Recently my husband and I went on a seven day cruise through the Western Caribbean.  We left from Port Canaveral and traveled to Cozumel, Belize City, Costa Maya, and Nassau.  We had a fantastic time and came home very relaxed.

We sailed on Carnival and they offer two wine packages.  Yes, the wines are marked up compared to your local stores, but there is a significant savings compared to buying bottles of wine throughout the week.  The markup is less than you will pay at most restaurants and we found it to be reasonable.  Carnival does allow one bottle of wine or champagne to be brought on per adult.  But with all the opportunities to eat and enjoy yourself on a cruise, two bottles can go quickly.  We found the wine package to be an excellent accompaniment to our vacation.

Once you determine which wine package is right for you, they will hand you a receipt.  At the first dinner, your waiter will hand you five wine coupons.  The coupons can be used through out the ship, not just during dinner service.  The wines are listed on the back of each coupon and you just let the waiter know which wine you would like.  Don’t feel rushed to enjoy your bottle; the waiters will save any remaining wine for the next evening’s dinner.

Now our favorite part of the cruise ship experience, at least on the ship, was dinner.  We had wonderful wine, fantastic food, and were lucky enough to share the table with an awesome couple from up state New York.  My husband and I enjoyed their company and had a great time watching a comedic waiter at the table next to us all week.  We all swapped excursion details, show highlights, and any ‘secrets’ we all learned along the way.  Some people are nervous about assigned dining.  We have found that it’s an excellent way to enhance the experience; you should try it at least once, even as ‘anytime’ dining gains in popularity.

Another dinner option was dining in the Emerald Steakhouse.  It is an additional $30 per person, but you get a full steakhouse experience.  It was very quiet and the food was excellent and plentiful.  The Emerald dining room also hosted a cooking demonstration of their lobster bisque, surf and turf of filet and shrimp, and chocolate melting cake.  The demonstration was geared for the viewers to be able to do the recipes at home.

The cruise also offered a wine and cheese pairing class on two of the at sea days.  That is a great opportunity for cruisers that are unsure of how to pair wine and food.

Like most others vacations, room service is always a fantastic option too!  We tried that a few mornings when we felt like relaxing in the room.

Over the course of the next week, I will be writing about other aspects of our cruise experience.  We had a great time and I am looking forward to sharing the experience with you!

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Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 6 cups water
• 1 pkg of fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 white onion (sliced)

Place roast in slow cooker then add the garlic powder, rosemary, and bay leaves. Pour the soy sauce over meat and seasonings, then add the water. Slow cook for about 6 – 6 1/2 hours on low.

When the meat is done, saute the mushrooms and onions together with a little bit of butter.

Serve meat and sauteed mushrooms and onions on toasted hoagie buns and add a few slices of swiss cheese to make this a yummy sandwich. We also like to use the liquid from the meat for au jus dipping sauce.

This recipe has been in our family for I don’t know how long and it’s always been a hit with everyone, even the kids, so I wanted to share it with my Mom Fuse family!

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Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak
• 4 teaspoons Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning, divided
• 1 medium onion, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-inch wide strips
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 pound fresh pizza dough or frozen dough, thawed or 1 prepared thin pizza crust (12-inch)

Directions

1. Sprinkle both sides of steak with 3 teaspoons of the Montreal Steak Seasoning. Brush vegetables with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Grill steak over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Grill vegetables 6 to 8 minutes or until tender-crisp. Cut steak and vegetables into bite-size pieces. Mix cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon Seasoning in small bowl.
2. Stretch or roll pizza dough on floured baking sheet to a 12- to 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. Brush top of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Place oiled-side down on the grill. Close lid. Grill over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes or until grill marks appear on the bottom of the crust. Carefully flip crust over using tongs or spatula.
3. Layer crust with 1/2 of the cheese, grilled steak, vegetables and remaining cheese. Close lid. Grill 3 to 4minutes longer or until cheese is melted and crust is browned. (Check pizza often to avoid burning. Rotate pizza, if necessary.) Slide pizza onto baking sheet. Slice and serve immediately.

