Salsa Verde Recipe

My husband is a total stud in the kitchen.  I basically eat gourmet dinners every night thanks to him.  The other day I came home from a newborn session to "Taste this!  It's amazing!" and sure enough it was.

The first night we used the salsa verde on huevos rancheros and the next night we dipped dripped chicken in it!  Both meals were amazing with it.  The third night we put some on steak, but it wasn't quite as good.  The steaks by themselves were amazing though! If you like salsa verde or want to try to make it, here is my husband's recipe:

Salsa Verde Recipe

Ingredients:
~ 6 small/medium tomatillos
~ 1/2 white onion
~ 4 cloves garlic, smashed
~ 1 small jalapeño chile, defined/seeded
~ 1 poblano chili, seeded
~ 1/2 bunch of cilantro
~ 1T honey
~ Kosher Salt
~ Black Pepper
~ Oliver Oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Remove outer cover on tomatillos, rinse and quarter them.  Cut onion, poblano, and jalapeño into 1/2-1" pieces.
3. Coat glass baking dish with about 1T of olive oil, add chopped veggies, tomatillos, and garlic cloves. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Roast veggies for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.  When done, set oven to broil and allow veggies to broil until slightly charred on top.
5. Meanwhile, add cilantro (stems and all), honey, and 1 tsp salt to blender.
6. Add roasted veggies to the blender and puree until no large pieces remain.
7. Taste and adjust seasonings if required.
8. Serve warm or cold.

It was the first time he made this version, but we are definitely sticking with it because it is tasty!

Much love.

Butter Lettuce Wrapped Tacos

Ryan and I are changing our eating habits.  We aren't notoriously poor eaters, but we have our bad habits.  I have a sweet tooth and love my dark chocolate.  Ryan loves his beer.  Those two loves have not been in our lives since Monday morning bright and early.  We eat eggs for breakfast, 2 pieces of fruit and two dairy products (I opt for coconut/almond milk) before 2pm, unlimited lean protein and unlimited vegetables.  We also drink lots of water and green tea.  Since it's been a little chilly, we have been drinking hot green tea.  I know this diet sounds pretty intense, but it's not that bad (for me).  I eat fairly similar to this on a daily basis, but my husband does not.  Let's just say he is not enjoying it.  We are loosing weight though.  I am down a little over 4 lbs and he is down a little over 5 lbs.  I doubt I will lose much more because I'm close to my natural/healthy/comfortable weight. 

Being on a diet like this makes us be creative in how we see foods and especially how we make dinner, well how my husband makes dinner.  I work longer hours and don't enjoy cooking nearly as much as he does, so he is the resident chef.  Last night he made Pulled Chicken Tacos in Butter Lettuce Wraps!  Oh my heavens!  They were amazing!  

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast
• Black or Pinto Beans
• Avocado
• Lime
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Onion
• Tomato
• Garlic
• Butter Leaf Lettuce
• Salsa
• Salt & Pepper

Recipe:

• Slow cook chicken breast & pull apart (we used leftovers from another meal)
• Prepare guacamole using avocado, lime, garlic (minced), salt and pepper
• Chop & mash avocado
• Juice half lime
• Mince garlic
• Mix together
• Prepare Pico de Gallo
• Finely chop Onion, Tomato, and Jalapeno & mix
• Cook beans on stove top until mushy
• Smash with back of fork
• Add salt to taste
• Rinse Butter Leaf Lettuce and pat dry
• Serve
• In lettuce leaf, put beans, guacamole, chicken, pico, salsa (your choice)

Enjoy!

Pomegranate & Chocolate Holiday Treat!

Not a kid friendly treat to make for three reasons.  First of all, pomegranates stain clothing and skin and counter tops (temporarily).  Second, pomegranates aren't the easiest to "seed," but I have a trick that helps a lot.  Third, melted chocolate is a little hot for wee hands.  With that said, this treat is one of my favorites!  It's juicy, tart and sweet all at the same time!  It's like an explosion in your mouth! 

