Spicy Beef Ribeye Steak

I ran across THE DIZZY PIG BBQ company by subscribing to the LOVE FOR FOOD box. It comes every month with different samples of tasty goodies to try. Well for the August box, one of the best steak seasonings fell into my lap!!! THE COW LICK STEAK RUB!!!! It is fantastic!!! I am not a big user of different seasonings on my steaks. I normally just keep it simple with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder, but I will definitely be using this seasoning again.

You can get this seasoning from www.dizzypigbbq.com. They also have a wide array of seasonings that may tickle your pallet!!

Enjoy!

Drunken Green Beans

This is a very fast and easy side dish to whip up!!

2 lbs fresh green beans*
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups of chopped baby bella mushrooms
3/4 cup of white wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil until onions are translucent. Season onions and mushrooms and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add green beans. Cook on medium high heat and stir frequently until tender. Add white wine and continue to stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Frozen green beans can also be used, but they will not provide as much texture as the fresh green beans! :)

Enjoy!!!

Roasted Corn and Hatch Green Chile Salsa

Roasted Corn and Hatch Green Chile Salsa

2 Whole orn cobs in husk
1 1/2 Hatch green chile (diced)
1 Large avacado (diced)
1 1/2 cup Baby cherry tomatoes (halved)
1/4 of medium red onion
Juice from one lime
Salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corn in oven , in the husk,  and bake for 30 minutes. Remove corn from oven and allow to cool. After corn is cooled, strip husk and cut corn from the cob into a medium size bowl. Add remaining ingredients to bowl, mix and season to taste.

This salsa is great to eat with tortilla chips, or to add a little twist to your favorite meat. I paired the salsa with a thin sliced grilled chicken breast and broccoli for a nice and light meal. I hope you enjoy!!! Let me know what you think!!!

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at therealcookincousins@gmail.com!

Yummy Cabbage!!!

Cabbage is so fast and super easy to make. Great side dish!!!

1 head of cabbage, chopped (green or red/purple)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Tonys Chachere's Creole Seasoning to taste


Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When cabbage has wilted, add creole seasoning and apple cider vinegar. Cook for another 5 minutes and serve hot!

Enjoy!!

Healthy Noodles.....

Who doesn't love a plate of spaghetti or a rich, creamy dish of fettuccine alfredo? Well I know that I do but when you are watching your carbohydrate intake, those dishes are not an option.  I was recently introduced to the "game changer"!!!! This game changer goes by the name of SHIRATAKI NOODLES!! These noodles are amazing and they are very low in carbs and they are made with TOFU!!!  I know that when we hear TOFU, we kinda freeze up and we turn our nose up and want to move on, however, give it a chance because you will not be sorry. These noodles taste exactly like the carb filled noodles, trust me when I say you will welcome the change. Another plus is that they are very simple to prepare. They take ONE MINUTE to cook- in the microwave! Please give them a try, and let me know what you think.

 I typically get these noodle from Whole Foods, but I have noticed as of late that HEB has them in stock. The price ranges from $2.00- $2.75 per pack. Each pack yields two servings.

Luscious Lamb

EVERYONE IS SO SUPER BUSY THAT IT GETS REALLY HARD TO TRY TO PREPARE A GOOD, HEALTHY MEAL DURING THE WEEK. WELL, I WANTED TO SHARE A QUICK REMEDY TO THAT PROBLEM. LAMB!!!! LAMB HAS BEEN MY GO TO PROTEIN LATELY BECAUSE IT IS SO EASY TO PREPARE AND EVEN QUICKER TO COOK. SOME PEOPLE HAVE NEVER EVEN TRIED LAMB AND MAY BE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL. I WILL ADMIT THAT I WAS THE SAME WAY. HOWEVER, I BROADENED MY HORIZONS AND TOOK A CHANCE AT LAMB. I PURCHASE MY LAMB AT WHOLE FOODS BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE THE CUT OF LAMB THAT I LIKE. THE BLADE SHOULDER CHOP IS MY FAVORITE CUT FROM THE LAMB.

