Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

This was delicious and perfect for a day on the boat!!

Ingredients

1 lb. elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (we prefer murky organic ACV like Bragg’s)
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/4 cup grated onion
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

---

Instructions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni according to package directions (cook just to al dente…you don’t want to over cook this).

While the pasta is cooking, make sure the vinegar, onion, and carrots are measured and prepared. Set aside. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain. Do not rinse! Immediately transfer to a large food storage bowl. While still hot, drizzle with apple cider vinegar and toss. Add onions and toss, then add the carrots. Allow to cool slightly (15-20 minutes on the counter).

Reserve 1/3 cup of the dressing in an airtight container. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the pasta and toss to combine. If desired, add any mix-ins. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours. Immediately before serving, add reserved dressing. Season with freshly ground black pepper and adjust seasonings if necessary.

---

Notes

OPTIONAL MIX-INS

·       1 cup shelled peas

·       1 cup diced ham

·       1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or cheese cubes

·       1 cup chopped celery

·       1 cup chopped red bell pepper

·       green onions for garnish

·       3-4 chopped hard-boiled eggs

Garlic Balsamic Flank Steak

This was DELICIOUS and I highly recommend grilling the zucchini with it!!!

Ingredients

1 flank steak
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoon Worcestershire
4 tablespoons oil*
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
4–5 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced

Kosher salt and black pepper

*Feel free to use an oil of your choice.  I tend to use vegetable oil over olive oil in this recipe because olive oil will solidify in the fridge.

Combine all marinade ingredients except salt and pepper in a 9 x 13 pan and whisk until smooth.  Lay your flank steak in the pan, turning a few times to cover in marinade.  Marinade at least 6-8 hours minimum for best results, and overnight is great as well.  During the marinade process, flip your meat at least once to evenly distribute.

Preheat outdoor grill or indoor broiler to high heat.  Remove meat from marinade and salt and pepper one side.  Place that side down on the grill or facing up if you’re broiling in the oven.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, sprinkling remaining side with salt and pepper when flipping.

Cooking time will vary depending on steak size.  Check for temperature in the thickest portion and remove from heat around 135-140 degrees for medium rare.  Flank Steak cooked to the upper 140’s and beyond has a tendency to be tough so try not to overcook!

Cover with foil after removing from heat for at least 5 minutes before slicing.  Always slice against the grain- for flank steak, that means slice parallel to the shorter side of the rectangle.

Tuna Melt

I'm not really a fan of tuna but thought I would give this a try -- it was delicious!!  

INGREDIENTS

1/3 c. mayonnaise

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 (6-oz.) cans tuna

1 ribs celery, finely chopped

2 dill pickles, finely chopped

1/4 c. finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 slices bread, such as sourdough

2 tbsp. butter

1 tomato, sliced

8 slices cheddar

1.      Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes (if using).

2.    Drain tuna then add to mayonnaise mixture. Use a fork to break up tuna into flakes. Add celery, pickles, red onion, and parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3.     Butter one side of each bread slice. Top an unbuttered side with approximately 1/2 cup of tuna salad, 2 to 3 slices tomato, and 2 slices of cheese. Top with another slice of bread, buttered side facing up. Repeat with remaining ingredients and place on a large baking sheet. Bake until cheese is melty, 5 to 8 minutes.

Big Mac Sloppy Joes

Well this was delicious and actually tasted BETTER than McDonalds (healthier too!)  Hard to eat though - just fell apart and boys ended up eating just the mixture and taking bites of buns -- hahaha

INGREDIENTS:

GROUND BEEF MIXTURE

·      1 1/2 pounds ground beef , (85/15)

·      1/2 yellow onion , finely chopped

·      1/4 cup hamburger pickles , chopped

·      1 teaspoon kosher salt

·      1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

·      2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

MCDONALD’S SECRET SAUCE RECIPE:

·      1 cup mayonnaise

·      1/4 cup French dressing

·      2 tablespoons sweet relish

·      1 tablespoon ketchup

·      1 teaspoon white vinegar

·      1/4 teaspoon onion powder

·      1/8 teaspoon salt

TO ASSEMBLE (DOUBLE DECKER):

·      8 hamburger buns , (with seeds)

·      2 cups iceberg lettuce , shredded

·      12 hamburger pickle chips

·      4 slices American cheese

·      Additional sauce , optional

1.    Brown your ground beef halfway, about 3-4 minutes, in your large skillet then add in the chopped onions, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

2.    Cook the beef until fully browned, about 3-4 minutes, then add in the chopped pickles and stir.

3.    Mix the McDonald’s Copycat Big Mac Sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well.

4.    Add 1 cup of the secret sauce to the pan, reserve the rest for your buns.

5.    Cook 1 additional minute then serve on sesame hamburger bun (stacking order in notes below).

Reuben Sandwiches

I made an N-Ron classic tonight -- I went through her recipe cards when I was at my dads once, so made up this yumminess and it made me think of my Momma!  She usually did this open face and had them at her parties :)

Pizza Roll Sheet-Pan Sliders

This was super good and easy to make!!!  We let ours cook a little too long but the boys LOVED it!!

