Tag Archives: cheese

Taco Chicken

Posted on by

1

This is so good, super simple but oh, so flavorful. While looking through Publix’s online ad, I discovered that boneless, skinless thighs were on sale this week and immediately I thought of this recipe. It’s marinated in some of my favorite flavors – lime, cumin and chili powder.

I’m serving these grilled with tortillas, this salsa (I was craving it) and my “orange” rice. I’m pretty plain when it comes to taco night because there is always rice, cheese and pico de gallo, or in this case salsa. My family is (thankfully) easy to please most times:) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Taco Chicken – adapted from Our Best Bites

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • A couple of juicy limes
  • A splash of red wine vinegar
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions –

1. Combine all ingredients minus the chicken. Place the chicken in a gallon size Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over top. Mush the bag to coat all the chicken well. Place the plastic bag in another container to protect the rest of the fridge in case the bag leaks. Marinade for 4 but no longer than 8 hours.

2. Preheat outdoor grill and cook the chicken pieces for 7 minutes a side. Take off grill, cover with foil and let rest for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Spring Green Risotto

Posted on by

0

I needed a side dish for my salmon in foil, so I immediately thought starch and vegetables, and this fits my needs perfectly because this risotto recipe is two sides in one. I came up with this by combining two risotto recipes that I found on FoodNetwork.com. I liked that Ellie Krieger used asparagus, peas and spinach and far less ingredients than Ina Garten’s; but I like that Ina uses butter, lemon zest, and more parmesan. I think I came up with a good mix of healthy with a little added richness by using more cheese, a little butter and brightness from the lemon.

This is definitely more fussy than the average rice recipe – but it’s not at all difficult to manage. Mine probably took more than 30 minutes, but it turned out great. Obviously, I left out the peas and spinach because once the asparagus was added, there was no room in my pan for anything extra. The lemon zest is a must to brighten up the flavor of the risotto or it would be a one note dish. I was tasting it before adding the zest and I was a disappointed because it was a little bland. The lemon woke up the flavors – even M noticed something different. He did like it though, which is always appreciated since he can be really picky and hard to please at times;) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Spring Green Risotto – a mix of these two recipes

  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
  • 1/2 cups white wine
  • 5-6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 pound thin asparagus, steamed and cut into 3/4″ pieces
  • 10 ounces frozen peas (not enough room in the pan…maybe next time)
  • 1 TBSP lemon zest
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1-3 cups baby spinach (oops!)

Directions –

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine
and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth, the salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the broth to be absorbed before adding more, until rice is almost tender and creamy-looking, about 18 minutes.

Add the spinach and peas and cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the asparagus and cook just until the vegetables are hot. Stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest and more broth if the risotto seems too thick.

Sausage Bread

Posted on by

2

Quick Post: This is a family favorite! It’s so simple and tasty and definitely worth the effort. I use this recipe for pizza dough, about a pound and a half of browned sausage and a combination of mozz, smoked gouda and parmesan – those are really the only modifications I use. We eat this with a side of marinara (my favorite), but my husband prefers Alfredo sauce. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Sausage Bread – adapted from Soup Belly

  • 1 pound Italian sausage *1.5 pounds for us…doubling this recipe is a must!
  • 8 oz. cubed mozzarella cheese *I grated my mozz, smoked gouda and a little parmesan
  • 2 egg whites and 1 egg yolk, beaten
  • 1 pound pizza dough *I used two 14.5 ounce balls for ours
  • 1 egg yolk (for brushing on top of dough), beaten
  • 1/4 tsp. oregano
  • salt & pepper

Directions –

1) Removing sausage out of casing if necessary. Cook sausage until browned, crumbling into small bits. Drain grease, set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine sausage, cubed mozzarella, 2 egg whites and 1 egg yolk. Add oregano, salt & pepper.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3) On a greased baking sheet, roll the dough out into a rectangle, as large as you can make it without creating holes or ripping it. Spread the sausage mixture on the surface but keeping a 1 inch border clear. Carefully roll the dough like a jelly roll and pinch the edges shut, and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Don’t panic if there are holes or you ripped multiple tears (see my disastrous looking picture below). Brush top of loaf with egg yolk mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut slices with a bread knife, and serve warm or at room temperature.


