OMG Beef Broccoli

I have to start out by saying this was so darn good. I have been watching a lot of The Big Bang Theory in this house lately and every time they sit and eat Chinese food I get a hankering. I hopped on over to pinterest and looked for a new recipe to try. I modified the recipe slightly. I will post a link to the original if you’d like to give it a try.

Beef with Broccoli

Original Source: Rainy Day Gal, 

(This is my modified version)

2 head broccoli, crowns only cut and rinsed.

1 1/2 lb. Flank Steak sliced thinly against the grain.

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

pepper to taste.

Marinade:

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbs. corn starch

1 Tbs.water

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl, add the meat and toss together. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Sauce:

1/4 c soy sauce + 1/2 c water ( I used this as a substitute for low sodium soy sauce)

3 Tbs. brown sugar

3 Tbs. flour

1 1/2 Tbs. sherry or rice wine

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients in a large measuring cup or bowl making sure to get clumps of flour incorporated. Set sauce aside.

Cooking Directions:

In a large pot/pan bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add cut broccoli and cover with a lid. Steam for about 3 min. Pull out and set aside season with pepper. Dump water.

In the same pot/pan add 1Tbs of vegetable oil to pot. Place an even layer of marinated meat to the pot. Cook over med/high heat. Do Not Move or flip the meat until the first side has gotten a nice crust on it, flip and cook the other side. Remove cooked meat and repeat the process adding oil as needed for the remaining batches. Once all the meat has been cooked dump the excess oil from the pot.

Put broccoli and meat back into the pot over low heat. Add Sauce to the pot and stir to combine. Leave the heat on just until it’s all heated through. Serve with or over white rice.

In other news I did a little bit of sewing this past week. I made a skirt out of $1 bandana from WalMart for my daughter for St. Patrick’s day. 30 minutes of sewing time used some black and whited polka dot fabric from my stash. Can’t beat that. Cheep and cute. That’s how I roll. 🙂 Here’s a picture of “Little Miss Sassy Pants” in her Cheaply Cute skirt.

Happy Cooking and Crafting.

 

 

 

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Alfredo, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I have made this recipe for years. It simple and delicious. Great for a make ahead meal and using leftover chicken or even Thanksgiving Turkey. I noticed that my sister posted this a while back and it has gotten over 48,000 pins, that’s crazy. So I thought that I would get it pinned a couple more times 😉 Originally this recipe was supposed to be for stuffed shells.  They are good but a lot of work. And lets face it some days you don’t want to have lots of work in the kitchen, so I decided to throw it all together in a baking dish. Still tastes just as good without the hassle of stuffing darn shells. Enjoy.

Alfredo, chicken and broccoli casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound box of shell pasta ( I use a little over half a box)
1 1/2 – 2 pounds bone-in skin on chicken breast ( chicken or even turkey works great)
1 – 14 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
1 – 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce
1  – 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated(I’ve used colby jack too)
salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting chicken
lemon pepper or Mrs. Dash

Directions –

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts then season them well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Let the chicken cool until you can safely handle it, then shred it  and set it aside.

Cook pasta according to package and drain.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave by dumping the bag in a microwave safe container. Add a little water then cover tightly with plastic wrap – don’t forget to poke a few holes to let steam out. Cook for 4-5 minutes– they don’t have to be completely cooked through.

Get a large bowl out and put pasta, shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli and alfredo sauce, then season well with lemon pepper and mix well. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray and pour the pasta mixture then sprinkle the top with more cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.