Tacos

1 pound ground beef
salt and pepper
1 to 2 Tablespoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon minced onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
flour shells
oil for frying
chopped onion
grated cheese
chopped lettuce
fresh salsa
fresh salsa verde
can of refried beans

Fry the hamburger in a pan on the stove, when it is brown add in your salt, pepper, and chili powder, onion flakes, and garlic powder (or you can purchase taco seasoning).  Meanwhile heat the can of refried beans in another small pan on the stove.

Chop your tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Grate the cheese.
This is a good time to make the salsa verde and the fresh salsa and you can find both of these recipes earlier on the blog!

Once the meat is ready, let it simmer while you fry the shells.  To make the shells, heat some oil in a shallow pan over med to med high heat. Fold the shell in half and fry each side in the oil until crispy. I use a spatula to hold one end down in the oil and the other end up to hold it's shape. Drain the shells on paper towels.

When all the shells are fried, spread the shell with the refried beans, put a heap of the taco meat on it, top with little onion, cheese, and lettuce. Add on your salsa verde and fresh salsa (I love to use both). This is over the top good!

I will be on vacation for the next week so there won't be any new posts till I get back next week!

Salsa Verde

We went to Epcot last weekend and ate in Mexico, and I was inspried by the salsa verde sauce and so I gave it a try. This is my first attempt at the Salsa Verde and I do think it turned out pretty well!  I may make a few minor adjustments next time, but for now, here goes: 

1 pound tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 jalepeno pepper chopped
1 Teaspoon Cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Salt
Black Pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
juice from 1 and 1/2 limes

Peel, wash and chop tomatillos. Place in a medium pot to cook on the stove.  Add in the onion, garlic and jalepeno and spices. Pour in the chicken stock.  Mine was a tiny bit runny so would decrease the liquid next time.  Pring to a boil and then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes. Take off the heat and use a boat motor to blend everything up. The real name is some kind of immersable blender type thing, we call it a boat motor.  Or you could use a blender. Just find something to blend everything up. Add in the lime juice, and cool. It tastes better once it has cooled down.  This too seemed to be addictive. We ate it with chips and served it with out tacos the other night.

Pork Patties and Eggs

This is not really a recipe, but it is a great breakfast idea!  I personally don't like the spices that are in pork sausage when you buy it, and have found a fabulous work around.  We buy ground pork and make it into patties and grill it. It is really good and goes great with eggs or in a breakfast sandwich. It also is scrumptious with waffles and pancakes, and then you can dip the meat into the syrup!

Just get a 1 pound package of ground pork at the grocery store. Form it into 4 thin patties, sprinkle with lots of Season Salt and pepper. The Season Salt is what really make this. It is not the same with just regular salt.  Grill it outside and since it is pork, make sure it is done.  I like it kind of crispy. 

It is pictured here with poached eggs, which are my favorite!

Waffles

We love these waffles, they are so easy to make, and go great with breakfast meats like pork patties.

Heat your waffle iron while making the batter.

2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Melt the butter and let cool slightly.  Beat the eggs vigorously in a large bowl, add in the buttermilk and the melted butter and wisk together.  Sift the dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture and which until well mixed.

Spray the waffle maker with cooking spray so the waffles don't stick, using a ladel, fill the waffle maker with batter, and close the lid. Cook until they are done.

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar, and fruit with whipped topping. Or serve with butter and syrup.

Chicken Salad

As a queen of leftovers, I made this chicken salad out of the leftover beer can chicken.

2 to 3 cups leftover cooked chicken
2 ribs celery
1 cup grapes
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1 cup helmans mayo
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp tarragon

You can use any cooked chicken, but it is really good with leftover grilled or beer can chicken.  Cut up your chicken into bite size cubes and toss into a big bowl.  Chop celery and cut the grapes in half and add to chicken. Toast the pecans in a pan on the stove top until you can smell them, being careful not to burn them, and add to the chicken mixture.

I always use Helmans Mayo for my salads. Start by adding a big spoonful into the chicken mixture and add salt, pepper, and the tarragon.  Keep adding mayo until you get to the consistency you like.

I like to eat this with lettuce or crackers, like wheat thins, but it is great in a sandwich with bread too.

Baked Ziti

This recipe comes from my son.  He was over last night and cooked dinner for us as a trade off for babysitting.

3/4 to 1 lb ziti noodles
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced fine
2 - 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground basil
1 teaspoon ground parsley
1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups grated motzarella cheese

Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion and cook until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and herbs and the sugar to your taste. Cover and simmer on low heat.

Meanwhile, heat the other 1 T of oil in another pan and cook the ground beef. Once cooked, add it to the tomato mixture.

