Fajitas!

This marinade used to be on my blog, but somewhere along the way I guess it got deleted so I'm re-posting it.  I'm not sure if soy sauce is technically "real food", but so many of my favorite recipes use it that I decided not to examine that too closely.  I've used this with chicken breast, chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in), flank steak, and even shrimp.  I have the best results when I pat my meat dry and allow it to come to room temperature before I grill it.  Squeeze a lime wedge over it right after you pull it off the grill.  Delicious every time!

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  Pour over chicken or steak in a bowl or ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Grill your meat and have at it!

Hearty Man-Pleasing Lasagna

Earlier this week my husband requested lasagna.  I haven't made it in a long time because of the time required; plus, the calorie count is not exactly weight-loss friendly.  Since he's been a good sport about Project Real Food I decided yesterday morning to pick up a few things at the grocery store and make a lasagna for dinner.  He just finished his semester at school with two good grades, and I felt like he deserved a little something special.  I figured I'd just sub whole wheat noodles for regular noodles and replace the pork sausage with chicken sausage.  Everything else should work, right?  Ahem...

I realized once I got to the store that my typical lasagna recipe was not going to work.  Have you ever looked at the ingredient list for ricotta cheese?  Ruh roh.  So right there in the aisle at SuperTarget I put my thinking cap on and came up with this.  I served it with homemade garlic popovers, a tossed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and finished it up with a dessert that I'll blog about later.  

Anyway, this was a huge hit!  Such a hit, in fact, that while we were at Costco today I noticed he was lost in thought and when I asked him what was going on he said, "I'm just thinking about having leftover lasagna for lunch...".  Wife of the Year!  Yesssssss!

No, it is not low fat.  No, it is not simple and easy.  It's a special occasion, lazy rainy day kind of recipe.  And I think it's worth every calorie, fat gram, and dirty dish.

This is pre-baked. (ie. pre-cheese on top).  I was so excited about eating this that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  I was also distracted by the raging thunderstorm outside and the wimpy terrier that had taken root on my lap because of said storm.  Oh well...

For the tomato sauce:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage (I used Isernio's chicken sausage)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup red wine
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
handful chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
Dash of nutmeg, to taste
Freshly grated pepper, to taste

For assembling the lasagna
whole wheat lasagna noodles (mine were oven-ready)
freshly grated mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Brown the meat, drain, set aside.  Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender and golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the meat and the wine.  Cook on medium high for a few minutes until the wine reduces a little bit.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook uncovered on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the flavors have melded.  If the sauce gets too thick add a little chicken broth.  About 15 minutes before assembling the lasagna stir in the parsley and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until it sizzles.  Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Simmer over low heat until the mixture is thick and bubbly, 8-10 minutes.

To assemble spread a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Then layer as follows:  pasta, tomato sauce, béchamel, mozzarella.  Finish with pasta, tomato sauce, and béchamel.

Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.  Uncover, top with mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes more until the cheese is melted, the sauce is bubbling, and the noodles are tender. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Wednesday night I made Spaghetti Bolognese.  I rarely stray from my tried and true spaghetti recipe, but I was inspired to branch out when I found this recipe on Pinterest.  And, wow, am I glad I did.  Like all recipes I ended up adjusting it to my tastes, so I'll give you the original link as well as my changes.  Don't skip the Gorgonzola Garlic Bread (find the recipe by clicking the link).  It's amazing!!

Spaghetti Bolognese (click here for the original recipe)

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup cream
1 large can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 large can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
If you have a rind from a Parmesan cheese add it to the pot to simmer along with the sauce.  I read this tip on the recipe's website and I tried it.  Yum!

Saute chopped onions and celery in olive oil until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the meat and saute until no longer pink. Add cream and simmer until it has evaporated.  Add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer until wine has evaporated. Add the dried herbs. Add tomatoes and simmer for at least 2 hours on low heat.  Stir in the parsley during the last 30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
Serve over spaghetti with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

NOTE:  If the sauce gets too thick while simmering add a little chicken broth.

Savory Garlic Marinated Steaks (1 P+)

This is our all-time favorite steak marinade.  No explanation needed.  Serve with Baked Mushrooms and fresh steamed green beans.  Yum!

Ingredients

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons minced garlic (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a shallow glass bowl or a plastic bag.  Add steak and marinate for 24-48 hours.  Grill to desired doneness.  Makes enough marinate for up to 2 pounds of meat. 

Note:  For Weight Watchers I just add 1 Point+ for marinades using the Quick Add feature since very little of the marinade is actually consumed.  If you have a different method the Points+ for all ingredients comes to 15 total.

