Orange Beef Stir Fry

12 ounces stir fry meat
1/2 c. orange juice
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp beef bouillon granules
4 green onions, sliced
1 clove of garlic
Broccoli heads (I like to use fresh)

For sauce stir together in bowl the juice, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, and bouillon. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbs of oil in a pan. Add green onions and garlic. Cook for about a minute.
Take the onions out of the pan and set aside, and then cook your meat in the same pan.
Add your broccoli and let that get soft, but not too soft. You might need to add some more oil.

Add the sauce you set aside to the meat and broccoli mixture and cook until it thickens. Add the green onions.

Serve over rice.

Scalloped Potatoes

It seems lately I have been making a lot of comfort foods. Must be the Fall. I have been cooking more too because I got a job cooking for my Dad. It is a pretty sweet arrangement. The other night I made him a beef roast cooked in BBQ sauce and then we served it like sandwiches with some wheat rolls. It was delicious. I served it will scallop potatoes. It was a great combo.

6 large potatoes
2 cans evaporated milk
4 tbsp flour
shredded cheese
chopped onion
LOTS of pepper, salt, and garlic powder to season

Peel and cut potatoes in half. Boil in salted water until soft, but still a little firm.
After the Potatoes are cooked, slice them into smaller pieces.
Put a layer down of potatoes and a handful of the diced onions in a 9 by 13 pan.
Pour some evaporated milk on them, season with pepper, salt and garlic powder. Sprinkle some flour over the top and make sure it is absorbed into the milk (the flour is what will thicken the milk).
Add cheese on top of the layer if you like a lot of cheese, or you can just wait until the end to sprinkle it on top.
Repeat this process of layering until you run out of potatoes.
Make sure the milk is up to the same level as the potatoes.
End with a layer of cheese on the top.
Bake at 375 degrees until it is bubbly and the onions are soft.
Let it stand for a few minutes to cool off and to let the sauce thicken some more.

Cafe Rio Salad

I am too lazy to write this one down so I will just give you the link. It is my favorite recipe right now. I have yet to meet someone who is not crazy about it.


I adjust the recipe a little bit, but you can follow it ver batum if you are so inclined.

*I use a beef roast instead of pork
*I don't dump out the juices after the meat is cooked like the recipe says. It is perfectly good juice! I just add a can of enchilada sauce while it is cooking, instead of dumping out all the stuff and putting it in at the end.
*The dressing is divine but if you are lazy, buy some ranch dressing and dress it up with the other add ins that make it a not so typical ranch.

You will find some other great recipes on this site as well!
www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Dinner in a Pumpkin

It was cold today and boy was I in the mood for some autumnal goodness. Enter pumpkin. My friend told me about this (thanks Rachelle). And it was a smashing success. And come on, how fun is it to eat out of a pumpkin!

1 small to medium pumpkin (pumpkin pie pumpkin)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 (4oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 chopped green bell pepper

Cut open your pumpkin from the top and scoop out all the icky stuff.

Brown your meat with the onions and bell pepper.

Add all the other stuff.

Put it in your pumpkin and replace the pumpkin lid and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Potato Salad

I went to a friend's party and had this delicious potato salad. I am normally not a fan of potato salad at all but this one was fantastic. I asked the girl who brought it for the recipe, she said she didn't have the specific measurements as it is a family recipe that has never been written down. So I have yet to play with the measurements, but for those who like to taste test their way to the right flavoring, here are the ingredients:

Potatoes (cooked, cooled and cubed)
eggs, diced
relish
green bell pepper, diced
red bell pepper, diced
red onion, diced
carrots, sliced
mayo
mustard
sugar
salt and pepper


When I figure out the quantities of each, I'll let you know. I am assuming it is mostly a mayo based dressing with a good amount of relish, a smaller amount of mustard, and just a little sugar. The salad had more of a sweet and tangy taste which is what made it different and good to me.

Cabbage Rolls (Or lettuce wraps)

I got this from my friend Robyn.

1/2 head cabbage
1 pound ground beef (you can substitute whatever meat you would like)
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cooked rice

2 tsp worchester sauce
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 stp. salt
dash of pepper

Steam cabbage until tender.
Brown beef and onion, add bell pepper, carrots, cook a little longer, then add rice and worchester sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mix soy sauce and sugar and then pour over beef mixture.
Serve in cabbage leaves (or lettuce)

Spaghetti With a Twist

Spaghetti used to be my all time favorite food. I remember getting Spaghetti at IHOP once. Bad idea. I still love spaghetti because it is so easy, but I have realized there is a lot of delicious food out there to be tried! This recipe mixes the same old spaghetti up just a little bit. It's really fast and easy as well.

1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (14 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP cream cheese
12 ounce spaghetti

Cook onions in a little olive oil until translucent. Add meat, cook until browned. Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream cheese until well blended
Serve with cooked spaghetti and Parmesan cheese.