MommaCooks

posted by Nina on Jan 25

Your house will smell SO good all day long while this is cooking!

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. brisket
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 (2 1/2-ounce) submarine rolls, halved
Red onion slices (optional)
Dill pickle slices (optional)

Instructions:
Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and pepper; rub over both sides of brisket.

Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, onion, and next 9 ingredients (onion through salt) in an electric slow cooker. Add brisket; turn to coat.

Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 1 hour. Reduce heat setting to low; cook for 7 hours.

Remove brisket; reserve sauce. Shred brisket with 2 forks. Return shredded brisket to cooker; stir into sauce. Spoon 1/2 cup brisket mixture onto bottom half of each roll; top with onion and pickles, if desired. Cover with tops of rolls.

We had this with cole slaw and dill pickles on the side.

Did I change anything? I only used 1/2 the onion.

What did the family think? After the children realized that they weren’t going to die from eating BBQ they ate it and I think it would be safe to say that they liked it. Hubby and I thought it was scrumptious.

posted by Nina on Jan 21

I saw this on Cooking Light’s website; I just added some mozzarella cheese and some pasta sauce to jazz it up a bit.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 Italian sausage links, cut in half crosswise
4 cups baby spinach
4 (1 1/2-ounce) French bread rolls
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pasta sauce

Instructions:
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat until hot. Add sausages, and cook 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove sausage from skillet; carefully slice each piece in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open the halves, laying sausage flat. Return sausage to skillet, placing cut sides down; cook 2 minutes or until sausage is done. Remove sausage from skillet; set aside, and keep warm. Add spinach to skillet; cover and cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Remove spinach from skillet; set aside, and keep warm.

Slice each French bread roll in half horizontally. Fill with one sausage, 1/4 of the spinach and 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side until cheese is melted.

Serve with heated up pasta sauce in little bowls for dipping your sandwich into.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. The spinach didn’t even bother the boys because they were too busy dipping their sandwiches in the pasta sauce. Yum!

posted by Nina on Jan 19

My very dear friend, Candy, posted this on Facebook not too long ago and I thought I would give it a try. I had a feeling the boys would like it and I like anything that’s easy that involves provolone cheese.

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs beef brisket (use more or less depending on your family’s appetite)
1 can beef broth
1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
yellow or white onion, cut in wedges (totally optional–the flavor of the beef comes out just as good without this)
Italian Seasoning (totally optional, again)
Sliced bread, hoagie rolls, or other “bun” of choice
Provolone cheese (totally optional, again)

Instructions:
Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Take the Italian Seasoning (if you are using it) and sprinkle on all sides of the beef.

Place beef (fat side down) in crock pot.

Add onions, if you are using them.

Mix beef broth and soup mix by whisking a few times in a bowl.

Pour the combined beef broth/soup mix into crockpot with beef (& onions).

Cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. (This is much better when cooked SLOW and long rather than on high and for shorter amount of time, but I have done both. If you’re in a pinch for time, then go with the HIGH setting if you must!)

Once beef is done, simply slice or shred up, place in bread or bun of choice, top with cheese (we have also used shredded cheddar and have omitted cheese completely and it’s been fine!).

Ladle out au jus sauce from crock pot and put in a small bowl for each person.
Dip sandwich to your liking, eat, and enjoy!

Did I change anything? I left out the onions and I couldn’t find the exact right flavor of Lipton soup mix at the grocery store, so I used Beef and Mushroom instead.

What did the family think? Hubby was out of town, so he missed out. Our oldest loved it and so did I. Our youngest really liked it too, but he decided to dip his in catsup instead of au jus.

posted by Nina on Dec 22

SInce my kids seem to think sandwiches are better when they come out of the panini maker…

Ingredients:
2 slices Italian Sandwich Bread or English Muffin
3 eggs, scrambled
1 slice Cheddar Cheese (or whatever variety you prefer)

Instructions:
Scramble the eggs and put them with the cheese in between the two slices of bread.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What does the family think? They think it’s so much better to have a panini than a grilled cheese. Isn’t this essentially a grilled cheese with some eggs thrown in there? Even if I give them a choice between a grilled cheese and a cheese panini, they will always pick the panini! Silly kids.

posted by Nina on Dec 22

So, we are still eating out because most of our furniture is still being stored in the garage. I have been told that we should be able to have the movers come next Saturday…fingers crossed! Here is a yummy panini that I had at our local sandwich/soup shop last night.

Ingredients:
Italian Sandwich Bread
Sliced Deli Roast Beef
Mozzarella
Red Pepper, very thinly sliced
Yellow onion, very thinly sliced (keep in rings)
Pepperoncini, stems cut off and thinly sliced
Capers (optional)
Mayo

Instructions:
Spread a thin layer of mayo on each slice bread. Assemble sandwich with above ingredients using more of less of each ingredient to your taste.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What did the family think? I am the only one who had this variety. It was yummy. I have their takeout menu, so I can check off each sandwich as I have it. My goal is to try them all!

posted by Nina on Nov 19

Yep, we went back to the panini place today to savor some of their delectable creations. This would be great if you have some leftover pulled pork or some leftover BBQ chicken.