At the same time, you can get the ziti noodles cooked according to the package. Once they are cooked add them to the tomato mixture too. Add in the ricotta cheese and mix well.

Spread the mixture in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan, top with grated motzarella and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Serve with garlic bread and salad.  This was a very creamy and moist and juice ziti recipe.  Definitely two thumbs up!

Pear and Gorgonzola Bruschetta

1 Baguette
Pear Preserves
Gorgonzola Cheese
Chopped Pecans
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar

Slice the baguette into 3/4 inch slices at an angle. Place bread slices on a foil lined baking pan.  Drizzle the bread with a little olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted (I use the toaster oven and it only takes a few minutes).  Spread each slice of bread with the pear jam, add a little bit of gorgonzola cheese, and a few chopped pecans, drizzle with honey, and finish with a dash of balsamic vinegar.  These go really, really good with a glass of wine as an appetizer when making dinner.

Fresh Salsa

We love mexican food and salsa is one of my favorite things. I use it as a salad dressing, eat it with chips, and of course the traditional uses over other foods as well.

1/2 large onion, or 1 small onion
1 green bell pepper
1 to 2 jalepeno peppers depending on how much heat you like
5 to 6 roma tomatoes
cilantro
salt and pepper
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Chop the onion, tomatoes, and peppers finely and add to a big bowl. Add the juice from 1/2 of a lime and the red wine vinegar. Add in the salt and pepper to taste and cilantro. I'm not a huge fan of cilantro, but you've got to have some for the salsa flavor.  We use this on our weekend mexican omelets too!

Warning, this stuff is addicting.

Mexican Omelet

This is a mexican omelet that my mom invented years ago. I grew up in Arizona and we ate mexican food alot. This dish was born out of what to do with the leftover taco meat from the night before.  And if you have a heavy cast iron pan, that works great as you need to put this in the oven.

1/2 pound leftover seasoned taco meat
                    OR
1/2 pound hamburger and season it up with 3 T chili powder, salt and pepper
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 roma tomato
1 cup greated cheddar cheese
8 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat your big cast iron pan on the stove top and either brown your hamburger with chili powder and salt and pepper, or if you do have left over taco meat, just use that and heat it up in the pan.

Once the meat is hot and cooked, add in your chopped onion and green peppers and cook a few minutes.  Meanwhile, beat 8 eggs in a large bowl and add a little milk and a little water (2 Tablespoons each). Pour the eggs over the meat mixture in the pan.

Put the pan in the preheated oven for about 20 mintutes. When it looks like the eggs are cooked through, pull the pan out and sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese. We only had white cheddar in the house today and that is fine too.

Put the pan back in the oven for another few minutes until the cheese has melted. Top with tomatoes or fresh made salsa.

Slice into pieces like you would for a pizza and serve. This is sooo good!

Beer Can Chicken

This is one of our favorite ways to make a chicken. It is always moist and juicy and can be cooked on the grill or in the oven. Yesterday we made two of these. The leftover chicken meat can be used for chicken salad or chicken quesadillas, or chicken pot pies, or a million other yummy things.

Rinse your chicken and pat dry with towel, then rub liberally with oil and season heavily with Natures Seasoning.  Drink down a few gulps out of the beer can and then put the bird on top of it.

Place the can with the chicken on it in a foil lined pan and either bake in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hours or on the grill.  The skin gets crispy and the meat is still juicey. Delish!

Chicken Soup with Dumplings

For the Soup:
1 Whole Chicken
Salt and Pepper
Bay leaves
4 Carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 onion, finely chopped

Put the whole chicken in a big pot and cover with cold water. Add 1/2 Tablespoon salt, a couple of bay leaves, and lots of black pepper. Bring this to a boil, then turn down, cover and gently boil for a couple of hours.

Carefully remove the chicken from the soup pot and put on a plate. The chicken will most likely be falling apart, thats okay, just use a slotted spoon to get any small bones and bay leaves out of the soup pot. Let the chicken cool slightly so you can easily take the meat off the bone. If you want to, you can skim the fat off the soup too. Today, I choose not to do that.  Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.

At this point, our dog, Lexi becomes my best friend.  She can no longer see or hear, but she can still smell, and this is the point she makes her way into the kitchen in hopes that i will drop a few peices of chicken on the floor while taking the meat off the bone.

Once you have taken all of the meat off the bone, discard the bones and skin and put the meat back into the soup pot.

Add in the sliced carrots, celery, and chopped onion. Put the cover back on and let simmer for another couple of hours.  Give it a taste test, and if it needs more salt, I like to add some season salt.

Just before you are ready to serve the soup, make the dumplings.

