It's almost Mother's Day!

Time to honor all the Mother's.  They are amazing in their own right.  Able to care for the entire family, and yet still be her own woman.  

This post is in honor of my mom, whom I lost just two months ago.  My guiding light...

Always strong but soft.  A mix of oak wrapped in velvet.  Kind, generous, and loving....always there for support or to listen.  A great cook who taught me my love of food.  

Today's dish is just perfect for a Mother's Day Brunch or Breakfast.  One of my mom's favorite dishes was waffles.  Her favorite was pecan waffles.  (We say "Pe-con" not "Pe-can"! What do you say?)  But, today I'm making a healthier waffle with citrus flavors.  

Brunch always reminds me of waffles and spring is the perfect time to bring in some light and fruity flavors.  This dish is light, tasty and satisfying.   The presentation is just elegant.  See how pretty!

So make your precious mom a wonderful plate of waffles for breakfast this Sunday.  Or if a full brunch is in order I posted a wonder group of dishes titled Spring Brunch about a week ago.  Just put the key words "Spring Brunch" in the search bar above.  There's nothing better than great food along with fun family times.

Multi-Grain Citrus Waffles

adapted from BHG

Makes 6

3/4 c flour
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c oat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t Splenda brown sugar blend
1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
3/4 c low fat milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c canola oil
1 1/2 t orange zest
1/4 c low-sugar orange marmalade
3/4 c fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries

In a large bowl combine all flours, baking powder, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well in center of flour mixture.

In a medium bowl combine milk, egg, oil, and orange zest. Add egg mixture to flour mixture all at once. Stir just until moistened. 

Pour batter onto preheated and prepared waffle maker and cook according to manufacturer's instructions.  Repeat with the remaining batter.

Meanwhile, for sauce, heat marmalade in a small saucepan, until melted. Stir in berries; heat through. Spoon sauce over warm waffles.

Red Wine and Rosemary Flat Iron Steak

 Company's coming!

One of my favorite dishes to make when company comes for dinner is something simple, yet elegant and tasty.  Meat and potatoes are called for! What's more hearty than that?

This dish is a favorite of ours and you can certainly swap out the Flat Iron Steak for another cut.  It's a versatile recipe and the flavor is all in the marinade.  What a great marinade it is.

Red wine and rosemary go so well together and really flavor the steak for grilling.  I used an indoor grill as we haven't broke out the grill outside yet.  It's calling me though.  But for now my trusty cast iron indoor grill works miracles!

I served these with Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables.  Another easy dish to make, allowing you more time to spend with guests. Look for the recipe shortly.

All in all this is the perfect company food or family dinner.  You just can't beat meat and potatoes!
  
Red Wine and Rosemary Flat Iron Steak 

serves 4

2 (1-pound each) flat-iron steaks cut into 4 pieces
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of dry red wine
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine garlic, parsley, mustard, olive oil, red wine, black pepper, and rosemary; mix together well.

In a shallow baking dish, season the steaks moderately with salt and pepper. Cover the steaks with the marinade mixture and cover the dish with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove steak from refrigerator and bring to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the grill over medium heat. Place steaks onto the hot grill and grill to the desired degree of doneness, about 6 – 7 minutes on each side for medium.

Baked Tacos

Baked Tacos are everywhere on the Internet!

Perfect timing for Cinco De Mayo, don't you think?  Since I keep seeing them all over the place I decided to try them out.  Just to test out the method of making crispy taco shells in the oven.  I usually make (by that I mean fry) my own taco shells.  Something my Mom taught me many, many, many years ago...so I've always done it that way, but I'm open to something new, maybe a tad bit healthier also.

 
It's an easy method really, using your oven and the rack to shape the taco shells.  One this though, (and I know from experience) is that you need to watch these puppies, or your will end up with crispy breaking shells.  One minute too long could make all the difference.

I used my favorite taco filling for these.  You can find that recipe here.  The end result of making the shells was good.  They were crispy (except the 1st batch!) but and went well with filling and baking them in the oven.  I'm not convinced that this saves time, cause you add extra time on for the baking.  But it does allow you to make a ton of tacos all at once and have them done at the same time!  Isn't that nice?

Part two is filling the shells with a meat mixture and then adding cheese.  Placing them in a 9x13 pan and baking them.  This gives you a more moist taco with oozy melty cheese on top.  Ole!




Baked Tacos

12 corn tortillas
cooking spray
1 lb ground beef 
2 T taco seasoning
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, taco sauce, olives as garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Working with 6 tortillas at a time, wrap in a barely damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on High until steamed, about 30 seconds. Lay the tortillas on a clean work surface and coat both sides with cooking spray. Then carefully drape each tortilla over two bars of the oven rack. Bake at 375 degrees until crispy, 4 -5 minutes.

Prepare taco meat in a skillet using taco seasoning.  Stir meat breaking into small crumbles.

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell.

Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.