easy – The Wild Gems

Apple Cider Vinegar Marinade For A Pot Roast In The Slow Cooker – So Juicy!

February 3, 2023February 5, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

What You Need:

3-4 lbs of boneless chuck roast

1 sweet onion cut in 4 chunks

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Steps:

1. Place your meat in the slow cooker, along with the chunks of onion. In a small mixing bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter. Pour marinade mixture over the meat. Top the meat with the butter. Place lid.

2. Cook on low for 8 hours. Once the 8 hours are up shred the meat well and serve immediately.

Serve over white rice or with some corn tortillas. Enjoy!

Note: when putting away the leftovers I did drain a lot of the oil from the meat. We ate it for 3 days and every day was better!

Chicken And Mushroom Pasta In A Heavy Cream Sauce

August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Servings: 6-8

What You Need:

1 12oz bag of wide egg noodles

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1-2 teaspoons of garlic (fresh or jar)

1 small package of mushrooms

3/4 cup of chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper for taste

2 cups of sharp white cheddar cheese shredded

2 cups chopped chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken shredded

Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish (optional)

Steps:

1. Boil a medium to large pot of water. When water is boiling add a few dashes of salt and then cook pasta according to directions. Reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water.Set aside when done.

2. In a large skillet melt butter and sauté onion and garlic until tender.

3. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until cooked and tender.

4. Add chicken stock, heavy cream, cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Mix until smooth and cheese is completely melted.

5. Stir in the chicken and pasta in the sauce and add the pasta water. Turn off heat and mix well, allowing to sit for little for sauce to thicken.

6. Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy!

**** This taste amazing the next day too! ****

Basic Rice Recipe

June 6, 2022March 21, 2023 The Wild Gems3 Comments

Servings: 6 to 8 people

What You Need:

1 1/2 cup of long grain rice (un-rinsed)

2 1/2 cups of water

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon seasoning or salt

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1/4 cup of frozen corn (optional)

2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil

Steps:

1. In a medium pot or skillet oil your pan and sauté rice on a medium heat until all the rice is brown and toasted. (Doing this adds flavor to the rice)

2. Add the water, bring the pot to a low, and the butter and seasoning and cover rice with a lid. Set the timer for 15 mins. Checking the rice at least 2 times to give it a mix or fluff. Once the water is fully absorbed remove from the stove, keep lid slightly on, and allow to steam cook for 10 mins.

Note: If you’re going to add corn add it 5 minutes before the timer goes off.

3. Fluff with fork and enjoy. Add additional butter or seasoning if necessary.

Note: if you want to make more rice, you always just double the water to the rice.

This is the seasoning I use for the rice.

Easy Alfredo Sauce

November 23, 2021April 25, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

This Alfredo sauce is so yummy! Enjoy!

What You Need:

2 cups of Parmesan Cheese

1 (8 tablespoons) stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of heavy cream (8oz)

A few dashes of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley finely chopped and a little extra chopped for garnish

Steps:

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat, once butter is melted add heavy cream. Allow to simmer while mixing for 2 minutes seasoning with salt and pepper.

2. Add Parmesan cheese and parsley. Add a few dashes of milk or pasta water to thin sauce out a little. Allow to cook and very low heat until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Eggless Pancakes

August 7, 2021August 7, 2021 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Sometimes you want to make pancakes only to realize you don’t have any eggs! Which is exactly what happen to us. However delicious pancakes are still achievable even if you don’t have any eggs!

We hope you enjoy these eggless pancakes, courtesy of “eggless cooking”. You have to try these!

https://www.egglesscooking.com/eggless-pancakes-recipe/

What You Need:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon of Sugar (give or take, I add a little more)
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Milk ( 2%)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Water
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Steps:

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. (The dry ingredients)
In a small bowl whisk 1 cup milk, the vegetable oil, water and vanilla extract. (The wet ingredients)
Stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Heat a skillet at a low medium heat. Once the pan is hot add the unsalted butter and let it melt.
Add the melted butter to the batter and return the pan to the stove. Mix the butter into the batter well.
When the pan is hot enough, pour a small ladleful of batter on the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the face of the pancake.
Carefully flip the pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Sidenote: keep your skillet on medium LOW. These do cook fast and can easily burn if the pan is too hot.

