Flat Iron Steak

I had never tried to cook a flat iron steak before, so this was my first attempt. Here is the marinade I used before grilling about 4 minutes on the indoor grill.

Mix all ingredients, turn the steak to cover both sides, then let it sit in marinade a covered dish or sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 2 hours prior to cooking.
Easy Marinade:
1/2 cup lime juice
¼ cup brown sugar
1 TBSP soy or Worcestershire sauce
pinch of powdered garlic
pinch of ginger

Grill the steaks about five minutes on each side. This cut of steak tastes best slightly rare or medium and not overcooked. When overcooked, it tends to get tough. The steak should be cut diagonally.

Baked Ziti

I didn't really have a recipe for this, just put it all together. It was really very good and easy.

8 oz. dry ziti pasta
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (I used Classico tomato and basil)
1 pound ground italian sausage (I used Johnsonville Natural ground)
shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese
kraft parmesan cheese

Brown the ground italian sausage and boil the ziti according to package directions, drain both. Pour a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 dish. Mix the rest of the sauce with the pasta and italian sausage until well combined. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with a little parmesan and then top with the shredded mozzarella and provolone cheeses. I only used about 1/4 cup to save some calories. I also only did it on half for the non-cheese lovers. I covered the dish with foil sprayed with non-stick spray and baked it for about 25 minutes, just until it was bubbly at the edges.

Sweet & Salty Popcorn

I just heard it's National Popcorn Day. Here is the recipe for the popcorn that the girls took around to the families they babysit for. It isn't cooked as long as carmel corn, so it goes together very quickly.

Pop enough corn to make 6 quarts. Salt a little more than you normally would.

In a saucepan combine:
1/3 cup sugar
2 sticks real butter
1/2 cup white Karo syrup

Cook to soft ball stage (235°) about 4-5 minutes. Pour over 6 quarts of salted popcorn. Stir and mix to coat popcorn. Small clusters are fine. This is great stuff!

Mini Cini Rolls

These were the cutest things. I love mini food. We made these last week as a family home evening treat. Jared was working late so I just fixed the girls some crescent roll hot dogs for dinner (I know, BAD!) So I had 2 crescent roll triangles left and made them into cinnamon rolls. They were only about 1 inch or so-- perfect bite size yumminess. I really did not have a recipe, but just buttered them and put cinnamon sugar on them and rolled the rectangle up and cut them into 8 baby size rolls. I baked them in a mini muffin pan to get them crispy around the edges and soft in the centers. Then drizzled a little powdered sugar glaze on top.

French Bread

Here is my favorite french bread from the Disney Family Cookbook (Family Fun Magazine). I like it because it is easy and makes 2 loaves, so I can always have one for the freezer.

Classic French bread—or the baguette—bakes in long, narrow loaf pans. If you don't have one, you can get almost the same crispy brown crust and light interior by baking the bread on a cookie sheet.

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons cornmeal

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Pour the remaining water into a large bowl and add 1 cup of the flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl with oil, drop the dough in, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free area for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Punch the dough down and divide in half. On a lightly floured board, knead each half several times and roll into a snake. Pinch out any air bubbles, then place the snakes on a cookie sheet coated with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425°; place a metal pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pour 1 cup of hot water into the pan (this will create the steam to give your bread a crunchy crust). Using a sharp knife, make four diagonal cuts 1/4 inch deep into the tops of the loaves. Place the loaves in the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a rack. These loaves are best eaten the day they are made, or frozen. Makes 2 loaves.