Source/Printable Recipe:  allrecipes.com

Mushroom-Swiss "Burgers" (7 P+)

Do you know how many Weight Watchers points are in a hamburger bun?  Too dadgum many is the answer.  Especially considering the fact that to get buns that don't taste like chalk you have to spend about $3 for a package of eight.  Newsflash:  There are only two people that live in my house.  Despite what Rowdy and Pepper will tell you we just don't need eight hamburger buns.  Therefore, in an effort to save our money and our waistlines I created the following concoction which I now present to you. 

PS...This is also a passable substitute for the budget-conscious cook who is having a serious steak craving. 

Here's what you need:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp steak seasoning
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (also know as baby portobellos)
1/4 cup sherry or red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices swiss or provolone cheese

Here's what you do:
Combine the ground beef, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and steak seasoning in a bowl.  Mix gently with your hands until the meat is just combined with the seasonings.  Form the meat into four equal size patties about 1 inch thick.  (Notice I said the words "gently" and "hands".  Do not pulverize the meat with a spoon.  You don't want compressed patties of meat mush.  The more you work with the meat the drier it's going to get.)

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact.  Coat the pan with cooking spray and place the patties in the skillet.  Resist the urge to move them around or press on them with the spatula.  Just let 'em cook for 4-5 minutes until you get that nice dark brown crust.  Flip the patties and cook until they are how you like them (it will take about 3 more minutes for medium-well depending on the thickness of your patties and the temperature of your stove).  Remove the patties from the pan and cover them with foil to keep them warm.

Do not clean out the pan. 

Melt the butter into the drippings from the meat.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add the sherry or wine (and heck, throw in some fresh garlic if that floats your boat) and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and let the mushrooms simmer until they are softened and the moisture is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes more.  Remove the mushrooms and the sauce into a bowl. 

Put the meat patties back into the skillet.  Spoon the mushrooms evenly over the patties, and top each one with a slice of cheese.  Cover the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. 

Serve immediately.

For a variation substitute barbecue sauce for the ketchup and cheddar for the swiss.  The points don't change.
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Printable Recipe
Makes 4 servings = 7 WW Points+ per serving

Korean Beef Rice Bowl (6 P+)

Asian food makes me happy.  But I don't eat it very often because the Americanized restaurant kind is really not that healthy and making it at home can take a ton of prep work.  I am not a fast food chopper.  The sharp knives make me very nervous.  It's a neurosis I inherited from my mother.  She has this compulsive need to announce it in a loud voice everytime she has a knife just to make sure that she doesn't accidentally stab someone.

"Knife in my hand!"  (In the kitchen prepping food)

"Turning around with a knife!"  (Moving from the counter to the sink to clean the knife)

"Coming down the hall with a knife!"  (Chasing me for making fun of her knife paranoia)

Okay, the last one was a joke...

Maybe. 

Sorry...where was I?

Right.  My lack of Asian food.  I have decided, however, to make this on a regular basis now that I have discovered it. 

Jaden Hair is a food blooger (www.steamykitchen.com/) who also recently came out with a cookbook called The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.  I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but I stumbled onto this little nugget of joy on her blog last week and immediately put it on the menu plan.  I was not disappointed.  It's flavorful and fast, and I like it so much I'm thinking about adding it to the Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame needs some beef!

Here's the link to the recipe and lots of grogeous pictures on the Steamy Kitchen blog:  Korean Beef Rice Bowl

And here it is for you just in case the linked webpage moves or something tragic like that.  I copied this directly from the blog, so if the links below don't work you might go to the source and see if things work from there.  Unless the above mentioned tragedy occurs and then I guess you're out of luck.

PS...I doubled the sauce.  Yum!

Korean Beef Rice Bowl

2 cups raw rice
1 pound beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks (or 1 cup matchstick cut carrots)
1 small zucchini, diced
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions. See How to Cook Perfect Rice recipe on Steamy Kitchen. If using basmati, see this recipe.

2. For the beef, if using flank steak: Cut the steak into very thin slices ACROSS the grain. If using other steak: Cut the steak into very small cubes, about 1/2-inch. If using ground beef: leave as-is.

3. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and brown sugar. Add the beef and toss to coat. Let marinate while you prep the vegetables. Steps 1 and 2 can be done ahead of time up to 1 day before.

4. Heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. When hot, swirl in the oil. Add the onions and saute for 1 minute. Turn the heat to high and give it just a few seconds to heat up. Add in the beef, spreading the beef all over the surface of the pan, tossing with the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes until just barely pink.

5. Add in the carrots, zucchini and toss. Cook for 1 minute. Toss in the spinach and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings
6 Weight Watchers Points per serving

BBQ Beef (7 P+)

Aaron made this for our small-group Bible study last night.  Notice how I said Aaron made it?  That's because he did.  All by himself.  Except for the sauce which I helped with.  Measuring out all that ketchup was a two-person job.  Anyway, I got a couple of requests for the recipe, so here it is...

