The Beam's: 2012

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Mexican Stuffed Shells

So my coworker brought these awesome stuffed shells to work the other day, and I had to get the recipe. They are super simple to make and quite delicious! I would serve them with Mexican rice next time I make this. I didn't start cooking until 8 pm after our workout & protein shake, so I didn't cook any sides to go with the shells.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomato based sauce found in the Mexican section)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.

While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

I used the whole package of jumbo shells, but I would recommend only using half the package for next time, but it didn't seem like 16 little shells were gonna be enough :)

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Bourbon Banana Bread

Found this little recipe over at The Manly Housekeeper and decided to test it out. I mean who thinks of adding bourbon to banana bread? A guy of course! So off I went on a trip to the grocery store for bananas and the liquor store to buy the smallest bottle of bourbon they carried. Of course when I walked in with an overwhelmed look the employee was very kind in helping me then proceeded to tell me that they love to eat up there if I needed some guinea pigs for my recipe. I told him thanks, but I was testing it out on my coworkers already for our Christmas card signing "party."

Bourbon Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup smashed bananas (about 2 large)
3 tablespoons bourbon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups (6 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour (I just used normal flour)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and dust with flour a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light in color, at least 3 minutes.

Step 2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat together until light, at least 4 minutes.

Step 3. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the eggs and butter and stir until just combined.

Step 4. Stir together the mashed bananas and bourbon. Add the banana mixture, walnuts and chocolate chips to the batter, folding it all together. Fold gently yet thoroughly – you want the bananas to be well mixed into the batter.

told you it was a baby bottle of bourbon!

Bear never leaves the kitchen when I'm cooking

Step 5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.

It’s best to wait until the bread is completely cooled before slicing or otherwise, the melted chips will smear. Recipe states that this bread is best 2-3 days after baking it.

If you are not a huge chocolate fan, I would leave that part out of the recipe as it competes with the banana flavor. Also, I left the nuts out for my husband's sake.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Family Pictures

So over Thanksgiving my mother in law wanted us all to take some family Christmas pictures, and I'm so glad we did! Brian and I accidentally forgot to pack red, but it worked that we could borrow some clothes :) Uncle Bruce did a wonderful job getting some pictures even though it was tough with two kiddos and a dog.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

25th Birthday Bash

For my birthday this year I wanted to mix things up a bit. Typically, we go to dinner with friends and have cake and ice cream at the house. It's enjoyable and doesn't take too much planning. This year I decided to host my own murder mystery birthday party. It was tons of fun, but also tons of work! Cooking for 20 people didn't scare me at first, but it was definitely more work than I anticipated. Thankfully my wonderful husband and one of my dearest friends, Scarlett helped out with the party details, cooking, etc. I wish I would have gotten more pics at the party, but it was just kind of chaotic that night.