New Yoplait Greek 100 is a tasty way to approach swimsuit season. It’s everything you adore about Greek yogurt, with just 100 calories. Come into Publix® May 11th – 31st to save on irresistible flavors like Black Cherry, Lemon, Mixed Berry, Peach, Tropical and more — 10 for just $10! Sample all the delicious flavors of Yoplait Greek 100 at Publix®.

I’ve always wanted to try this yogurt but didn’t want to spend money on it in case I didn’t like it.  I’m so glad I received coupons to try it!  I got four different flavors and loved them all!  Even my daughter likes them so needless to say they are now added to our weekly shopping list.

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My wife and I recently went on a double date, and the venue that was selected was Chili’s.  This was one of our friends’ favorite place to eat because of their Baby Back Ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce.  What they didn’t know before selected Chili’s as the dining place for the evening was that the Baby Back Ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce had just recently been taken off the menu.  Needless to say they were devastated.

I tried to console them and said I would try to recreate this meal for them.  I came across a copycat recipe for Chili’s Baby Back Ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce.  I used St. Louis style spareribs for this because they are currently on sale at Target for only $1.79 per pound.  You can’t get a better price for ribs than that!  That why the name includes the (Not).

This recipe isn’t normally one that I would follow when cooking ribs, because it involves them being cooked in the oven before being finished on the grill.  I usually just cook my ribs on the smoker from start to finish.  I made the ribs this way in hopes of coming close to what my friends were used to eating.  This is what I did:

Chili’s (Not) Baby Back Ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce

Rib Rub
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon ground yellow mustard powder
1 /2 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Chili’s Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce
3/4 cup Shiner Bock beer
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 pinch black pepper
***Heat all of these ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Trim fat and remove membrane from back of ribs.  Rub thoroughly with a generous amount of rib rub on both sides of ribs.  Let sit in refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spread sauce on ribs and wrap well in aluminum foil.  Cook in preheated oven for 2 hours.
• Preheat grill to medium heat.  After ribs cook in oven, cook them on the grill for about 6 minutes on each side.
• Add sauce to the ribs a few minutes before removing from grill.  Be careful not to add sauce to soon because it will burn.

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A distinction is sometimes made between Chicken Fried- and Country Fried Steak.  If there is a categorizable difference, it might be that the latter, which is perhaps more popular in the Southeast, is “smothered” – being returned to the pan after the gravy is prepared, and served completely moistened with gravy – whereas the former, preferred in Texas, is served “dry”, with some gravy poured on top, and on the side.
 
Country fried steak resembles the Austrian dish Wiener Schnitzel and the Italian-Latin American dish Milanesa, which is a tenderized veal or pork cutlet, coated with flour, eggs, and bread crumbs, and then fried.  It is also similar to the recipe for Scottish collops.

I usually pair Country Fried Steak with mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and fried okra.  It partners well with anything “southern” so its really easy to make a complete meal with whatever you might have in your pantry.  This last time that I made it I served it with mashed potatoes, collard greens, and cornbread.  Hungry yet?

Country Fried Steak with Gravy 

2 pounds cube steak
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• Season meat with salt and pepper.  Dredge with meat with the flour then dip into the beaten eggs.  Dip back into the flour and coat thouroughly.  Set aside and finish the rest of the steaks the same way.  Let the steak sit with the coating on for 10 to 15 mintues.  This helps the breading stick on to the meat while it is cooking. 
• Heat enough of the oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the meat in batches, without overcrowding the pan.  Cook until the batter is golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove the steak from the skillet and place on a wire rack over a cookie sheet and keep in your oven set to the “warm” setting.  Repeat this process for the rest of the meat until it is all cooked.
• Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks, or place the steaks into the gravy.  The choice is yours to make!

Boom!  Country  Fried Steak!  Your family will love this! 

For this recipe and more like it please visit http://www.whatiscookingnow.com

Bacon-wrapped Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Cheese and Jalapenos

Chicken Breasts
Jalapenos, cut into thin strips
Cream Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Bacon
Salt and Pepper

• Cut chicken breasts in half and pound out thin.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a chunk of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapeno strips in chicken. 
• Roll up the chicken and wrap with strips of bacon.
• Cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until fully cooked.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

When I got home my wife said she wanted to make the cake, so I let her. This was her doing and all I had to do was stir the occasional bowl of chocolate. I didn’t really have the proper cake pans so we had to improvise and wound up make cupcakes with leftover batter that we had. I could get used to this!

At Cascadian Farm, we take a simple approach to life. We applied this same approach to our new Crunchy granola bars, each made with 9 or fewer pantry ingredients per bar. Visit your local Publix supermarket today to taste our delicious flavors including the new Oats & Honey and Peanut Butter.

My favorite flavor was the Peanut Butter bars.  The Oats & Honey were good as well but the Peanut Butter flavor took the cake!  Have you tried these bars yet?  If so, what is your favorite flavor?  If not, fill out the form below for your chance to win some for free!

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Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

When I got home my wife said she wanted to make the cake, so I let her.  This was her doing and all I had to do was stir the occasional bowl of chocolate.  I didn’t really have the proper cake pans so we had to improvise and wound up make cupcakes with leftover batter that we had.  I could get used to this!

Spinach and Pepperoni Pizza

I bought some cheap, already made pizza dough at the grocery store and decided to try out some different kinds of pizzas.  This was my favorite one that I made:

Spinach and Pepperoni Pizza

1/4 store bought pizza dough
1 spoonful pizza sauce
1 handful mozzerella cheese
1 handful baby spinach
1 handful pepperoni, sliced
sprinkling of parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll 1/4 of pizza dough out and transfer to a pizza peel.
• Spread the pizza sauce around the pizza dough. Add the cheese, spinach, and pepperoni to the dough.
• Gently slide the pizza to the preheated baking stone in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Top with parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes if you like, and enjoy!!