Here's what you need:
1-1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional
1 (4 pound) chuck roast

Here's what you do:
1)  Combine all the ingredients (except the roast) in a small bowl.  Heat a large skillet over high heat, and sear the roast on all sides until browned.  This should take 2-3 minutes per side.  (If you don't use a non-stick skillet coat it with cooking spray first).

2) Put the meat in a slow cooker and coat it evenly with the sauce.  You should have some sauce leftover.  Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.

3) Remove the meat from the slow cooker and put it in a large bowl.  Reserve the juice.  Using two forks shred the meat until you have the texture you want.  Meanwhile heat the oven to 300 degrees.

4) Put the meat in a baking dish (I use my Pampered Chef deep-covered baker), and spoon some of the juice from the slow cooker over it.  You want just enough to moisten it up.  Pour the remaining barbecue sauce (the stuff we made at the beginning) over the top.  Cover and cook for 1 hour.  Serve alone or on hamburger buns.

This takes awhile to cook, but it's so worth it once it's done!

Note:  The recipe for this sauce comes from allrecipes.com. 

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Printable Recipe
1 serving = 7 WW Points
A 4 pound roast makes about 12 servings.

Tri-Color Pepper Steak (9 P+)

As promised, here is the recipe that will make your mouth water. The first time I made this I was sure that nothing this simple could possibly taste good. I like to complicate things. It's my nature. But once again, Ellie Krieger proved me wrong.

This recipe is from her new cookbook called So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week.

Here's what you need:
4 teaspoons olive oil oil
1-1/4 pounds top round, London broil, or flank steak, thinly sliced
5 large assorted bell peppers (such as a mixture of red, yellow and green; about 2 pounds total)
1 large onion, sliced into half moons (about 3 cups)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1-1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3/4 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Here's what you do:
Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat with its juices to a plate.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the same skillet over medium/high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and continue cooking until the peppers are softened and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes more.

Return the beef and juices to the skillet and add the broth, wine, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid thickens.

Serve over brown rice so you can soak up every tiny bit of the sauce.



Sidenote: You may have noticed that the name of the recipe is "Tri-color Pepper Steak" and my picture only shows two colors of peppers. This is because the yellow/orange/gold peppers were not on sale while the red and green peppers were. This seems discrimatory to me. I did seriously consider calling this recipe Christmas Pepper Steak (red and green - get it?) but then I decided that was too goofy.

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1 serving = 1/4 of the recipe = 9 WW Points (not including rice)
Source:  Ellie Krieger

Flank Steak with Grainy Mustard Sauce (5 P+)

Last night I was craving a steakhouse meal - Red meat, potatoes, and a crisp salad. So that's what we had. And it was low in WW points. Although I may or may not have had a little more than one serving of the steak. I plead the 5th.

Here's what you need:
4 Tsp canola oil
2 Tbsp shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound flank steak
3 Tbsp coarse-grain mustard (this is very very important - get the good stuff)

Here's what you do:
Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth, stir until smooth, and bring to a boil. Allow the broth to boil until it is reduced to 1 cup and is slightly thickened. This will take about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper both sides of the steak. Be generous here - especially with the pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Toss in the steaks and let them cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until they are as done as you like. Don't move them around or flip them more than once. (That's important so it deserved bold letters. At least I refrained from using all caps which I really wanted to do.) Seriously, let them cook and get that wonderful deep brown crust. Remove the steaks from the skillet and set them on a cutting board. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Now take the reduced broth from your saucepan and pour it into your skillet. Resist the urge to wipe it clean. You want the drippings and the little brown bits. They're magic. Bring to a boil, scraping the pan to loosen those magical brown bits. Add the mustard and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

Thinly slice the steak and throw a few slices onto your plate. Pour any juices that have accumulated under the steaks back into your skillet and give it another good stir. Now, spoon some of the sauce across your steak and serve it with Parmesan Steak Fries.

When your eyes roll back in your head because of how good this is you can thank Ellie Krieger.  (The original recipe calls for sirloin, but I prefer flank steak so I substituted.)

Serves 4
5 WW Points+ per serving

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Wednesday my husband and my brother drove to Fort Worth to do a job. (They install windows for anyone who doesn't know that). When they got to Fort Worth the windows they were supposed to install were not where they were supposed to be, so they basically looked at each other and said "Well...let's go fishing". Okay, maybe it wasn't quite like that, but they did end up at the lake eventually.

So I planned a meal that involved fresh catfish. And I waited for said fish to arrive in the hands of my hubby. Said fish did not arrive until 8:30pm, and by that time I had succombed to my hunger and defrosted some leftover spaghetti sauce. The catfish will be consumed tonight provided he gets home before midnight. Seriously. It could be midnight. It's been a week like that.

