Football Friday - Southwest Frito Pie

We are big college football fans around here, more specifically we are big SEC football fans around here and most specifically we are big South Carolina Gamecocks fans around here.  Our Saturday mornings will now be filled with Game Day on the TV and football watching all day long.  We love it. Like a lot.  So I decided to start a fun little Football Friday series for football season! First up is this delicious recipe that I found on Culinary Covers!

2 pounds lean ground beef
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups water
1 can (15-oz) pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
4 1/2 cups corn chips
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack or colby jack would all work well)
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
6 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 diced avocados
sour cream

In a deep pan or a pot brown the ground beef over medium heat. Drain off the grease. Add the chili powder, flour, salt and garlic powder then stir in.  Slowly add the water. Stir in the beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes while stirring occasion.  Divide the corn chips into 6 bowls. Top with the beef mixture, cheese and remaining toppings as desired. 

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

I saw this recipe on Culinary Covers and thought it would be the perfect way to fix the chicken legs we had in the freezer.  The BBQ sauce on these are awesome.  This is a great recipe!

6 tbsp packed light brown sugar (divided)
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt (divided)
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (divided)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 lbs bone in chicken (any pieces work)
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350. In a bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, the paprika and the garlic powder.  Rub the mixture over the chicken pieces.  In a medium saucepan combine the remaining brown sugar, salt and black pepper with the ketchup, worcestershire sauce, mustard, apple cider vinegar and fresh lemon juice. Cook over medium low heat while stirring for five minutes. Turn heat down.  In a pan heat the vegetable oil.  Brown the chicken pieces in the oil for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.  Place on a lined baking sheet.  Remove 1/2 cup of the bbq sauce from the saucepan and place in a small bowl.  Brush the chicken with the BBQ sauce. Bake the chicken in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through.  Brush with the BBQ sauce from the sauce pan.  Serve the chicken with the remaining sauce on the side. 

Grilled Sweet Potato Rounds

This is such an easy side dish when you are already grilling.  We love sweet potatoes around here so these were a hit.

2 sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp lowery's seasoning salt

Slice the potatoes into discs about 1/2 an inch thick.  Toss in olive oil and lowery's seasoning. Place on the grill over medium high heat, after a few minutes flip to the other side. Cook until they are fork tender.  Remove and serve. 

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I love snickerdoodle cookies so when I saw this snickerdoodle muffin recipe I knew I had to try it.  We had some friends in town and that was the perfect opportunity to make this muffin recipe.  They were absolutely amazing and everyone enjoyed them. This recipe is from Very Culinary.

2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)

For the Topping:

2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Heat oven to 350. Line muffin tine with muffin liners.  In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Add in the eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.  Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Add in the sour cream and butter milk then add in the remaining dry ingredients.  For the muffins, scoop up the batter using a little over a tablespoon and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture then place in the muffin liners.  Repeat until all the batter is done.  If there is left over cinnamon sugar, sprinkle on top of the muffins.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. 

Citrus Garlic Flank Steak

Mmmmm Flank Steak.  This was a fabulous recipe is slightly adapted from For the Love of Cooking, tons of flavor and so tender!!!!

1 1 lb lean flank steak
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/2 jalapeno (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine the oil, orange juice, lime juice, chopped jalapeno, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Place the flank steak in a plastic bag, pour the marinade over the steak and refrigerate for 6 hours. Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling.  Heat the grill to medium high heat and cook on both side for 4 to 6 minutes or until steak has reached desired doneness.  Remove from grill and let the steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Well we had this recipe all ready for these grilled quesadillas that were going to be great. Then it rained. And rained. And kept on raining.  So plan B happened and plan B was awesome.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup of Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tbsp melted butter.
4 tortillas


Dice chicken and marinate in Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce for 1 hour.  Heat a pan to medium heat.  Saute the chicken until it is cooked through. Remove from heat and set to the side.  Heat a pan or skillet to medium heat. Brush a tortilla with melted butter and place butter side down in the pan.  Sprinkle half of the tortilla with 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and 1/4 of the chicken.  Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the top of the other half.  Flip the tortilla halfway through and cook until both sides are browned.   Repeat with the remaining 3 tortillas.  Serve right warm. 

Easiest No Rise Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls but have only made them from scratch a handful of times because it takes for.ev.er.   The other night I was trying to plan what to make for Saturday morning breakfast the next day,  I really wanted to make cinnamon rolls but didn't want the hassle of it so I did some research and found this awesome recipe from Bakingdom and then slightly adapted it.


Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
6 tbsps unsalted butter (melted)

Icing:
2 tbsps unsalted butter (melted)
2 tbps buttermilk
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Heat oven to 425.  In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt and melted butter until it is mixed well and looks wet.  Set to the side.  In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Fold in the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Mix until it is all absorbed and a solid dough ball.   On a floured surface dump the dough. Roll out using extra flour on top so it doesn't stick.  Roll into a 12 by 8 rectangle.  Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Lightly press the filling over the top of the dough leaving about 1/2 inch at the top of the rectangle for sealing.  Carefully roll the dough into the cinnamon roll log.  Carefully cut into 9 rolls. Place them in a greased 8x8 pan.  Press down gently on the rolls.  Brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.  Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  In a bowl whisk together the butter, buttermilk and confectioner's sugar.  After the rolls have cooled for 10 minutes, drizzle the icing over the top.  Let cool for another 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

Eggplant Roll-Ups

So this was my first time every cooking an eggplant dish.  Eggplant is not my most favorite thing in the world but Gray and I both enjoyed this dish.  This recipe is adapted from Life and Kitchen.

1 large or 2 medium eggplants
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 16 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup marinara sauce
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (sliced into thin pieces)

Heat oven to 350. Slice the eggplant about 1/4 of an inch thick.  Place on a greased baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast for 15 minutes or until golden brown then remove from oven.  While the eggplant is cooling mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg and italian seasoning.  Spread about 2 tablespoons of the mixture onto the eggplant pieces and roll up.  Secure with toothpicks if necessary. Top with eggplant rollups with marinara sauce and sliced fresh mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and place back in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.  Serve warm.