Jalapeno Creamed Spinach

There is nothing I love more than dinner at an old school steakhouse.  You know the kind of place with dark wood paneled walls?  Big overstuffed red leather chairs.  Blue cheese salad dressing.  (With real blue cheese in it?)  And creamed spinach as a side dish.  That's my kind of place.  Preferably with some swanky lighting and decor.  Since Mr. DD can grill one heck of a steak just like any steakhouse, I figure I can keep up in the side dish department.  What's better than creamed spinach?  Jalapeno creamed spinach.  Rich and creamy with a little kick.  An excellent accompaniment to a ribeye steak. 

Jalapeno Creamed Spinach,
The kicked-up steakhouse classic...

The Jalapeno Creamed Spinach Line-Up

Combine flour and melted butter.
Stir in chopped onion.

Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add reserved spinach liquid.

Add evaporated milk.

Stir in pepperjack cheese.

Add chopped jalapeno.

Season with celery salt, salt and pepper.

Add spinach.

Place in a greased casserole dish.

Melt butter and add bread crumbs.

Place on top of spinach mixture.

Bake until bubbly and lightly browned.

Enjoy with a steak of course!

Funfetti Birthday Cake Cheesecake Bars

We have about 742 birthdays around here in the month of September.  Well, that might be a slight exaggeration.  But let's see...There's my brother-in-law on the 1st, my father-in-law on the 6th, Little Devil and the Devilish Nephew on the 12th, our sweet neighbor on the 13th, a dear family friend on the 14th, Mr. Devilish Dish and my BFF's hubby on the 18th and my sweet lil' Devilish Dish baking assistant on the 22nd.  WHEW.  Are you tired reading that?  I am.  That's a lot of birthdays...For Little Devil's birthday meal, she requested Magic Chicken.  Which is delicious, but I've made it so many times it didn't seem very special.  When I asked what she wanted for dessert, she said, "Cheesecake."  But her dad already asked for that for his birthday dessert (see future blogs?!?)  What could I make that's fun for a Little Devil, but still has cheese-cakey goodness?  Funfetti Birthday Cake Cheesecake Bars of course.  Mr. Devilish Dish described them as, "if a store-bought cake and a cheesecake had a baby."  I described them as, "ooey-gooey, rich, sweet, cheese-cakey, fun deliciousness." And Little Devil?  She's still eating them three days later.  Try them for the next birthday boy or girl on your calendar! 

Cheese-cakey goodness for your
birthday boy or girl!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Did you know that the Buffalo Wing is only 49-years old?  It seems like it's been around forever though.  It's on the menu at practically every watering hole in America.  Men can't watch football on Sundays without them.  For many years, Buffalo Wings were a regional specialty found in the New York area only.  In the 1980's the recipe spread nationwide, becoming such a mainstream flavor you can get Buffalo flavored sunflower seeds, Pringles and even Buffalo-flavored popcorn seasoning!  It's such a popular flavor around my house, I've made Buffalo Chicken Casserole and Buffalo Chicken Dip.  My family likes it so much, I figured I'd throw Buffalo Chicken Salad a bone, (no pun intended) and give it a try!  It's all the flavors of Buffalo Wings, blue cheese and celery combined into a creamy mixture, perfect served on a toasted bun.  Easier to eat too.  If you're a Buffalo fan, give it a try.  I'm sure you can even find a football game to watch!

All the flavors of wings, served on a bun!

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Little Devil loves Asian food.  I really thought this recipe would be a hit!  Turns out I was wrong.  I was the only one in the house that liked it.  Mr. Devilish Dish does not consider a salad and entrée.  Because his mantra is "Where's the Beef?"  Oh well, I can't win them all.  The cabbage and red onions turned her off.  I thought because it was called Vietnamese Chicken Salad I could trick her into liking two veggies she doesn't care for!  It's refreshing and colorful and full of crisp vegetables.  It's perfect for that hot weather that is still hanging around and refusing to let Fall do its' thing.  Regardless of what Little Devil thought, loved it,  and I think you will too.

Cool, with a little bit of spice!
Crisp and refreshing!

Girlfriend Graduation Gift

So my Big Devil, The Devilish Nephew has a really sweet girlfriend.  I'm sure I've bragged on him before.  He's like our other child.  He works for a big oil company in Houston and we are super proud of him.  He's sweet, handsome, smart and successful.  No wonder Alison grabbed him up and took him off the market.  She is equally as precious and just graduated from the University of Oklahoma.  She's moving off to Texas to begin her career, and the next phase of her life and I wanted to send her off with a little treat!

Here's the contents of the box:
pictures of my sweet nephew when he was little
Smarties, because Alison is a Smartie
a little heart-shaped candle for fun
a card telling her how proud we are of her accomplishment!

I found a GIANT box of Smarties candy
and made an adhesive label on the computer....

Originally my plan was to make a photo album or
scrapbook for Alison, using baby pictures of my
nephew.  I just couldn't find anything I liked,
so I decided to give her the pictures and let her do
what she wanted to with them.

I just tied the pictures together with a little piece of twine.
Yes, that is a picture of my nephew on top, wearing my
cap and gown from MY graduation night.

I just put everything into the box
and tied it up with a pretty ribbon.  I found this cute little
wicker "shoe box" at Hobby Lobby.
I love it when the container is actually part of the gift.

Crimson and Cream
for the University of Oklahoma!

Marinade for Meat

I'm very old-fashioned about the way I plan my meals.  I honestly feel like we should have a meat, a vegetable or two on the side and some kind of bread.  That doesn't always happen.  But especially when Little Devil is home for dinner I act like I'm June Cleaver and serve her a dinner from the 4 food groups.  Trying to change up the routine and vary the main course is always a challenge.  That means lots of different cuts of meat, prepared in different ways.  Having a go-to marinade for a package of meat lying around your freezer is never a bad idea.  You can throw your meat in with this marinade the night before and when you get home from work, it's ready to grill up.  Add a vegetable and a pretty salad.  Don't forget the bread.  Put on your pearls and a dress, run the vacuum and then serve dinner right up.

This is how I take
1 big steak and feed all three of us.

The marinade line-up.

Melt butter.  Add steak sauce.

Stir in brown sugar.

Add in the pop.  I used Sprite
because that was what we had in the fridge.

Add red wine vinegar.

Stir in onion and garlic powder.

Season meat generously on both sides
with salt and pepper.

Cover and marinate overnight.

We grilled.  This was a one-pound
boneless sirloin steak.
After Mr. Devilish grilled it,
we let it rest for 10 minutes and then
thinly sliced it.  Yum!

The Simplest Refried Beans

Whenever we make Mexican food, Mr. Devilish Dish almost always makes refried beans.  They really aren't fried the first time.  Or re-fried for that matter.  They are quite easy to make, with only 3 ingredients.  The leftovers make great nachos too.  Be sure to watch it carefully, because you don't want the garlic to burn.  Burnt garlic is second only to burnt popcorn in stinking up your kitchen.  A great side to any Mexican entree, you'll never open a can of refried beans again.  You'll just need to open a can of pinto beans for this recipe!

Fiesta Foreva

Only 3 ingredients...
Goodness in its simplest form.

Heat lard or drippings in a large skillet.

Add garlic.  Stir constantly until light brown.
Don't Burn!

Add one can of drained beans,
and one can of beans with liquid.
Mash with a potato masher until
mixture is fairly smooth.

Stir occasionally until mixture thickens up.

Top with shredded cheese and
get ready to party.