Category Archives: Recipes

Aug 8 2014
pico de gallo

Pico De Gallo Recipe

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pico de galloI came up with this recipe because I was making shredded chicken tacos (just add some taco seasoning into a pan with a little bit of water and you have shredded taco ready chicken) and needed either a salsa or a pico de gallo to put on them. I decided on making a pico de gallo with the veggies I had in my fridge. One thing added, that was a nice addition, was roasted corn from an ear I didn’t end up needing from dinner the night before. I simply cut the corn off the ear and roasted in a pan to cook the corn. I also added diced cucumber which provided a refreshing crunch to the pico. It was a success in my kitchen that night, it tasted great on tacos and would be perfect with tortilla chips.

Ingredients:

  • roasted corn
  • chopped cucumber
  • chopped tomatoes
  • diced red onion
  • chopped green onion
  • seeded and chopped jalapeño pepper
  • some jalapeño seeds
  • cilantro
  • lime juice
  • salt

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and stir! The amount of each ingredient is a matter of what taste is preferred. I personally like equal amounts of the veggies, only a few jalapeño seeds so it’s not too spicy for me, A LOT of cilantro, minimal salt, and enough lime juice to coat all the veggies in the bowl.

Enjoy!

pico de gallo

Mar 27 2014
bacon and brussels sprout fladbread

Bacon and Brussels Sprout Flatbread

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bacon and brussels sprout fladbread

We went out to dinner one night and tried a bacon and brussels sprout flatbread. It was so good, I had to recreate it at home!

Ingredients:

  • dough, this is actually the same recipe for the BBQ Chicken flat bread, but now I make all the dough, and then separate it into two halves. Roll one half out and freeze the other half until next time. This allows the dough to be even thinner and more crispy.
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • ~ 8 frozen brussels sprouts, thawed and quartered
  • black pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • shredded parmesan
  • shredded mozzarella

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Roll out the dough and place on greased baking sheet
  3. Cook the dough for about 8 minutes.
  4. While the dough is in the oven, heat a large skillet on medium.
  5. Cook the bacon until it’s how you like it. I prefer mine to be crispy. Chop or tear apart into pieces after it has cooled down.
  6. Save a little bit of the bacon grease in the pan and add the brussels sprouts, garlic and pepper to taste.
  7. Saute for about 5 minutes, and then set aside.
  8. Remove the dough from the oven and carefully flip over. Leave the oven on.
  9. Place a layer of parmesan cheese on the bread, followed by the bacon, brussels sprouts and more cheese. The amount of cheese to add is whatever your personal preference.
  10. Cook for another 8 minutes.
  11. Carefully remove and slice.
  12. Enjoy!

bacon and brussels sprout fladbread

Feb 6 2014
cheesecake brownie

Cheesecake Brownies

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cheesecake brownie

Combining two of my favorite things, cheesecake and brownies. Yum cheesecake brownies!

Cheesecake Ingredients:

  • 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Brownie Ingredients :

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat over to 350°
  2. In a bowl,  with a hand mixer, beat all of the cream cheese on medium until smooth. Next add vanilla and egg and mix. Then add the sugar and beat until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
  3. Grease and 8x8inch pan.
  4. In a small saucepan on low-medium heat, add butter cocoa powder and sugar. Place over heat stir occasionally until butter is completely melted and is well combined. Remove from heat.
  5. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and then vanilla. Try to mix quickly because the cocoa mixture is still warm and could cook parts of the egg if you just let it sit there.
  6. Next add the rest of the ingredients. Brownie mixture will be thick.
  7. Pour into greased pan.
  8. By the spoonful, add the cream cheese mixture and use a butter knife to swirl it throughout the brownie mixture for a marbled look. I usually have a few spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture leftover.
  9. Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Enjoy!

 

 

Jan 10 2014
fried pickles

Fried Pickles Recipe

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fried pickles

I love fried food. This is no surprise. My favorite fried food? Pickles, it is most definitely fried pickles, preferably in chip form.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup corn starch
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • a few shakes of Tabasco, to taste
  • a little bit of red and black pepper
  • 2/3 cups of water
  • oil for frying

Directions:

  1. In a small sauce pan, heat oil on medium.
  2. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Then stir in the water and Tabasco.  The batter should be thick.
  3. Coat a pickle in the batter and place it into the oil.
  4. The pickles should be fried for about 1-2 minutes. (I usually have to flip over the pickles because I don’t use a lot of oil.)
  5. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt.
  6. Enjoy!
fried pickles

I also fried some cheese cubes with this batter.

fried pickles

Rusty would like a bite.