While eating my spaghetti sauce I realized I hadn't yet posted that recipe here and I decided that was a situation I need to remedy. This is not your typical marinara spaghetti sauce. This is a thick, hearty meat sauce that needs time to simmer and let the flavors meld. Try it on a weekend when you have time to relax and let it happen.

Here's what you need:
1 pound Italian sausage (mild or sweet)
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Here's what you do:
Remove the casings from the sausage and tear it into small chunks. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat until it's very hot. Add the sausage and cook until brown. Resist the temptation to stir it around too much. You want to get some of that lovely dark brown crust on it. Drain the sausage and set aside.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and let it cook until brown. Again, don't stir it too much. I break up the block of meat a little bit and then move it around every now and then until it's cooked evenly. Drain the ground beef and set aside.

Heat a large pot (I use my 8 quart so I have plenty of room) over medium heat. Once the pot is hot add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Drop in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not brown.

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Sidenote: Have you seen Pioneer Woman's post on how to chop an onion? I love this method and I use it all the time. Super Easy!

Sidenote 2: Have you noticed yet how often I mention Pioneer Woman? I need therapy.

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Once the onion is tender add the garlic and cook until fragrant (no more than 1 minute).

I should mention here that 4 cloves is merely a suggestion. I can't remember the last time I only used 4 cloves of garlic in my sauce. In my opinion there is no such thing as too much garlic. Does anyone have a mint? Seriously though, fresh garlic will mellow as it cooks and this sauce will simmer for awhile so don't be afraid. Embrace the garlic!

PS...If you don't have a garlic press you need one. That's all I have to say about that.
So now you have tender onion and fragrant garlic and you're going to dump the crushed and diced tomatoes into the pot. Don't drain anything. Just dump it in juices and all. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.

Add the red wine, sugar, basil, fennel seeds (trust me, don't skip this!), Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Stir in the sausage and ground beef, lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and walk away. Don't touch it for at least 30 minutes. At that point you can start your taste testing and add extra seasoning as needed. You'll probably want to add salt and pepper, but depending on what kind of wine you use it might not need extra salt. Sometimes I throw in some oregano if I'm feeling feisty.

After it's simmered for about an hour uncover, stir, and let it simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes or until it thickens to the consistency you like. The condensation from the lid is going to have added quite a bit of liquid so this could take some time depending on how thick you like it.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve the sauce add a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Serve over penne, farfalle, or another chunky pasta sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

This recipes makes a ton of sauce, so invite a crowd. Or you could keep it all to yourself and freeze the leftovers. Either way......Enjoy!

Flank Steak with Garlic-Wine Sauce

NOTE:  This was one of my very first blog posts ever.  It's a little high in Weight Watchers points, but it's so good I just had to add it here.  See the "splurge" label?  I created that specifically for this recipe...and a few others that I just couldn't keep from sharing.  Enjoy!

Flank Steak with Garlic-Wine Sauce is a staple in our little family of two. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com several years ago and it was love at first bite. We buy a couple of huge flank steaks, cut them in half, and stick them in freezer. Since we almost always have the ingredients for this recipe on hand it's a quick and easy dinner.

Tonight we got home at 7:00ish. After the initial hoopla surrounding letting out the dog and feeding the cats (who apparently almost starve to death everyday between the hours of 8:00 and 6:00 even though they have a full bowl of food when we leave each morning) I prepped the garlic for roasting. This prep involves hacking off the top of a garlic bulb with a large knife, drizzling it with olive oil, and sprinkling it with salt and pepper so it looks like this:



(I found batteries for my camera!!!)

Wrap the garlic in foil and stick in a 375 oven for around 45 minutes until it looks like this:



(Sorry about the blurred image. The picture looked fine on the little camera screen. I need practice!)

Now I just keep following the recipe - this is one of the few that I don't jack with. Unless I decide to add sliced mushrooms. Or if I'm out of green onions and I sprinkle the steak with a little onion powder instead. So, yeah, I pretty much jack with it. Anyway, the end result looks like this:



It's tender and flavorful and wonderful in every sense of the word. My main bit of advice is to leave it more rare than you think it should be. Overcooked flank steak is most definitely not tender and flavorful and wonderful in every sense of the word. We were eating by 8:15, so this really doesn't take too long when you consider that 45 minutes of the time was spent roasting the garlic.

So that's Flank Steak with Garlic-Wine Sauce. I've found that a medium bodied red works best for this recipe. This time I used a red blend of Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon. Not too heavy and not too light.

For the green beans I just used a bag of steam-in-the-bag frozen beans. I cooked them according to the package directions and tossed them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. I prefer fresh beans, but ever since my hubby almost lost a finger cutting the tips off the beans I've opted for the frozen variety.

Sorry hon...couldn't resist!

And just for the record, he did the dishes while I sat at the table goofing around with this post.

And that's all I have to say for tonight. Happy Eating!