.
Step 2: In a large bowl beat eggs. Stir in pumpkin puree and sugar/spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk until mixture is well combined and smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell.

Step 3: Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. After 15 minutes reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 4: Cool for 2 hours.

One of my favorite curry dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala. This is a very popular dish in many restaurants around the world but mainly in the United Kingdom. Chicken Tikka Masala is chicken marinated in a yogurt mixture, cooked and then served with a tomato cream sauce. Did I mention the chicken is also grilled? I prefer to grill the chicken but you could also bake it or cook it in the pan if you prefer.  For grilling make sure you soak the skewers in water overnight so they don’t catch fire on the grill. If you are not a big fan of spicy foods, I would recommend cutting down on the cayenne pepper, or leaving it out all together. If you are making more then the recipe calls for, I don’t think it’s necessary to double the marinade. This recipe takes a little work but its well worth it. Serve with white rice. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
4 long wooden skewers (soaked overnight in water)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped, for garnish)
Marinade-
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or less, to taste)
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
4 teaspoons salt (or less, to taste)
Sauce-
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 jalapeño pepper (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl mix yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ginger, and salt. Add chicken bits and mix well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. After 1 hour thread chicken bits onto skewers. Discard the marinade.
Step 2: Lightly oil grill grates and pre-heat the grill to high heat. Put chicken onto the grill and cook until juices run clear (about 5 minutes on each side).
Step 3: In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño peppers and sauté for 1 minute. Add 2 teaspoons of cumin, paprika, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and heavy cream. Bring to a boil while stirring reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add grilled chicken to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with white rice and garnish with cilantro.
(Makes 4 Servings)

This is a very basic recipe for banana muffins that is absolutely delicious. If you enjoy banana bread you will love this recipe. The greatest part about these muffins is the streusel, it goes perfect with banana. These are very easy to make and take such little time; you only have to bake them for about 18-20 minutes. It is important to check them after about 15 minutes to make sure you don’t over bake them. If you want to add something extra to the recipes, you could throw in some nuts of chocolate chips. If you are looking for an amazing tasting muffins recipe, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 bananas (mashed)
¾ cup white sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease 10 muffin cups (or line with muffin papers). In a large bowl mix 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moist and combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffins cups.
Step 2: To make streusel- in a small bowl mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and ground cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon of butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle streusel over the top of the muffins.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

I don’t know if I would consider this a recipe but to be used more of as a guideline for making a Hawaiian pizza. If you are a pizza lover then chances are you have had a Hawaiian pizza from one of your favorite pizza places. The combination might seem a little odd to you but it’s pretty good, although, if you don’t care much for pineapple you might not enjoy this type of pizza. For the crust and sauce, you can use whatever you like. Store bought, homemade, ect. I personally like to use a Baboli pizza crust to save a little time. I also like to use deli ham and cut it up into small pieces but you could use cubed ham as well. A lot of Hawaiian pizzas call for onions, I don’t put it on mine but the option for sliced onions is always there.  If you are looking to make a different type of pizza, give this one a try!

Ingredients:
1 large pizza crust (pre-made, box mix, home made, ect.)
5 ounces pizza sauce (or more)
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits (drained)
½ cup ham (diced)
1 small onion (sliced, optional)
2 cups shredded mazerella cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees (or if using a box mix or recipe, whatever temperature it calls for baking at).
Step 2: Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the crust. Top with mozzarella cheese, ham, pineapple and onions.
Step 3: Bake pizza in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Here is the perfect cake for Halloween, black magic cake. This rich and delicious dark chocolate cake is super moist and will keep you coming back for more and more. This cake gets a lot of its flavor from strong brewed coffee, cocoa, and buttermilk. There is a little work needed to make this cake but no more than you would expect from any average layer cake. If you prefer not to make a layer cake you can use a 9×13” baking pan instead of two 9” round baking pans. The batter will be thin but it will bake well. For the frosting, I went with a delicious cream cheese frosting but you could also use chocolate frosting or whatever you like. I also used orange food coloring to kind of give a Halloween feel to the cake but unfortunately it didn’t quite get the color I was hoping for. If you are looking for a great dessert for Halloween, give this one a try! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting-
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (softened)
½ cup butter (softened)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9” round baking pans (or one 9×13” baking pan.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Into the well add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed or until well combined.

Step 3: Pour batter into baking pans (if using two 9” round baking pans evenly divide the batter between the two). Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from the baking pans and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Step 4: While the cake is cooling, to make the cream cheese frosting- In a medium bowl cream the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in vanilla extract and then beat in the confectioner’s sugar, a little at a time until you have reached your desired spreading consistency. Fill and frosting the cake with the cream cheese frosting.