 

Oct 10 2013

How to Make Shredded Beef in the Oven

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A favorite at my house growing up was Italian Beef, or shredded beef with Italian seasoning and some spices. It was always a great dish for dinner and to bring to potlucks. You serve it on buns or rolls and top with either mozzarella or provolone cheese.  I’ll give two ways to cook it. The first way is in the oven which is something I had to figure out yesterday because I was going to a potluck and I don’t own a slow cooker. The second is in a slow cooker or crock pot. Is there a difference between the two? If so, I don’t know what it is.

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures. I was in a bit of a hurry. But this is so good that I just had to share anyways. Next time I make it, I’ll update this post.

The first way, shredded beef in the oven. This way requires two things the crock pot way does not, an oven proof skillet or pan, with a lid.  You can find out if it’s sage to use in the oven on packaging it came in or on the company’s website, and a little bit of olive oil.

Time: a little over 2 hours

Ingredients:

  • a little bit of olive oil
  • 3 lbs chuck roast
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper
  • 1 package of dry onion soup mix
  • 1 package of dry Italian dressing mix
  • 1 Tbsp Basil
  • 1 Tbsp Oregano
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasonings

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
  2. Take oven proof skillet with lid, the one I use, and pour the olive oil in it and let the pan heat up on medium heat.
  3. Cut the chuck roast in half. This will speed up the cooking time.
  4. Sear both sides of the roast halves to a nice light to medium brown color. It doesn’t take long merely a few seconds or more.
  5. Turn off the stove and add all the ingredients to the pan. Flip the roast halves so they’re covered in the seasonings.
  6. Put lid on and carefully (it will still be hot from the stove) place the pan in the oven.
  7. Cook for about two hours, or until meat is tender and shreds easily, carefully flipping the roasts halfway through.
  8. Carefully remove from oven and remove the roast and shred it with two forks in the serving dish. Coat with juices it was cooked in.
  9. Serve with rolls or buns and mozzarella cheese.
  10. Enjoy!

How to make it in a slow cooker, how my mom makes it and who gave me the original recipe.

Time 10-12 hours, until it shreds easily

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs chuck roast
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper
  • 1 package of dry onion soup mix
  • 1 package of dry Italian dressing mix
  • 1 Tbsp Basil
  • 1 Tbsp Oregano
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasonings

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients into the slow cooker.
  2.  Put it on medium heat.
  3. Let it cook for 10-12 hours or until it shreds easily with two forks
  4. Shred and keep in slow cooker to keep it warm. Serve with buns and cheese.
  5. Enjoy!

 

Sep 19 2013
kiwi

How to Peel a Kiwi

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kiwi

I bought a couple kiwis at the store and I realized that I didn’t know how to peel them.  Usually I buy them pre-cut so I have never thought about how to do it.  My husband showed me a quick an easy way to peel a kiwi. It was so clever I thought I’d share.

First cut the fruit in half.

kiwi

Next, take a soup spoon and wedge it between the flesh and the skin and move it around the fruit to separate it

.kiwikiwi

Peel back the skin from the fruit.

kiwi

Slice.

kiwi

Enjoy!

Aug 23 2013
tortilla

Tortilla Recipe

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tortilla

I love soft shell tacos and love to make tacos at home. I decided I wanted to learn how to make tortillas. I’ve made these flour tortillas with two different types of flour, all-purpose and bread flour. Whichever flour I have the most of, that’s the one I use. All-purpose flour tends to be a little stiff but still good choice. Bread flour is chewier than all-purpose so it really depends on what you have on hand and what you prefer. My husband can barely tell the difference between the two so I don’t think it really matters.

Makes around 6 tortillas.