Super Bowl Appetizers

Posted on by

7

Quick Post: I don’t care much for football, but I do like making appetizers! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Guacamole Ingredients – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions –

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Restaurant Style Salsa ingredients – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
  • 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies) *I drain these*
  • ¼ cups Chopped Onion
  • 1 clove Garlic, Minced
  • 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
  • ¼ teaspoons Sugar
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
  • ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
  • ½ whole Lime Juice

Directions –

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

I know this looks gross, but I assure you – if you love blue cheese you’ll love the taste of this!
Buffalo Chicken Dip ingredients –

  • 1 skin-on, bone-in chicken breast, roasted and shredded
  • 1 – 8 oz package of cream cheese at room temp
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese
  • 1/2 blue cheese dressing
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot

Directions –

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a 8×8 inch baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with celery sticks.

Beef Tacos and Flour Tortillas

Posted on by

2

Note to self: take it easy on the salt next time. I followed the directions/amounts and this came out too salty for me. The ground beef mixture by itself is really flavorful and a tad on the spicy side, but when it’s combined with the rice, cheese, pico and some sour cream its much milder. I don’t usually advocate the use of sour cream in Tex-Mex dishes, but this time it was needed to cool things down a bit.

Tonight was my first try at making tortillas – the recipe isn’t authentic because there isn’t a drop of lard in the mix. I have nothing against the use of it, but I didn’t want to try that kind of recipe, fall hopelessly in love and be required to make them for the rest of my life!;o) As a kid, my parents would take us to Old Town San Diego to eat at this amazing Mexican restaurant. I enjoyed watching the ladies make tortillas through the big windows in the front of the restaurant. For some reason I was entertained by that; but more so I knew that some of those freshly made, authentic tortillas would soon be in my belly! They were so good!

Overall these were pretty good. If I make these again, I will cut the amount of salt in half and season to taste toward the end of cooking. The tortillas were good, especially for a first try but I am open to finding a new recipe for my next attempt. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

All American Beef Taco Ingredients – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 16 ounces ground sirloin
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 recipe Taco Potion #19, recipe follows
  • 2/3 cup low-sodium beef broth

Taco Potion #19 – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions –

Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground meat, 1 teaspoon salt, and garlic. Cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, to break up the meat. Add Taco Potion and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.


Texas Flour Tortilla ingredients – adapted from Homesick Texan

  • Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cups of warm milk

Directions –

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
2. After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
3. After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
4. Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat. Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil. While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so. Makes eight tortillas.


Cobb Salad

Posted on by

0

Quick Post: M requested this for dinner – I am usually appreciative of meal suggestions because that’s less pressure on me. Cobb salad has a lot going on, but it’s super easy to throw together. I made this one a little more flavorful by marinating the chicken “souvlaki style”. For my salad, I added bell pepper and portobello mushrooms to up the veg content! Thanks for reading:o)

Vodka Cream Pasta with Italian Sausage

Posted on by

0

I was introduced to tomato/cream pastas some time last year…dangerous! I don’t make them very often at all and our favorite so far is Penne al la Betsy via The Pioneer Woman. The first time I made it, I subbed chicken for the shrimp – see that was before I was comfortable cleaning, deveining, and cooking shrimp. My family loves shrimp, even my picky eater loves shrimp. Thankfully, she loves sausage (and bacon) too, and if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll eat some of this too!

I cooked the sauce much longer than what the recipe specified – actually, it doesn’t give a time limit at all. I also thought it best to use 1/2 cup of vodka and about the same amount of heavy cream, because 1 cup of each seemed like over-kill to me!

