I grew up in Miami, where I was immersed in the Cuban culture. Cuban Coffee flowed strong, pastelitos, flan and tres leches were always a treat, and Vaca Frita was my favorite Cuban dish. I loved going to restaurants like Versailles or Sergio’s to fulfill my Vaca Frita cravings, until I learned to make it at home.

It is easy to get restaurant-quality Vaca Frita at home, using spices, marinade and flank steak. Flank steak is one of my favorite cuts of beef. A single serving of beef provides 50% of your recommended daily value of protein, and also has high amounts of zinc, iron, vitamins B6 and B12, as well as other key vitamins and minerals.

Flank steak comes from the abdominal muscles of the cow and is a long, flat and lean cut. Did you know that a single 3 oz. serving of lean beef has an average of 150 calories and less than 10 grams of fat. It has a great beefy flavor and is best when cut against the grain, for maximum tenderness. I love using flank steak for fajitas, satay, stir fry, and seared on the grill.

Vaca Frita is such a flavorful dish. It is cooked, flattened, marinated with garlic, oregano, lime juice, and other spices. Then, it is seared in a hot pan to create the signature crispy texture on the outside. I always serve my Vaca Frita with either sauteed or caramelized onions. The onions balance out the dish because they are so sweet and juicy.

Black beans and rice are also a staple in Cuban food, and I decided to create a bowl for my meal, rather than a larger platter. I love individual bowls because everyone can customize it how they like. Mr. L&C is not fond of black beans, so he left that out of his. #ToddlerLnC and I love black beans, so we had plenty for our bowls.

Lime is a key part to this dish. I love the acidity and flavor it gives to the beef. The flank steak is not only marinated in lime juice, but I also serve with lime wedges. If you are a fan of cilantro, then you can use it as a garnish too. I hope you try my delicious Cuban-inspired Vaca Frita Rice Bowl, enjoy!

Beef is a great ingredient in your recipes, instead of as the center of the plate. It is a nutrient-packed and delicious addition to any bowl, salad, or veggie-focused meal! You can find more information and other delicious Florida Beef Council recipes on the Florida Beef Website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube channel.

Cook time: 02 hrs. 00 mins.
Total time: 6 hrs. 0 mins.
Tags: Vaca Frita, Beef, Main Dish, Sunday Supper

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

I put an Asian twist on the classic, by substituting Idaho Potatoes for regular noodles in one of my favorite dishes – Pad Thai! Poutine, a French-Canadian classic, is traditionally French fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds. I am entering this dish into the Idaho Potato Commission Recipe Contest for National Sunday Supper Month. We were tasked with creating an original dish, inspired by the classic. There are so many different and delicious recipe interpretations from fellow food blogging friends.

Spiraled vegetables are so popular now, that I knew potatoes would be perfect for my dish. I used the medium/large spiral setting, because I didn’t want the noodles to be too thin. Zucchini noodles are shortened to “zoodles”, so does that mean that my potato noodles can be called “poodles”? Nah, we’ll just stick to calling them potato noodles, because we really don’t want people to think I am sauteing a furry dog in an Asian sauce…

One of my shortcuts is to use jarred Pad Thai sauce, because I can never really get the same flavor when I make it from scratch. Broccoli Slaw and Bean Sprouts are a must in my Pad Thai, as well as scrambled eggs. I cooked extra chicken earlier in the week and shredded it for this recipe. Sometimes I use pork or shrimp too. The cheese curds are an unexpected twist, but they actually go really well with the Pad Thai Sauce. I love sprinkling chopped peanuts and cilantro on top and using freshly squeezed lime juice.

I love entering the food contest for the Food and Wine Conference. This year will be my third year attending, and I cannot wait! I  love participating in Sunday Supper events, and the conference is the highlight of the year. The Food and Wine Conference is May 13-15, 2016 at the beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek Resort and Spa. You can register here, and keep up to date on all conference updates by following on Facebook, Instagram, and the #FWCon on Twitter,

Poutine Pad Thai

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Hillshire. This could include Hillshire providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

One-Pot meals are great for a busy weeknight, especially if you have a family to feed. Lately, Toddler L&C has been getting into everything and always wants to be right underfoot. It gets a bit difficult to make dinner when there is a 16-month old sitting on your feet in front of the stove. This one-pot meal is made in under 30 minutes, tastes delicious, and gives me more time to play with the Toddler.

