Danielle - 110/110 - Busy Moms Helper

Steak with Lemon Tomato Sauce

March 21, 2013 by Danielle

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Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen: Best Simple Recipes

I wanted to make something special for my hubby the other day, since he was coming all the way home from work for lunch. The kids were at grandma’s swimming, and I was in a major cooking mood, so decided to go all out. And what’s the point of going all out if you can’t ‘romance’ it up a bit, huh? The problem was, we don’t really have a romantic home set-up. Our kitchen table was completely covered in coloring supplies, and the floor was scattered with toys. What’s a girl to do? I transformed our kids play picnic table into a romantic setting, with pillows as chairs since it was so short! Here’s the table pre-transformation:

Now, ta-da! A romantic lunch for two!

Now, we’ve lived in our home for almost 5 years now (literally, next month), and I have only braved our cellar one time. The entrance is outside, the stairs are steep, and it’s yucky and dusty. Spiderwebs, sometimes mice I’m sure. It’s just not somewhere I ever choose to go…until today! I decided our lunch needed a little ‘bubbly’, so I gathered all the courage I could and went down into that gross, dingy cellar and grabbed a Sparkling Cider. Yup, I’m an awesome wife!

I made an amazing new dish for lunch: Steaks with Lemon Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

3 Steaks (about 10-12 ounces each), 1 inch thick

Salt and pepper

3 tbsp. Olive oil

2 pints Cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tsp. Sugar

¼ tsp. Red pepper flakes

2 Garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup Chopped parsley

2 tsp. grated Lemon zest

1 tbsp. Lemon juice

Put 1 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add steaks, seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook until done as desired (we like medium).

In empty (or clean) skillet, cook tomatoes, sugar and pepper flakes until tomatoes are softened; about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute; when begins to be fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice steaks and cover with tomato mixture. Serve!

For dessert, since I was throwing all of this together so quickly, I made a Vanilla Pudding Freeze Pie. It’s chilled just enough to make a creamy and satisfying treat.

Ingredients:
1 small Vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup Milk
2 cups Whipped cream
3-4 Small pie crusts (I had a pack of 6 small ones)
Topping of choice (I used raspberries), optional

Mix pudding mix, milk and whipped cream together until well blended.
Scoop into pie crusts until just slightly higher than the edge of the crust.

Top with your topping of choice.

Put in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or just while you’re eating your main course.

Notes: Feel free to use other flavors of pudding. This is just the one I had on-hand.

If you’re wondering about the glasses and the centerpiece: those are actually from our wedding! The centerpiece was from our cake, and the glasses we used for toasting. Thought it would make it a more special lunch!

Have you ever done a surprise romantic meal for your hubby at the last minute? What did you pull together to make it even more special?

More Dinner Date Recipes…

Creamy Pasta Bake

March 20, 2013 by Danielle

My family loves, loves, LOVES pasta. Really, no exaggeration whatsoever! My kids loved pasta before we could get them to eat much else. My hubby and I almost always order pasta dishes when eating out, just to compare differences, get ideas, and to enjoy every bite. So when I come across a pasta dish that’s both quick, cost-effective, AND absolutely yummy, it’s filed in with our favorites!

Creamy Pasta Bake

Ingredients:
1 box Penne pasta (about 2 cups)
1 pkg. Spinach leaves (about 9 oz.)
1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 tsp. Basil
1 jar Spaghetti sauce
1 can Diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz. Cream cheese, cubed
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cook pasta as directed. Add spinach to boiling water for last minute.

Combine all ingredients, except ½ cup Mozzarella and all Parmesan, in sprayed baking dish.

Bake 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheeses. Bake another 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

More Easy Pasta Recipes…

Creamy Orange Dream Pie

March 19, 2013 by Danielle

I’m going to share with you one of our go-to summer dessert recipes: Creamy Orange Dream Pie! I think my dad would say it’s his favorite dessert I’ve made – he had seconds! And thirds, and I think fourths….but you get the idea 🙂

Creamy Orange Dream Cake / Busy Mom's Helper

Contains affiliate links that help support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure for more info.

Adapted from Kraft Foods Busy Family Recipes

I’m not sure about you, but we’re DEFINITELY feeling the summer heat here in Texas so far. Still not the scorching temperatures we’ll be hitting in the later months, but hot and muggy just the same. Other than hitting the pool (and wearing out the kids…bonus!), cooling off with a delicious cold treat it just what the doctor ordered!

