I'm back! 4 Quick Dinners by Kraft Day 1: Steak StirFry

Wow...has it really been almost nine months since I have last posted? Sadly it has and boy did I miss my kitchen. If you read my blog previously you would know that I was expecting a little bundle of joy and my posts became all but non-existent. My only excuse is that my feet looked like swollen sausages and standing was hardly an option.Well I am back and ready to attempt to blog again. Since you last heard from me, I have given birth to that little bundle and he is already three months old!! I have also gone back to work full time and take on a 45 minute trek to take Little E (the bundle) to his Grannys a couple times a week. With that being said my days of having hours to prepare a meal are pretty much over. I have approximately one hour to fix dinner for my husband before he leaves for work. This week is dedicated to those fast meals...I found this weeks recipes on Kraft.com. Why only 4 recipes you may ask? Well this Mama likes to take a break now and then and lets Pizza Hut do all the work every once in a while. If that laziness offends you take it up with this ferocious bear.

Day 1: Beef Stir Fry

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed, drained
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup lite soy sauce

Cook rice as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and garlic; stir-fry 2 min. Add vegetables, dressing and soy sauce; stir-fry 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meat is done. Spoon rice onto platter; top with meat mixture.

The Verdict: This was VERY easy to make. My family usually doesnt lean towards brown rice but my husband didnt even notice. The sauce was pretty tasty but I felt it needed a little extra salt. Overall I would probably make this again and I might even try it with chicken or shrimp next time. I give it a solid B.

Steakin' it Easy

My end of vacation steak dinner was so much better than I expected. My husband is totally a steak and potato man and as usual he was stoked for what was on the menu. I had found some pretty New York strip steaks at the grocery store and while I was walking around looking for some peanut butter I planned the rest our meal. I decided on some roasted rosemary potatoes and some of my "handy" bruschetta. Once home I put my husband to work taking care of the steaks since I am at home in the kitchen not at the grill. He seasoned them perfectly with some kosher salt, some garlic sea salt and some white pepper. For a nice medium/well he kept them on the grill for six minutes each side. While he was doing this I was making my roasted potatoes and was baking my french bread rolls to stuff with bruschetta. Wait...what? Yes I said I was making stuffed bruschetta. I found these cute french bread rolls in the freezer section and hollowed them out to stuff with my bruschetta mixture. It was cute and delicious. The meal was great and I had a wonderful ending to a vacation week! Enjoy!

New York Strips seasoned by my husband

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

French Rolls stuffed with "Handy" Bruschetta

Put it all together and you get....dinner!! Yum!

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, stems removed

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 1/2 pounds white potatoes diced into 1 inch cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray set aside. In a bowl whisk together olive oil, rosemary, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Next add in potatoes and stir to coat completely.
Transfer potatoes to prepared baking sheet. Spread into single layer.Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn. Bake for 20 more minutes or until the edges of the potatoes are golden brown. If you like them extra crispy turn on the boiler for 2 minutes. Enjoy!


"Handy" Bruschetta
4 ripe roma tomatoes chopped
1 yellow bell pepper chopped
1 can chopped black olives (4 oz)
2 cloves of garlic, minced plus one clove left whole
4-5 leaves basil chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Hollowed out French bread rolls or French bread slices

Make sure you have drained most of the moisture from your tomatoes. Combine chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, black olives, minced garlic, and basil. Stir gently and set aside. In a separate small bowl whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add to tomato mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Rub garlic clove over bread slices or inside hollowed out bread roll. Top (or fill) bread with the bruschetta mixture or serve separately and let people construct their own. Enjoy!
Source: Alex Original

Listening To:
Black Balloon-Goo Goo Dolls
The Distance-Cake
Ain't No Sunshine-Aaron Neville
Three Little Birds-Bob Marley
Under Pressure-Queen