I like to vary our weeknight meals. We usually have some form of Mexican or Hispanic dishes every 7-10 days. Tacos, Enchiladas, Black Beans & Rice, an a bunch of different meals are always on our menu. I also keep chicken breasts, cutlets and tenderloins in the freezer to have on hand. Sometimes, though, I forget to thaw them and get in a rut when it’s close to dinner-making time. I like having Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage on hand in the refrigerator, because it helps me make a quick meal without worrying about thawing some protein.

Mr. L&C loved this dish! He loves almost any kind of sausage: Italian, Kielbasa, Smoked, Breakfast. You name it, he’ll eat it. The Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage has a great flavor and complemented the greens perfectly. I gave it a little twist by adding some Grape Tomatoes to the pasta. The dish was so flavorful and when topped with some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese makes it out-of-this-world. Don’t forget to check out Sausage So Simple for more recipe inspiration.

One-Pot Sausage, Spinach, Chard and Kale Pasta
Adapted from Kevin & Amanda
Click here for a printable recipe
Yield: 4 servings

One-Pot Sausage, Spinach, Chard and Kale Pasta Ingredients:
– 1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil
– 1 & 1/4 cup diced Sweet Onion
– 1-14 ounce Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage
– 1 teaspoon minced Garlic
– 2 cups Chicken Broth, low-sodium
– 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
– 8 ounces Mezze Penne Pasta
– 1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
– 30 Grape Tomatoes, halved
– 1-5 ounce bag of Baby Spinach, Chard and Kale Salad Mix
– Parmesan Cheese, optional topping

One-Pot Sausage, Spinach, Chard and Kale Pasta Directions:
1. Place Olive Oil in a medium-large skillet with high sides and heat on medium-high. Place Onions and Sausage in skillet and cook until the onions are light brown. Add in the Garlic and cook, while stirring, for half a minute.
2. Add in Chicken Broth, Heavy Cream, Pasta, Pepper, Tomatoes and Spinach-Chard-Kale Mix. Stir to combine, making sure the pasta is submerged in the liquid. Bring it to a boil, then cook, covered, on low for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Remove from heat, remove lid, and let it sit for a minute before serving. Top with Parmesan Cheese. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Barbecue Ribs are absolutely delicious! Homemade ribs are easier than you think and you don’t have to go out to a restaurant to enjoy that fall-off-the-bone goodness. These babies were one of the things I wasn’t allowed to have when I was younger because of braces. My parents sometimes gave me “contraband ribs” but not often. I love cooking these ribs, because the house smells absolutely delicious. You can’t have ribs without some amazing side dishes too, like macaroni ‘n cheese or hushpuppies!

I had never tried hushpuppies until my parents moved to North Carolina. We really didn’t have them available while growing up in Miami. Hushpuppies were a completely new food to me, and I had to try them to see what they were all about. My parents took me to their local restaurant that serves barbecue, fried chicken, Brunswick stew and hushpuppies. I instantly fell in love with them. Every time I visited my parents, I requested we go for some Brunswick Stew and Hushpuppies. I loved them so much, I even had them at Mr. L&C and my rehearsal dinner.

Fast forward a couple years and I had a “moment“. You know, one of those, I know what I’m thinking but can’t articulate it properly moments. Well, I wanted some hushpuppies to go along with lunch and didn’t actually say I wanted hushpuppies, just that I wanted to go to a certain restaurant. My family and I headed to this restaurant and as soon as we arrived and I saw the menu, my heart sank. I had my “moment” and mixed up the restaurant names, so we went somewhere that hushpuppies weren’t on the menu. It was also across town, so we couldn’t drive and get some hushpuppies. I learned my lesson, and my family still jokes with me about it anytime I want some hushpuppies.

