Mustard-Marinated Steak

I was slightly worried about making this recipe. I'm not a huge mustard or Italian fan, but thought I would give it a whirl anyway. I was awesomely surprised! The marinade is super easy and cheap, and it just gives the steak even more flavor. Again, I don't have a grill, so made it on a flat top but it still turned out delicious! The original recipe from Better Homes & Gardens calls for yam fries, which I did not make (I made mashed potatoes instead).

Mustard-Marinated Steak
Marinate: 2 hours
Cook time: 17 minutes

• 1 1/4-1 1/2 pound beef flank steak
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard

Trim fat from steak. Rub pepper into steak. Place steak in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.

For marinade, in a small bowl stir together Italian dressing and mustard. Pour marinade over steak; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain steak, reserving marinade.

Grill steak to medium doneness, turning and brushing once with marinade half-way through grilling.

French Tarragon Burgers

I loved this recipe! The mayo spread is extremely tasty! I forgot I was only going to make half of the recipe and made the normal amount of the mayo-so now I think I'm going to use it for sandwiches as well! I don't have a grill so I just made the burgers on a stove top and they were still amazing!

I used ground turkey instead of beef since it was what I had on hand. And the buns are just bread because the french bread I bought got old and hard, but it still ended up delicious! I also omitted the spring mix salad-although I think it can only add to the dish!

French Tarragon Burgers
 Serves 6
Total Time: 30 minutes

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 teaspoons chopped shallot, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon or 3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 loaves (1 pound and 20 inches each) unsliced French bread
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 4 cups spring mix salad greens

 In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, 1 teaspoon shallot, tarragon and garlic; cover and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, cut one loaf of bread into five 4-in. pieces. Cut one 4-in. piece from the second loaf; set aside remaining bread for another use. Cut bread pieces in half horizontally; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the salt, pepper and remaining shallot. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties.

Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear.

Grill bread, cut side down, for 1-2 minutes or until toasted. Spread with mayonnaise mixture. Layer bread bottoms with greens and burgers. Replace tops.

Ravioli Skillet Lasagna

I absolutely LOVED this dish! It is something that you can basically have on hand at anytime and it super easy and quick to make!  I did end up cooking it a little longer to let the ricotta set a little more, but it still took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

Ravioli Skillet Lasagna

• 2 cups bottled light chunky-style pasta sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 9-ounces packaged refrigerated or frozen cheese or meat lasagna
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 15 ounce carton ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

In a 10-inch skillet combine pasta sauce and water. Bring to boiling. Stir in the ravioli. Cook, covered, over medium heat about 5 minutes or until ravioli are nearly tender, stirring once to prevent sticking

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together egg, ricotta cheese, and the 1/4 cup Romano (Parmesan) cheese. Dot ravioli with spinach. Spoon ricotta mixture on top of spinach. Cook, covered, over low heat about 10 minutes or until ricotta layer is set and pasta is just tender. Sprinkle individual servings with additional Romano (Parmesan) cheese

Quick Pizza Casserole

I haven't completely decided how much I like this dish, but I know it wasn't bad.  I used less cheese than the recipe called for, but probably should have used all 8 ounces and it would've been a little better! I did not have pizza sauce on hand, but used a mushroom & green pepper spaghetti sauce instead, which may have made a difference in the dish.  I also used turkey instead of beef, because it tastes the same and it's a little bit healthier!!  I cooked it a little bit longer than stated because the biscuit mix did not seem to cook thoroughly within the first 30 minutes.

I would definitely add to this dish. Pepperoni to make it a real pizza casserole, or mushrooms (just because I love them!), or any other pizza topping (olives, onions, you get the idea).

Q

Quick Pizza Casserole

• 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
• 14 ounce jar pizza sauce
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup biscuit baking mix
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs

Place beef in an ungreased 8"x8" baking pan; top with pizza sauce and cheese. Combine baking mix, milk and eggs in a mixing bowl; stir well until smooth. Pour over cheese; bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until golden on top.

Brussels Sprouts with Water Chestnuts

I haven't totally decided how I feel about Brussels sprouts. My mom said she made them once when I was a kid but no one ate them. I don't think they are terrible, but I don't particularly like them either. The seasoning on these is good though, and it is super simple to make (like in under 10 minutes!), and I just love water chestnuts for some reason!

I just used frozen brussels sprouts, and I didn't have a steamer basket so I just followed the directions on the back of the package and boiled them.  I used a little more than a dash of pepper and nutmeg. Like I said, I like the seasoning, but I"m not sure how I feel about the veggies in general...

Brussels Sprouts with Water Chestnuts

• 1 pound fresh brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash each pepper and nutmeg

Remove any loose leaves and trim stem ends of brussels sprouts. Cut an "x" in the core end of each with a sharp knife.

Place sprouts in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add water chestnuts, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; heat through. Stir in brussels sprouts.