More recipe ideas from McCormick!

Share and Enjoy:

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I love this book because it takes the everyday foods we know and love and gives them a bit of a twist. Imagine your favorite comfort foods with a dollop of new flavor. This particular recipe for Market Street Meat Loaf scored high points in our house…even with the uber picky hubby. I especially like it because it packs a huge punch of flavor; it’s a unique twist on an old favorite. Plus, it’s loaded with veggies. I don’t know about you, but we always struggle to get all our vegetable servings in. When you sneak it into the meat dish, you can’t miss. Lukins says it’s the carrots, celery and bell peppers that get the flavor going; but I think it’s the spices that take it over the edge. It gives a nice fresh flavor that you don’t expect with meat loaf.

It also makes a huge batch, making it the ideal freezer meal. You can bake half now and put the rest in the freezer for later.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup finely chopped scallions (white bulbs and 3 inches green)
½ cup finely chopped carrots
¼ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 large eggs, well beaten
½ cup ketchup
½ cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds lean ground beef
12 ounces ground sweet Italian sausage
¾ cup fine fresh toasted bread crumbs (I cheated and used the generic grocery brand)

1. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and add the onions, scallions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the moisture has evaporated. (about 10 minutes). Set the mixture aside to cool; then refrigerate it, covered, until chilled (1-2 hours).

2. Pre-heat oven to 350

3. Beat the eggs, ketchup, half-and-half, cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Add the ground beef, sausage and bread crumbs. Then add the chilled vegetables and knead with your hands until well mixed.

4. Form the mixture into a loaf shape, approximately 12 inches long, 5 inches wide and 2 ½ inches high, on a rimmed baking sheet. (personally, I prefer forming 4 small football shaped loaves. I cooked two and froze the other two for later use). Bake the loaf until it is cooked through—about 1 hour. Let the meat loaf rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

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About Me:

I am an average mom living a busy life in the Midwest. My family includes a lovable but hyperactive toddler, an obsessive compulsive husband and two spirited beagles who all keep me on my toes. In additional to taking care of my family full time, I work in public relations for Designed Write Public Relations, serve as the co-leader for my local Mothers & More chapter, and manage the facebook page, The Average Parent.

I enjoy working with non-profit organizations, learning and trying new things, and spreading the word about my experiences. You can contact me at theaverageparent@gmail.com.

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INGREDIENTS

* 3 pounds rump roast
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth

DIRECTIONS

1. Place rump roast in a slow cooker. Pour in condensed cream of mushroom soup and condensed beef broth. Cook on LOW for about 8 hours.

This was a guest post written by Aimee Plesa from Shake Your Bon Bons

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This recipe has been in my family for years.  It’s one of our favorites, especially during the holidays or to take to pot lucks.  It’s always a hit and has even won an award in our hometown!  If you like cranberries.. you’ll love this recipe! Try it out and let me know what you think.

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 c. Instant Cooked Rice
• 1/2 c. Tomato Juice
• 1 Egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 c. Minced Onion
• 1 tbl. Kitchen Banquet
• 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 can Oceanspray Whole Cranberry Sauce
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 tbl. Lemon Juice

In a large bowl combine ground beef, cooked rice, tomato juice, egg, minced onion, kitchen banquet, and salt. Place into a 13×9x2 baking dish and shape into a loaf. In a small bowl combine Oceanspray whole cranberry sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice. Spoon over loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package egg noodles
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (6 ounce) can chopped mushrooms, with liquid
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until no pink shows; drain.
3. Mix brown gravy, cream cheese and mushrooms with hamburger until cream cheese has given the mixture a whitish look. Add milk, sour cream, and mushroom soup to cooked pasta. Blend hamburger mixture with pasta

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