Cream Cheese Frosting

April 16, 2021September 3, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Cream Cheese Frosting

This amount of frosting is good for 24 cupcakes or a 9×13 size cake. There may be a little extra just to eat! Yum!

What You Need:

1 8oz pack of cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup (1stick) of unsalted butter (softened)

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

A small squeeze of a lemon (optional)

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl except for the lemon. Mix well until smooth and creamy.

2. Now take the lemon and squeeze just a little bit of lemon juice to give the frosting a sweet tangy taste. Mix well. Taste, and add more if needed.

3. Spread on cupcakes, muffins, breads, whatever your little heart desires.

Note: store any left over frosting in the fridge. Frosting is good for 3-5 days.

If it’s looking like this picture below the cream cheese or butter may not have been softened enough. No worries though! Just let the frosting sit out for a bit. Then mix again with an electric mixture.

A little lumpy, I knew the butter wasn’t soft enough!

I let it sit out and then we re-mixed it. Smooth and creamy, just what we wanted!

Enjoy my precious gems!

Maple And Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

May 15, 2020 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Makes between 20 to 25 cookies (depending on desired size)

Bake at 350 for 8 to 10mins (oven time may vary)

What You Need:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 full stick of softened unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)

2 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark, but you can use semisweet too)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:

1. In a medium size bowl mix together oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour.

2. In a large bowl beat with an electric mixer the brown sugar, the stick of butter, and granulated sugar until combined. Beat in egg. Then beat in maple syrup and vanilla extract. Once it’s all combined begin beating in the flour mixture. (Can use hands when it begins getting thicker)

4. Once mixture is set add chocolate chips and mix well. (If you have kids this is fun for them to mix with their hands)

5. Place generous dollops of oatmeal batter onto parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 mins.

Note: when taking the cookies out of the oven beat the tray on the counter a few times to enhance a chewy soft texture. So yummy. It needs to be done RIGHT AWAY once pulled out.

ALSO, I personally bake one tray at a time on the high rack. This recipe made about 3 trays for me.

When placing on cookie sheet keep in mind they don’t need to be perfect. Glob it up!

Fresh from the oven. I really feel beating them on the counter makes the difference. Let me know how it works for you! Do it once you pull them out!

Enjoy!

Barbecue Meatloaf

April 17, 2020 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Servings: 4 – 6 servings

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Temperate should read 165 when complete.

What You Need:

1 lb ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

1 diced onion OR 1 tablespoon of onion powder

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 egg beaten

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Reserving 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce.

2. Mix well with hand, form loaf shape and place in loaf pan. Pour remaining barbecue sauce over loaf.

3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow meatloaf to rest for about ten minutes. Check meatloaf temperature, it should read 165.

Enjoy with fresh veggies and roasted potatoes.

Chicken Fajitas Under The Broiler

March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

*The Lime is essential, don’t forget it!*

Chicken Fajitas Under The Broiler

Makes: 4-6 servings Time: 25 mins in oven (oven time can vary)

What You Need:

1 lb to 1 1/2 lbs of thin chicken breasts cut into 1/4 inch strips

1 lb of baby bell peppers cut in half and seeded

1 large yellow onion sliced

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 large lime

8 to 10 warmed tortillas

Steps:

1. In a small bowl mix together the chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.

2. Line a sheet pan with foil. Arrange baby bell peppers on the sheet pan. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil onto the peppers and apply half of the seasoning from the bowl to the peppers.

3. Place the sheet of peppers under the broiler for about 15 to 20 mins until peppers begin to blacken a little and char. (If your broiler has a setting for low or high, set it to high)

4. In a medium bowl combine the chicken strips, tablespoon of olive oil, and the rest of the seasoning.

5. Pull out sheet pan and place chicken strips onto the peppers. Broil for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Squeeze lime over entire sheet of peppers and chicken.

Serve with warmed tortillas, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, or salsa! So easy and delish!

Enjoy!

Note: This is all made with the broiler setting on your oven. You are NOT baking these. Broilers can be tricky, it’s okay to keep opening your oven to check with the peppers. With the chicken though, 5 mins is the magic number! Don’t open the oven!