SET YOUR OVEN TO BROIL, WHILE IT IS HEATING, SEASON BOTH SIDES OF YOUR LAMB CHOPS. I TYPICALLY USE SALT, PEPPER, GARLIC POWDER AND DRIED ROSEMARY. BROIL FOR 5-7 MINUTES ON EACH SIDE AND THAT IS IT!!! SERVE WITH YOUR FAVORITE SIDE DISH!

Kickin Meatballs!!!!

There is nothing like a little spice to add that extra kick to a dish! I was shopping and ran across this HEB Habanero Jack shredded cheese and I had to get it. I know some people may be a little intimidated about habanero peppers, but don't be! This cheese provides just a slight "KICK" and not an overwhelming "PUNCH" of the pepper.
I had a recipe for low carb meatballs (no breadcrumbs) that called for cheddar cheese, so I decided to substitute it for the habanero jack cheese. I ate my meatballs in a tomato sauce on Shirataki noodles, which was really good!!  I really enjoyed the meatballs and I hope you will too.

Habanero Jack Meatballs

1/2 pound of ground turkey
1/2 pound of lean ground beef
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of Habanero Jack Cheese
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of onion powder
1 teaspoon dill weed
2 tsp of Bold Tony's Chachere's Cajun Seasoning (or to taste )

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl making sure to work all of the ingredients together well. Roll meatballs to about golf ball size. Place meatballs on baking pan and bake for about 15-20 minutes.



Enjoy!
~Kilee

POPCORN!!!

Big Poppa's Kettle Corn is pure mouth watering deliciousness!!! The corn is hand popped and comes in a wide variety of flavors. My favorite flavor is the Delicious Dill! 

Some of the other scrumptious flavors include:

- Original kettle corn

- Kickin Cajun

- Cinnamon Delight

- Fruitty Kettle

- Caramelicious

- Cheddar infix

- Chocolate Drizzle

Big Poppa's popcorn can be purchased at the Sugarland Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9am until 1pm. 

Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bigpoppakcorn

enjoy!!!

~Kilee

Gotta love Kale!!!

I have to admit that I just learned about kale. I would see it in the store and I would walk right past it. Kale was introduced to me by my friend/boss one day and I have loved it since! 

Last night  I made grilled salmon (seasoned with Ty's Gourmet Spice Seasoning zesty) and I made kale as my side! It came out delightful!!! If u have not tried kale, I must insist that you do. The recipe for the kale dish that accompanied my salmon is below!!! Enjoy!!!

2 bunches of kale (stripped from stem)

4 oz of sliced baby Bella mushrooms

1/2 of medium onion (sliced into thin strips)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 tsp. olive oil

Heat oil in deep skillet or wok, add onion and mushrooms and sautée until tender. Add garlic and sautée for 1 minute. Add kale and cook until slightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Review on Ty's Gourmet Spice Seasoning

I have found a new love!!! This seasoning is amazing. It is full of awesome flavor and it is like a party in your mouth!!! You can sprinkle it on chicken, fish, beef, lamb or even veggies and it adds an amazing burst of flavor to every bite. I ran across this product at the Sugarland Farmers Market. The gentleman selling the item had a sample of grilled chicken seasoned to perfection with the low-salt zesty seasoning and I had to get it. I recently used the seasoning on a beef roast, and it was to die for. 

The product comes in a 6 oz. re-sealable bag. The asking price was $6.00, which is an excellent buy. Be sure to check out the website at www.tysspice.com!!!!

Let me know what you think!!!

~Kilee

Stuffed Chicken Breast

I have been on a health food kick for the past couple of weeks and for people that like to cook, making tasty, healthy meals can sometimes feel restrictive!!! Last night I did a little trial and I attempted to make a stuffed chicken breast. For many, a stuffed chicken breast is full of cheesy goodness and full of fat, but I was able to make this stuffed chicken breast tasty and full of flavor using very little cheese reducing the fat content.
Please try this and enjoy the results!!!