Ingredients:

·       1 bag Kings Hawaiian Rolls

·       1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·       1/2 cup cheddar cheese

·       1/2 cup mini pepperoni

·       1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·       1/2 cup pizza sauce

·       Topping: 2-3 teaspoons olive oil or melted butter

·       2 tablespoons crumbled parmesan cheese

·       1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Leave rolls attached and slice horizontally like a big sandwich. Place on a sheet pan.

3.    Combine cheeses, pepperoni, Italian seasoning, and pizza sauce and spread evenly over bottom half of rolls. Top with other half of rolls. Brush top of rolls with butter or olive oil. Combine parmesan cheese and italian seasoning for topping and sprinkle over top. Cover pan loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes, removing foil after 15-20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, slice and eat.

Food Truck Hot Dogs

I'm not usually a fan of straight up hotdogs but trying this gem was great!!  :)

Ingredients

3 slices bacon
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle chili sauce (like Heinz, not like Sriracha)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple juice
1 8 pack of high-quality beef hot dogs like Hebrew National, Nathan’s, or Oscar Mayer Angus Selects (you can actually add up to 2–3 packages without altering the sauce at all–perfect for parties!)
8 hot dog buns
Desired toppings (like shredded cheese, chopped onions, and the sauce the hot dogs cook in)

---

Instructions

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the onion and garlic to the drippings and saute until the onions are tender and fragrant. Add the chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, crumbled bacon, and apple juice and bring to a boil. Add the hot dogs, reduce heat, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the hot dogs are hot. Either serve immediately or transfer to a slow cooker set to the low setting. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onions.

---

Notes

To make this even quicker, plan to make these hot dogs with another recipe that calls for bacon earlier in the week. Reserve the drippings and 3 slices of bacon for use in this recipe.

Chicken Bacon Rice Casserole

Ross liked this so much he told me to add it to the Sodahl favs -- huge hit!!

Ingredients:

5 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey – rotisserie chicken

6 slices bacon, diced

1 teaspoon butte

2 (10-12oz) bags frozen rice cauliflower

10-12oz bag frozen small cut seasoning blend

¼ cup chicken broth

¾ cup mayo

1 cup Greek yogurt

¼ cup water

Salt

Pepper

Onion powder

Garlice powder

Minced onion

Parsley

6oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 - place diced chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.

Cook bacon and transfer to a plate.  Add the butter to skillet - add all the cauliflower rice and the seasoning blend.  Toss the skillet for a couple minutes, allowing the veggies to soak up the bacon flavor.  Stir in the broth, cover, and cook for 8 min stirring every few minutes.  Add to the baking dish with the chicken.

Place the mayo, yogurt, water, and all the seasonings in a medium bowl and whisk well.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish and stir all the ingredients well.  Top with the cheddar and bake for 25 minutes. 

Two Timin Pasta

My friend Jackie made this for us before and I had to steal the recipe from her - it was DELICIOUS and so easy to make :)

Ingredients:

Jimmy dean sausage

Jar of tomato, basil, garlic pasta sauce

15oz jar alfredo pasta sauce

Box Penne noodles

8oz shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Brown jimmy dean sausage.

In large mixing bowl, mix pasta sauce, alfredo sauce, and half bag of cheese.  After sausage is browned, add that.  Mix it all up.

Pour into 9x13 pan – sprinkle with rest of cheese on top and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Loaded BBQ Bacon Sweet Potato Fries

Oh my delicious!!!  This was fantastic!!!!

Ingredients

·       20 ounce bag sweet potato fries, waffle cut or regular

·       1 1/2 – 2 cups shredded smoked white cheddar

·       2–3 tablespoons diced red onion

·       1/3 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (I use the pre-cooked kind for ease)

·       2–3 tablespoons green onion

·       handful of cilantro

·       2 tablespoons BBQ Sauce

·       2 tablespoons mayo

·       optional: Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch

1.    Cook fries according to package directions.

2.    While fries are cooking, mix bbq sauce and mayo together.

3.    Remove fries from oven and cover with cheese, bacon, and red onion. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Sprinkle on green onion and cilantro. Drizzle with sauces and serve immediately.

Beef and Cheese Crunch Wraps

These were delicious!!!!    Boys loved them too - the dipping sauce was key too!!

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded Pepperjack cheese (or Jack or Cheddar), more if desired!
2 medium-large avocados (or you can sub store-bought guac)
8 burrito-size tortillas
oil or cooking spray

Place a sheet pan in the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Preheat large skillet to medium heat.  Brown ground beef and drain fat if necessary (shouldn’t be necessary if using lean ground beef).  Add taco seasoning and stir to combine . If you’re using store-bought taco seasoning sometimes it requires a little water in the pan as well, just make it according to the packet instructions.  