Ingredients:
Italian Sandwich Bread
BBQ Pulled Pork
Cole Slaw

Instructions:
Make a sandwich out of the above ingredients. If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What did the family think? I was the only one who had it, but it was good. The addition of the cole slaw reminded me of one of my favorite sandwiches at Jack Stack BBQ in Kansas City.

posted by Nina on Nov 18

A great lady who I used to teach with had the fantastic idea that I review restaurants since I can’t really cook in my kitchen right now. This is the sandwich I ate tonight at our newest favorite restaurant. I didn’t make it, but it’s pretty straight forward, and would be a great way to use up all of those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Ingredients:
Italian Sandwich Bread
Havarti Cheese
Cranberry Sauce
Turkey

Instructions:
Make a sandwich out of the above ingredients. If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What did the family think? I was the only one who had this and it was really good. My only bit of advice is to go easy on the cranberry sauce or you will have a very soggy sandwich. I had this with a cup of Thanksgiving soup which had turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, some tasty broth, some parsley and some tasty croutons on top.

posted by Nina on Oct 29

After watching the Great Food Truck Race, I was inspired to make these after watching people gobble up Nom Nom’s sandwiches every week.

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops, cut 1/4 inch thick
4 (7 inch) French bread baguettes, split lengthwise
4 teaspoons mayonnaise, or to taste
1 ounce chile sauce with garlic
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat the oven’s broiler.

Place the pork chops on a broiling pan and set under the broiler. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, or until browned on each side.

Open the French rolls and spread mayonnaise on the insides. Place one of the cooked pork chops into each roll. Spread chile sauce directly on the meat. Sprinkle with a little lime juice and top with slices of onion, cucumber, cilantro, salt and pepper. Finish with another quick drizzle of lime juice.

We had these with some Egg
Drop Soup and some sushi I got at the store.

Did I change anything? If I was going to make this again, I would definitely cook more meat. Maybe 6 pork loin chops instead of 4. I also cut the pork chops into strips so that they would fit on the bread better. Speaking of the bread, I didn’t buy real french bread, but I did buy long hoagie-like buns. I just thought they would be too hard to eat like that, especially for the boys.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked them. The boys liked their sandwiches, too, but I made theirs much more plain…just meat and bread.

from allrecipes.com

posted by Nina on Oct 28

These can be served hot or cold. You can make them ahead of time, stick them in the frig and get them out when you are ready. They are very transportable too…make it, wrap it up in plastic wrap and take it with you for lunch or a picnic.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
4 8- to 10-inch whole wheat or Southwest-flavored flour tortillas
4 romaine lettuce leaves, ribs removed
4 strips bacon, crisp-cooked and drained
2 green onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces cooked chicken, shredded

Instructions:
Spread salad dressing over one side of each tortilla.

Top with lettuce, bacon, green onions, tomato, cheese, and shredded chicken. Roll up tightly.

Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and chill up to 4 hours.

Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Did I change anything? The only thing I changed was that the kids only got chicken, lettuce and cheese in theirs.

What did the family think? Everyone liked theirs except for our youngest…the cheese was sticking to the chicken! Horror!!! He did finally manage to work his way around it and ate his dinner though.

from Better Homes and Gardens

posted by Nina on Oct 13

We found this yummy wrap in this month’s Food Network magazine.

Ingredients
For the Rub:
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Wraps:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil, for the grill
4 pieces flatbread, wraps, lavash or large tortillas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 Maui onion, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
8 romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions:
Make the rub: Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Prepare the wraps: Whisk the mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of the rub in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Toss the chicken with 3 tablespoons rub. Oil the grill; grill the chicken until marked, about 6 minutes. Turn and grill until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.

Wipe the grill clean and brush with more oil. Lay the bread on the grill, then brush with the spiced mayonnaise and top with mozzarella. Grill until the bottom is marked, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.

Cube the chicken and arrange down the center of each piece of bread. Top with the tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Roll up and wrap with parchment paper or foil to seal.

We had this with some chips and fruit salad.

Did I change anything? I didn’t grill the chicken or the bread. I just cooked the chicken in a pan with some olive oil and then heated up the bread by placing it on the burners for a few seconds. The cheese melted when I put the chicken in the sandwich so it all worked out.

What did the family think? I was worried that it was going to be too spicy, but it definitely wasn’t. It was just right and so, so good. I made the boys’ without the spices, but added the cheese. They were happy with it that way.

from Food Network