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups of flour, bread or all-purpose
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • ½ cup hot water

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat large skillet on medium heat.
  2. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and stir until it becomes an elastic lump, about 5 minutes. If it’s too sticky, add some more flour. If it’s too dry, add some more water.
  3. Divide into 6 pieces and roll into balls.
  4. On a floured surface, place a ball and roll into a flat tortilla. *I can never get mine into circles. They’re always ovals or rectangles.
  5. Place tortilla onto preheated, non-greased, skillet. Cooking each side for about 5 minutes, until there are golden brown circles on it.
  6. Roll out another tortilla while one is cooking on the skillet. Repeat until all are cooked.
  7. Enjoy!

I like to make my tortillas before the rest of the meal, when I’m done making them I wrap them in tin foil so they stay warm while I’m making the rest of dinner. These can be refrigerated for a couple of days but are best when eaten on the same day.

Aug 8 2013
hard boiled eggs

How to make Hard Boiled Eggs

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Every time I want to make hard boiled eggs I have to call my dad and ask how to do it. It really is a simple process but for some reason I can never remember how to do it. Well, I finally wrote it down and decided to share.

Get a sauce pan, with lid, large enough to put the eggs in a single at the bottom of the pan.

Put enough room temperature water in the pan to fully cover the eggs.

Place on stove and add a dash of salt and vinegar. I usually add rice vinegar but I’m not sure if it really matters what kind of vinegar you use.

Carefully place the eggs in the pan and put the lid on.

hard boiled eggs

Put the heat on medium and bring water to a rolling boil.

Turn the heat off and leave the eggs in the pan with the lid on for 15 minutes.

Remove lid and carefully remove eggs from pan with a slotted spoon.

Let eggs cool down and then peel and enjoy!

hard boiled eggshard boiled egg

Jul 22 2013
shrimp ceviche

Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

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shrimp ceviche

A few summers back when my husband and I spent a couple of days in Miami we ordered a shrimp ceviche and the waiter politely told us that was fine but a shrimp ceviche isn’t a real ceviche because you have to cook the shrimp with heat, as opposed to traditional ceviche where the acidity in the juice cooks the fish, before you put into the vegetables. I’m not sure why it needs to be cooked first but it’s not a big deal because it actually speeds up the time from making to eating which is always a good thing.

Ingredients:

  • 10 or more medium-sized shrimp, peeled, tail removed and deveined (or be smarter than me and buy some that are already like that) cut into bite size pieces
  • 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1-2 chopped fresh seeded vine tomatoes
  • 1 chopped bell pepper, no color preference
  • 1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped and 1/4 of the seeds, add more seeds if you want it a little hotter.
  • Salt to taste
  • Cilantro to taste, stem removed and chopped

Directions:

1. In a glass bowl with lid, like a Pyrex, combine equal parts tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper. Next add the jalapeño. Mix well with a spoon.

2.  Add cilantro and mix. Then add the salt to taste and a little bit of lime juice. The salt is to take some of the sweetness away from the lemon and lime juice.

shrimp ceviche

3. In a small saucepan on medium heat, bring the lime and lemon juice to a soft boil.

4. Add the shrimp and cook until it goes from clear to white.

shrimp ceviche

raw shrimp

 

shrimp ceviche

cooked

5. Add the shrimp and a little bit of the juice to the veggies and mix.

6. Enjoy! With tortilla chips, crackers, pita bread and/or guacamole.

shrimp ceviche

 

Jul 11 2013
flatbread

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Recipe

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flatbread

Barbecue chicken flatbread, or what I like to call BBQ chicken pizza without the sauce. 🙂

Flatbread Ingredients:

  • dough, click here for recipe, don’t bake it yet *if you want a chewier dough use bread flour, use All-Purpose flour for a crisper dough
  • shredded chicken
  • barbecue sauce, I like Stubbs
  • diced red onion, about half of it
  • diced bell pepper, about half of it
  • olive oil

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 450°
  2. Generously coat the shredded chicken in barbecue sauce.
  3. Put about a tablespoon of oil into a skillet and put on medium heat.
  4. Place diced peppers in the pan and sauté for about 3 minutes and then add the onions. Sauté both until tender, about 7 minutes.
  5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Place on a greased pan and place in the oven for about 8 minutes. *This is to make sure the top is cooked all the way through before putting on the toppings.
  6. Carefully remove the flatbread from the oven and top with cheese, chicken, onions and peppers. Followed by pouring a little more barbecue sauce on top of the flatbread.
  7. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, where the cheese is melted and the bottom is cooked all the way through.
  8. Enjoy!

flatbread