Ribeyes with Grilled Pineapple and Cottage Cheese

This somewhat odd idea given to me by my boyfriend, Chunk, actually turned into a really delicious meal. We were walking down freshman hill and he asked me if I could make a peppered steak with cottage cheese.

So, as always, I made the weird request it was amazing.

You will need: 4 ribeye steaks, 1 fresh pineapple cut into rings, 2 Tbsp olive oil, lots of black pepper, 1 cup of cottage cheese, and 1 stick of softened butter.

That's right. A whole stick. These steaks are going to be incredible.

Grab your meat!

Now start rubbing the butter into the steaks. Really slather it on. 1 Tablespoon per steak, per side.

Hence the reason you need a whole stick. Isn't math fun?

Oh yeah.

Now generously crack pepper all over the tops of the steak.

You want a lot of pepper on the steak.

"Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon."

Such a great movie. I say that quote in my head every time I pepper a steak.

Now salt each steak. And rub in that seasoning!

Now we're going to flip them over and repeat!

Butter the steak!

Season the steak!

Now turn the fan above your stove on high, position someone with a piece of paper under your overly-sensitive smoke detector that some idiot put in the kitchen with no windows, and set your grill pan on medium-high heat.

Swirl the 2 Tbsp of olive oil around the pan.

Now throw on the steak!

You want it to really be sizzling.

After they have grilled for a few minutes, give 'em a flip!

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is.

Remove them to a cutting board to rest after the other side has cooked.

Now grill the second two!

Set them aside with the first two steaks...

And tuck them in with a piece of foil.

Now, leave all the steak bits in the pan...

And throw on the pineapple!

Give them a flip after about 2 minutes and let them cook for another 2 minutes on the second side.

Grab a large plate and throw on the steak.

Top it with a piece of pineapple...

Now spoon 1/4 cup of cottage cheese on top.

I tried to get artistic with the cottage cheese, I promise I won't try it again.

I served mine with some peas but you can choose your favorite vegetable.

This steak really surpassed my expectations.

If pineapple isn't your thing, it's great without it as well. That's how Chunk inhaled his.

Thanks to my older sister for helping take photos while my hands were coated in butter!

Ribeyes with Grilled Pineapple and Cottage Cheese

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 ribeye steaks
• 1 fresh pineapple cut into rings
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 stick of softened butter

Instructions:

1. Slather 1 Tbsp of butter onto each side of the steaks.  Season liberally with pepper and just a bit of salt.
2. Set a grill pan over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil. Grill the steaks for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they form a beautiful crust. Set aside on a cutting board or plate and cover with tin foil.
3. Without washing it, lay the pineapple in a single layer in the same pan used to grill the steaks. Grill for a few minutes on each side.
4. To plate up, top each steak with a slice or two of pineapple and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese.

Muscatralli

This is an easy week night supper that's a sure-fire hit with both kids and super hungry boyfriends.

This recipe comes from my Grandma. She was a home ec teacher and a phenomenal cook. She passed her cooking skills on to my mother and my mother passed them on to me.

She used to make this dish a lot. It's always a big hit with everyone.

I know. I really was an adorable child.

Let's get cooking!

You will need: 1.5 lb. ground beef (not pictured because it was defrosting in the microwave. I'm a planner.), 1 clove garlic, 1 cup onion, 1 lb small shell macaroni, 1 can sliced mushrooms, 1 can tomato puree (I had V8 in the fridge so I used that instead), 1 lb Velveeta cheese, and 1 can beef broth (optional)

First mince up the garlic. I used more than one clove. I'm a garlic lover.

I'm also incapable of following a recipe exactly.

Chop up the onion.

Throw the onion, ground beef, and garlic into a large saute pan over medium heat.

At this point, you should get a pot of water boiling and throw in the pasta.

Break up the ground beef and cook through.

Once the beef is all cooked, throw in the mushrooms.

And pour in the tomato puree.

Stir it all up. While the mixture is cooking, dice up the Velveeta into cubes to make it easier to mix into the pan.

Toss in the Velveeta and stir until melted...

Keep going...

Perfect!

Drain the pasta.

Throw it in the pan.

Stir it up!

If it gets too thick, add in some beef broth.

Yum! Serve with some salad and garlic bread and you have one tasty meal.

Muscatralli

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb. ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 lb small shell macaroni
• 1 (13.25 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
• 1(10.75 oz.)  can tomato puree
• 1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 can beef broth (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, saute the ground beef with garlic and onion, until meat is crumbly. 
2. In a separate pot, prepare macaroni according to package directions. Drain. 
3. When beef mixture is done, add mushrooms, tomato puree, and Velveeta cheese. Stir frequently while cheese is melting; also cook on medium low heat. Once cheese is melted, fold in cooked macaroni. If too dry, add a can of broth and stir.

Southwest Salad with Chipotle Ranch

This colorful, delicious salad was the reason I made my chipotle grilled chicken. It is super yummy and I enjoyed taking it to work for lunch everyday.

By the way, I made this salad for my older sister (the designer of my blog) when she visited me last and she loved it.

Unfortunately, I got a little too excited about making this salad to remember to take an ingredients photo so just pretend it's there, ok?

You will need: salad mix (I chose baby spinach but any salad mix would be delicious), 1 bottle of ranch dressing,  1 can of sweet corn, 1 can of black beans, 1 avocado, 1 sweet bell pepper, 1 small onion, 1 large carrot (or about 15 baby carrots), 1 chipotle pepper and 1 tsp adobo sauce, 1 tomato, and chopped (or sliced) chipotle grilled chicken.

To make the dressing, finely chop one chipotle pepper and add it to your bottle of ranch dressing.

Now scoop a tablespoon of that delicious adobo sauce out of the can and pour it into the bottle of ranch.

Close the bottle and give it a good shake. Voila! Chipotle ranch.

If you're wondering why my ranch bottle looks like a water bottle, that's because it is. I like to use the ranch mixes and I find it's easiest to just put it into a water bottle.

Next, chop up your sweet pepper, onion, and carrot.

If you're making just one serving of salad, I recommend that you ahead and chop everything then just store the leftovers in a ziplock. It makes getting your lunch together so much easier.

Toss the corn and beans into a colander and allow to drain.

Give them a good rinse to get all the canning liquid off of them.

Slice the chipotle chicken into strips (or cubes if that's how you roll).

Grab a large plate and pile on some spinach...

Toss on some onions, peppers, and carrots...

Some beans...

And some corn.

Now slice up 1/4 of a tomato and 1/4 of an avocado.

Now throw on the tomatoes, avocado, and chicken.

Drizzle the salad with the chipotle dressing and enjoy!

The second time I made this salad, I also added bacon and blue cheese. It was an amazingly delicious decision.

Southwest Salad with Chipotle Ranch

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of ranch dressing
• 1 chipotle pepper, finely minced and 1 tsp adobo sauce (the sauce the peppers are canned in)
• 1 can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot (or about 15 baby carrots), chopped
• 4 cups of salad mix
• 1 tomato, sliced
• chipotle grilled chicken, sliced

Instructions:

1. To make the dressing, add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce to the ranch dressing and mix. Set aside.
2. Layer equal parts of the remaining ingredients onto 4 plates. Drizzle with the dressing. Add some bacon and blue cheese if you know what's good for you.
3. Serve immediately.