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (butterflied)
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
1/2 medium onion
1 cup of brown mushrooms (sliced)
5 oz fresh spinach (rinsed)
Tony's Chachere seasoning to taste
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning (no salt)
Olive oil to sauté

Season the butterflied chicken breast on both sides with Tony Chachere seasoning. On each chicken breast, sprinkle 1 tbsp of
Parm cheese. Sit chicken breast to the side. In a large skillet, sauté onions and mushrooms for 3 minutes, add spinach and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. Transfer sautéed veggies to a bowl and add ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Spoon mixture in the middle the chicken breast. Fold chicken breast and place on baking dish. Bake on 350 for about 30-40 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!

~Akilee

90 second rice

I always wondered how the pre-cooked, quick heat rice tasted. I thought it may be extra soft, but I was wrong. I tried this rice and it was awesome. It is organic and the taste is wonderful. Quick side dish!!

Healthy Ranch Dressing???

I was looking on Pinterest one day and ran across a recipe for "Healthy Ranch Dressing". Now being a ranch dressing lover, when the words Healthy and Ranch Dressing are put together, you really start to wonder. Well I tested out the recipe, and I have to admit that it was quite tasty.

Check out the Nutrition comparison....

Bottle of the Original Hidden Valley Ranch (2 tbsp) 14g of Fat and 140 calories

Healthy Ranch Dressing, the entire recipe contains 1.75 grams of fat and 255 calories!!!!

Huge difference and the taste is great. It is very easy to prepare!!!

Healthy Ranch Dressing

1 cup Dannon Oikos plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup of 1% milk
1 Packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Combine all ingredients, whisk together and chill for 1 hour.

Lazy Cooking - One Pot Spaghetti

Kristi here! This is my first post so it will be quick and painless... So I usually frown on laziness when it comes to cooking BUT, I have a 2 year old and there's not enough time in a day. So I've learned to embrace simple recipes. I cooked One Pot Spaghetti tonight. I must admit, it was pretty tasty. I tweaked the recipe slightly by adding Italian seasoning, Sicilian seasoning, and kosher salt to taste. This isn't the best picture, but it is YUMMY!

Props to Lynn's Kitchen Adventures - One Pot Spaghetti!!!!

Andouille Seasoning

 I made blackened shrimp!! I normally use a blackening spice that I get from the bulk isle of HEB, but tonight I decided to try something a little different. Instead of using blackening seasoning, I tried the andouille seasoning that is used to make andouille sausage. I went to whole foods meat department and I got just a sample of the seasoning from the butcher. I peeled and de-veined the shrimp and drizzled a little extra virgin olive oil on them. Then I sprinkled a good amount of the spice mix on them. In order to have good blackened shrimp your skillet or grill needs to be smoking hot. When it is hot add butter ( not margarine ) and let it melt until it turns a light brown color and then put the shrimp in the skillet or on the grill. Let the shrimp cook for about a minute and a half on each side and you will be done!!! Quick and easy and delish!! The andouille seasoning is a must try!!!! This shrimp is good on a salad or even in a cajun pasta!!! Let me know what you think!!!

Last night, I made the best steak without using and outdoor grill or Bar B Q pit.  While there is nothing like a steak on the grill, for a steak made on the stove, this recipe is legit!!! I was on THEPIONEERWOMAN.COM and this is just a basic steak recipe that is simple and tasty. ENJOY http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/05/how_to_cook_a_s/

Please let me know what you thought about the recipe!!!!

Welcome to our blog!!! Our names are Kristi and Kilee and we love to cook. The point of this blog is to share our love for cooking with people that also have a love for cooking and those who want to do more cooking! Some recipes and pictures that we post may be some original recipes, and then some recipes may be of some really fly recipes that we found online or in books that we want to try and give reviews on. Occasionally we get recipes given to us by friends or family and we will post those on here as well!! Please look around and enjoy!!! Thanks for stopping by!!!!