Photo from Savannah Classics

Lucky for me, and for you, you can find hushpuppies in the frozen section of your grocery store. Yay! I can now easily bake them at home. Don’t forget to save some of that barbecue sauce for dipping the hushpuppies too! If you would like to try some Savannah Classics Original, Sweet Corn, or Jalepeno Hushpuppies yourself, enter for a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card below. Also, please visit their Facebook page for coupon offers to “Get Pupped”!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs
A Love and Confection original recipe
Click here for a printable recipe

Slow Cooker Barbecue Rib Ingredients:
– 1-2 slabs of Baby Back Ribs
– 1-2 cups of Barbecue Sauce

Slow Cooker Barbecue Rib Directions:
1. Place Ribs into the slow cooker, standing on their ends. If necessary cut slabs into smaller pieces to fit inside. Pour 1/2 cup of Barbecue Sauce over ribs, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, flipping halfway through, and adding another 1/2 cup of Barbecue Sauce.
2. Heat oven to 350F. Carefully place ribs onto foil-lined baking sheets with sides. Brush on 1/2-1 cup of the remaining barbecue sauce and bake for 10-15 minutes, until you have a nice, caramelized crust on top. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of Savannah Classics Hushpuppies. Savannah Classics is providing the gift card for giveaway free of charge. All opinions are my own. Savannah Classics is located in Savannah, Tennessee and available in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store in 21 states.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MVCheezIt #CollectiveBias

While everyone is gathering to watch the college basketball games and cheering on their favorite team, these parties are really all about the food. I love appetizers, but sometimes I want something more filling than just finger food. Baked Macaroni ‘n Cheez-It is a great way to use my favorite snack and kick it up a notch. Ooey gooey, warm melty cheese mixed with macaroni, then baked with a crunchy Cheez-It topping – yes please! Forget who just scored, this Baked Macaroni ‘n Cheez-It takes home the title.

Dips, drinks, and other goodies always make their way into my shopping cart when I am at Target before game-day. I usually meander through the aisles, but I always end up in the “Snacks, Chips, Cookies and Crackers” aisle to stock up. That’s where I picked up a box of Original Cheddar Cheez-It Grooves and Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers. Both were delicious additions to my recipe today – they gave it a nice crunch and cheesy bite!

If you have a competitive side, like me, then I’m sure you already have printouts waiting to go. Mr. L&C and I always have a friendly competition when it comes to watching the basketball games. We each pick out our favorites, assign point values and tally up scores to see who ultimately wins. Don’t forget to enter the Most Valuable Cheese Contest. It takes place from February-April 2015. You can vote on your favorite flavors and varieties from six popular Cheez-It flavors and play games for a chance to win $10,000!

If wanting a delicious dish isn’t enough to get your taste-buds going, then this deal will – Cheez-Its are on sale at Target, 3/$8. If you use Target’s Cartwheel app you can also save an additional 35% off this sale price when you buy 3 varieties of Cheez-Its.

So… which Cheez-Its varieties are you going to choose for game time?

Baked Macaroni ‘n Cheez-It
A Love and Confections original recipe
Click here for a printable recipe

Baked Macaroni ‘n Cheez-It Ingredients:
– 1 cup Original Cheddar Cheez-It Grooves, crushed
– 1 cup Cheez-Its, crushed
– 16 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese block
– 8 ounces Colby Cheese block
– 4 tablespoons Butter
– 4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
– 2 & 1/2 cups Whole Milk
– 1 pound Elbow Macaroni
– 2 tablespoons Butter, melted
– 1/2 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Baked Macaroni ‘n Cheez-It Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with spray and set aside.
2. While completing the next few steps, follow the instructions on the pasta package, bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta, then drain it and return the the pot.
3. Pulse the Cheez-Its Grooves and Cheez-Its in a food processor until crumbs form and set aside.
4. Shred the blocks of Sharp Cheddar and Colby Cheese with the food processor and set aside.
5. In a medium saucepan, heat the 4 tablespoons of Butter until it melts. Add in the Flour and whisk until there are no more lumps (a roux). Heat the Milk in the microwave until it is slightly warm, then slowly pour into the roux while whisking constantly. Whisk until the sauce thickens. Add in the cheese and switch to a heatproof spatula to stir until it is all melted.
6. Pour the Cheese Sauce onto the pasta and add in half of the pulsed Cheez-Its. Stir to combine and pour into prepared baking dish.
7. Melt 2 tablespoons of Butter, then mix with Breadcrumbs and remaining Cheez-It Crumbs. Sprinkle over the entire top of the Macaroni ‘n Cheese.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and hot throughout. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!