In a small bowl, beat together 3 or 4 eggs until well beaten, add in salt and pepper to taste, and then add in the flour about 1/3 cup at a time, beating well with a spoon or fork. You will need in total about 1 cup of flour give or take to get to the right consistensy.  It should be like a thick, paste like substance. When you've got it right, then add in about 1 spoonful of fresh chives finley chopped. Using a spoon, take a spoonful of the dumpling mixture and drop into the soup, until you have used it all.  Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or so.

Ladel into bowls and top with parsley, and serve with bread (Love my carbs)!  This is my favorite go to recipe when I have a cold which I do today.  If you don't like dumplings, then you could add in noodles towards the end of the cooking time.

Shrimp Pasta Primavera

1 pound shrimp, cleaned
1/2 box bow tie pasta
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 small zuchini sliced
2 -3 carrots peeled and sliced
1 red or orange bell pepper cut in pieces
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Basil and oregano
10 to 20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
parmesian cheese

Heat a large pan on the stove, do a couple of rounds of olive oil. When the oil is hot, put in the onion, garlic, carrots, zuchini, and red or orange bell pepper, salt and pepper, sprinkle of basil and oregano, and sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Saute this until vegetables are just tender, and still have a little bite.

Mean while, cook the pasta according to directions. When the pasta is done, drain the liquid reserving a small amount of the pasta liquid.

When the vegetables are done, remove them from the pan and set aside. Use the same pan to cook the shrimp, depending on size, they will only take a couple of minutes.

Using a large bowl, mix the pasta, vegetables, and shrimp all together and toss in a bunch of cherry tomatoes that have been cut in half.  If it feels a little dry, then add a little bit of the pasta water to it.

Grate some parmesian cheese over the top and serve.

The left overs are great, and I like to eat them cold the next day.

Meatball Subs

We usually make these meatball sub sandwiches the day after we have the spaghetti dinner. So go ahead and make the spaghetti and meatballs first, and then come back and make these yummy sandwiches with the leftovers.

Heat the leftover meatballs and sauce in a pan on the stove until heated through. Slice the fresh sub buns down the middle. Place about 3 meatballs in the bun and cover with a little bit of the sauce. Top with fresh motzarella cheese and put in the oven or toaster oven just until the cheese melts. Top with a sprinkle of parsley.  We like extra sauce and serve it on the side so the sandwich doesn't get to mushy.

For my daughter who doesn't like meatballs, I make her a sandwich with sliced pepperoni, and a little bit of the sauce and cheese.

Enjoy with wine!

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

This is my all time favorite snack and we make it every weekend.  It is easy and quick and there are tons of different topping you can use. We also like a sweet topping made of honey and gorgonzola cheese that I will publish sometime.

Baguette
Fresh Motzarella
Roma Tomatoes
Fresh Basil (roll the leaves up and slice thinly)
salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic peeled

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees or you can use a toaster oven which is what I like to use it is a bit quicker and you don't have to heat the whole house up as much in the heat of the summer ( I am in Orlando and it is always hot here).

Line a baking pan with foil.
Slice the baguette on an angle and place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake or toast until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven and rub the garlic clove on each slice of bread.  Top with thinly sliced tomato, sprinkle with salt and peper, then top with thinly sliced fresh motzarella cheese.

Put the baking pan back in the oven or toaster oven for a few more minutes until the cheese gets all melty. Take it out and top with the fresh basil which has been sliced.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

So what I like about this recipe is that there is enough sauce and meatballs for a second meal and that would be meatball subs. While we like the spaghetti dinner the first night, we really look forward to the left overs for the next night.

Meatballs
1 to 1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1/2 pound italian sausage
1 very small onion finely minced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesian cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano

I like to bake the meatballs so there is less mess to clean up later.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking pan with foil.  Mix all ingredients together and using an ice cream scooper scoop out the meat balls. Once scooped, I like to roll them a bit too and place them on the baking sheet. Bake them for about 20 minutes. 

Sauce
1 small onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic finely diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
about 20 ounce of water (use the crushed tomatoe can 3/4 full)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano

Swirl a couple of rounds of oil in the bottom of a good size pan on the stove.  When hot, add the onion, garlic and salt and pepper. Once those have cooked down a bit, add the rest of the ingredients. 
When the meatballs are done baking, go ahead and add them right into the pot with the sauce and let this simmer at least for 30 minutes. I like to let it simmer 1 to 2 hours.

While you are waiting, you can always enjoy a glass of wine and some bruschetta.

When it is almost done, cook up your noodles (we like to use the angel hair) according to the package. Grate some fresh parmesian cheese over the spaghetti and enjoy with a warm loaf of french bread and red wine.

Hopefully you will have meatballs leftover for the next recipe!