This Creamy Orange Dream Pie is full of creamy, refreshing flavor. Another great thing? It’s SUPER easy to make! Whip a few things together, refrigerate a bit, and then you’re enjoying the perfect dessert!

Ingredients

80 Wafer cookies (like Nilla wafers), finely crushed
½ stick Butter, melted
2 cups Milk
2 pkg. (small) Vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz. Whipped cream, thawed
2 cups Orange sherbet, softened

Directions

In a 13×9 pan, line foil with the ends extending over the sides of the pan.
Mix wafer crumbs and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of pan.
In medium bowl, mix pudding mixes and milk until well blended. Stir in half of the whipped cream. Spoon evenly over the crust. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Mix sherbet and remaining whipped cream until well blended. Spoon over pudding layer after done in the fridge.
Cover and freeze for at least 3 hours. Use the foil ends to remove the dessert from the pan before cutting to serve.

I bet this recipe could be altered for pretty much any flavor; it just depends on the ice cream. I’m eager to try it with chocolate or mixed berry. What would you try, and if you do try something, let us know how it turns out!

Other Summertime Recipes…

Easy Basil Pesto

January 22, 2013 by Danielle

I don’t have a garden. My parents had one at the house we rented from them for years, but now that we’re states away and in our own house, it’s up to me – and I just haven’t had a chance. YET – it’s definitely on the plan, because fresh produce and herbs right in your backyard would be great! Turn those extra herbs in your garden into this easy Basil Pesto recipe.

Okay, this is completely one of the ugliest photos – but I keep forgetting to take a photo of the pesto BEFORE adding it to things. Will be replaced asap!!! For now, though, this is basically what Pesto looks like – it’s green and saucy. It tastes FABULOUS though!

Ingredients
2 cups Basil leaves, packed
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Pine nuts, chopped
2/3 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions
Put all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth and well-mixed. Enjoy!

Notes: If not using right away, reserve 1/3 cup of the oil until ready to serve.

Other Pesto Recipes…

Avocado Tomato Spread

September 30, 2012 by Danielle

We eat sandwiches a lot at my home. Wonder Woman takes them to school when she doesn’t like what they’re serving in the cafeteria, and Flash takes them to work often to save on our food budget. Unfortunately, we all get pretty sick of the same thing all of the time. We try to find variations, whether it’s switching from normal bread to bagels or tortillas, a different kind of cheese or deli meat, or a new sauce. Even the toppings varying from day-to-day makes a world of difference!

In my search for something new this week, I happen to have made a delicious dip for crackers. My hubbies thought: try it in a sandwich. You know what, it was genius! It just really added to the flavor, and made it a whole new experience for our taste-buds. Guess what’s going in my lunch bag tomorrow?

Here’s the directions for the dip, just remember it can be used as a sandwich spread as well!

Ingredients:
¼ cup Mayo or Miracle Whip
1 tsp. Olive oil
1 Avocado, chopped
12 Cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Chili powder (less if you want it more mild)
1 tbsp. Lime juice

Combine everything in a bowl. Mash as desired. Enjoy!

Notes: With the avocado, it’s best to still be firm if you’re doing a dip, so it can be in chunks. For a sandwich spread, though, let it soften so it can be mashed and spread more easily.

Gorgonzola Pear Pasta

July 11, 2012 by Danielle

Flash and I have a couple that we’re very good friends with. Her and I are so similar, and our hubbies are also like twins. It’s hilarious when we all get together, since it’s like hanging out with a better version of yourself, who gets your humor, interests, everything. Well, she got accepted into medical school, so they had to move away this summer. As happy as I am for her (and a tad jealous), we miss hanging out with them.
Before they left we had one last double date to a local Italian restaurant. Flash ordered a Gorgonzola Pear pasta dish and absolutely fell in love with it. Since we just invested in a HUGE case of pears, I decided to give one a try. I was amazed at how easy it was!

Ingredients:
18 oz. Pasta (we used penne, but I’m sure you could use any)
4 tbsp. Butter, cut up
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 cup Heavy whipping cream
2 large Pears, peeled and cubed
1 cup Walnuts, chopped

Cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain.

In a separate saucepan, heat the butter, parmesan and gorgonzola until completely melted.

Add the cream and stir.

Mix the pear pieces into the pasta; stir in sauce.

Top with walnuts to serve.

Notes: We added cubed chicken, and it made it even more satisfying.