Add black beans and stir to combine.  

Lay out 8 tortillas on large work surface.  Place a small handful of cheese in the center of each tortilla, spreading it out in about a 3-inch circle in the center.  *You can make these as cheesy as you like!  At minimum, use about 1/4 cup shredded cheese on each crunch wrap.  You’ll use half of that amount on the bottom layer of the filling, and place the other half on top.  My kids all like a little more than that though!

 Divide the beef and bean mixture between the tortillas, spooning it on top of the cheese.  Slice or dice your avocado and place on top of the beef mixture. (*I sometimes sub store-bought guac since we usually have the individual packs from Costco.  If you’re buying it at the grocery store, Wholly Guacamole is a great choice.)   

Top with another little handful of cheese.  

Wrap each crunch wrap referring to the photos in this blog post and place them seam-side down to keep them closed.  

Drizzle oil of choice on each one and use clean hands to gently massage on both sides of wraps.  

Remove sheet pan from oven and place crunch wraps seam-side down on pan. (Be careful, it’s hot!).  Bake for 10 minutes and then flip wraps over and cook for another 10 minutes or until toasty and golden on the outside. 

If desired, cut in half and add toppings before eating (shredded lettuce, onions, fresh tomatoes, etc.) . Or simply eat as-is!  These are also amazing dipped in Lime-Cilantro Ranch or simply sour cream. 

---

Notes

·       Skillet Directions:  Simply heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Instead of brushing crunch wraps with oil, simply add some to the pan (or non-stick spray works great here as well) and cook on both sides until toasted and golden. 

·       FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:  After brushing with oil, place Crunch Wraps on a parchment-lined pan in a single layer and freeze until solid.  After frozen, they can be stacked in a container or zip top bag.  You can separate the crunch wraps with parchment to ensure they don’t stick together.  To bake from frozen, don’t worry about preheating your pan, simply preheat the oven to 400 and bake for about 15 minutes on first side (check to see if they’re browned before you flip) and 10-15 on the second.  You can eyeball it, you just want them toasted on both sides!

Creamy Green Chili Chicken Bake

THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!!!  I will eat this every day of the week -- so good!!!

Ingredients

2–3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (4–6 breasts)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, if you don’t have it don’t stress)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
16oz jar green salsa (I prefer mild)
8oz cream cheese
Kosher salt to taste
Cooked rice, for serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken in a 9×13 pan, sprinkle with spices (except salt).  Pour entire jar of green salsa over everything.  Bake until an instant-read digital thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part of the meat.

Remove pan from oven, gently scrape off any salsa off top of each chicken breast and place chicken on a cutting board.

(Note:  Basically the only other step is adding cream cheese to the sauce in the baking dish.  The following instructions are how I found the most consistent results for a smooth sauce, but read the notes section below for some other options.)

Place cream cheese in a heat-safe bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds or more, until it is soft and easy to stir smoothly.  Ladle some of the green chili sauce from your baking pan into the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.  Add more and keep whisking.  This little process with ensure you don’t end up with lumps in your sauce!  Scrape out all the cream cheese mixture back into your baking pan and whisk everything until smooth.

Shred chicken and add back to pan, tossing in sauce.  Season with kosher salt, if needed.  Serve over rice.

---

Notes

Cooking Options!  I tested all of these options to find the easiest method for you.  Here are my notes! 

1.         I’ve cut room temperature cream cheese into small squares and tossed them in the hot sauce in the pan and then whisked it together (I like the ease of not having to use another bowl to warm the cream cheese first) but some brands of cream cheese will never get smooth and you’ll end up with chunks.  You can always pop the sauce in the blender if this happens to you.

2.        I tested placing all the ingredients into a blender first (cream cheese, salsa, spices) and then pouring over the chicken and baking.  It totally works, but compared to the method outlined in this recipe, the sauce is not as smooth.  The cream cheese tends to “break” just a bit.  But it definitely still tastes great and  some of you might find this method easiest for you.

3.        I tested cooking this with *thin cut* frozen chicken breast straight from the freezer and it worked great.  It just takes a bit longer to cook.

4.        If you want this dish to cook faster, cut your chicken breasts in half horizontally, or dice into smaller pieces.  It should come to temperature in about 30 minutes.

ALTERNATE COOKING METHODS

1.        PRESSURE COOKER:  Place everything except cream cheese into your pot.  Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.  Remove chicken.  Add cream cheese to sauce, I would suggest an immersion blender to make sure it gets smooth.  Return chicken to pot. ‘

2.        SLOW COOKER:  Place everything except cream cheese in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 185 degrees. Remove chicken and shred and add softened cream cheese to sauce and whisk until smooth.  I would suggest an immersion blender.