Verdict: rich, creamy, flavorful, yum! This makes a lot of pasta, so unless you want to deal with all the leftovers, invite some friends over! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Vodka Cream Pasta with Italian Sausage Ingredients – adapted from Eclectic Recipes

  • 5 links sweet Italian sausage, cut in bite size pieces
  • 1 32 oz can Italian tomatoes (I used crushed San Marzano tomatoes)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 1 cup vodka (I used 1/2 cup)
  • 1 cup cream (I used about 3/4 cup)
  • a large bunch of basil, roughly chopped or torn
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • penne pasta (I used angel hair)

Directions –

Preheat large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and add sausage to pre-heated pan. Brown sausage. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes. Add vodka. Turn heat to a simmer. Break up tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher.

In a separate saucepan, while sauce is simmering, bring water to boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is done, Add cream to sauce and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add basil and stir until just wilted. Serve over pasta, and don’t forget the garlic toast!


Quick Post

Posted on by

0

I was contemplating not having the promised pizza night because of my laziness…I needed to roast the chicken, brown the sausage, make a batch of pizza dough in order to have this dinner ready tonight. I promised the family pizza, and I kept that promise. Because the kids already knew it was coming, I decided against the lazy-butt-mom route and did all the extra work anyway. I’m glad I did, cause this pizza was so good. I made two pizzas, but this one is the mom/kid pizza – you see, normally one pizza is the “Mom/Dad” pizza and then there is the “kid” pizza – that way everyone is happy. M gets his BBQ chicken pizza with smoked gouda and the kids get their pepperoni. I thought it best to load up my half with bell pepper, tomato, mushroom and chicken while the kids’ side was sprinkled with Italian sausage…( Publix deli is so slow…I couldn’t pick up the good pepperoni ). Thanks for reading!:o)

Smoked Gouda and Gruyere Mac n’ Cheese (oh, yeah!)

Posted on by

4

This mac n’ cheese is so good! I used eat so much of this stuff, but this time will be different. I have learned depriving myself of the “good stuff” isn’t worth it. All in moderation and supplement the second serving with a big green salad with tons of veggies. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Macaroni & Cheese Ingredients – adapted from PW
  • 4 cups Dried Macaroni
  • 1 whole Egg Beaten
  • 1/2 stick  butter (1/4 cup)
  • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 2-½ cups Whole Milk ( *I used 2 cups 1% and the rest was half and half )
  • 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
  • 1 pound Cheese, ( *I use smoked Gouda and Gruyere )
  • ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
  • ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
  • ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
  • Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Directions –

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.


Steak and Potatoes

Posted on by

0

Happy New Year! There has been lots of cooking and baking going on, so hopefully over the next few days I will put some posts together to share. I have tried quite a few new recipes over the past couple of weeks and some trusty old stand-bys. Yesterday, I checked Publix online for their weekly deals and saw “top loin” for sale – aka London broil. I have never purchased this up until now, but my mom used to prepare this cut when I was a kid so I was familiar with the name…that’s it! Luckily, TasteSpotting is an awesome website to use when I’m in the need for inspiration. I came across two new recipes via one link – I love when that happens. I have used this blog successfully in the past for new recipes, so I knew this blogger wouldn’t let me down.

The steak had great flavor, and it would have been even better on a more expensive cut of meat. There is not a lot of fat marbled throughout top loin, so it wasn’t the most tender steak. Maybe next time I will look for a marinade with some kind of acid to tenderize this cut. The potatoes were so simple to put together and so tasty. I picked up a bag of those tiny, multicolored potatoes that Publix carries now for this dish and they worked out perfectly, and the skin is super thin, and became delightfully crispy when roasted. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

*Parmesan Garlic Potatoes – adapted from Let’s Dish

  • 1.5 lbs. of potatoes, cubed
  • 2-3 TBSP of olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions –

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange potatoes in prepared pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic, parsley flakes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat potatoes evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir once half-way through baking time.

*Marinated London Broil – adapted from Let’s Dish

  • 1 flank steak or London broil – about 3 pounds
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce ( *I used low sodium)
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP ketchup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (*I omitted this)
  • *I added about a TBSP of McCormick grill seasoning

Directions –

Mix ingredients for marinade in shallow pan or zip-top bag. Score meat on both sides in a diamond-shaped pattern.  Add meat to marinade and cover or seal. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Remove meat and broil or grill to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.