{These are great for those allergic to gluten.  My mom recently found out that she is, so I am determined to make fun holiday treats that she can partake in as well!  Now how does a glass of wine and a pomegranate & chocolate treat sound?!  Delightful, eh?!}

 

Ingredients:

2 poms

8oz bakers chocolate

(Any kind that you fancy!)

 

Step 1: Seed the poms  I do this over a bowl of cold water because the seeds/fruit sinks and the white skin floats.  I simply skim the top of the water to remove any skin that I may have missed. 

Step 2: Pour poms and water through a strainer, shake and set aside.
 

Step 3: Melt the chocolate in the microwave, over the stove, whatever method words best for you.  I generally heat water in a sauce pan, put a bowl over the pan with the chocolate in it and stir occasionally while the chocolate melts.
 

Step 4: Remove Chocolate from heat and stir poms in.

 

Step 5: Put teaspoon size servings of the pom & choc onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
 

Step 6: Chill until ready to serve.

 

{The pictures I took of the finished product on the cookie sheet are blurry...probably because I was trying to juggle sticky fingers and a camera...}

 

Much love.

Mama's Mac N' Cheese

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Butter

1/4 cup Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1/2-1 tsp. Dry Mustard

1/4 tsp. Pepper

2 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk

1 block Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (white)

1 box Penne Pasta

Directions

Cook pasta.

Simultaneously and in a separate pan, melt butter in frying pan, stir in flour, salt, dry mustard, and pepper until smooth. 

Remove from heat.

Gradually stir in evaporated milk until smooth.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened (approx. 10 minutes)

Remove from heat.

Stir in grated Cheddar cheese.

Place drained pasta into a 9x13 buttered casserole dish

Pour Cheese mixture over and stir well.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. 

As a child, this was my favorite dish!  Every single birthday, I requested homemade Mac N' Cheese with homemade apple sauce!  Little J-man requested this dish and absolutely loved it!  If you have any questions about it, please don't hesitate to ask!  It's yummy and kid approved! 

I saw these cuties on my walk today!  Spring is a'comin!

Much love.

Bruschetta Chicken Dinner

Tonight I decided to try a lovely dish I saw on either Pinterest or Instagram (follow me @xsarexbearx).  I breaded chicken and once the chicken reach the proper temp, I added mozzarella cheese and bruschetta, and cooked it 5-7 minutes more.  To add some color and because you need a green vegetable at dinner, I made a quick lettuce and red onion salad.  I added a few strawberries for decoration and what's an Italian dinner without some garlic bread?!  It was wonderful! 

Here is the Chicken Bruschetta recipe:

Prep: 10 min. Bake: 30 min.Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

•1 egg with a dash of water beaten

•6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

•1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

•1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (as needed)

•1 tablespoon butter, melted

•3 medium or 2 large tomatoes diced

•3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

•4 garlic cloves, minced

•1 tablespoon olive oil

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon pepper

•1/2 cup mozzerella cheese

Directions

•Place bread crumbs and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in egg, then in bread crumbs; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine the cheese and butter; sprinkle over chicken.

•Loosely cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.

•Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, to taste). Sprinkle/place cheese on chicken, then spoon the bruschetta mixture over the chicken. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Much love.

Stuffed Peppers

**This is a twist to this recipe**

Ingredients

• 1 - 1.3 pound ground turkey (I use a full standard pack of lean ground turkey)
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (I like to use HOT taco seasoning because we like a punch of flavor)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/3 cup chopped squash or zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce, divided
• I make my own sauce and it goes something like this...
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 10+ basil leaves
• 2 large or 3 medium tomatoes
• salt & pepper to taste
• Blend together
• 3 large red bell peppers
• 6 Tbsp of cheese (colby/pepper jack, mozz, anything you like/have on hand)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

2.Place the ground beef into a skillet over medium heat, and brown the meat, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning, water, chili powder, veggies, salt, garlic salt, black pepper, and 1 cup of tomato sauce; mix until thoroughly combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove stems, membranes, cores, and seeds. Place a steamer insert into a large saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Place the peppers into the steamer insert, cover the pan, and steam until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (This can also be done in a microwave for 3-5 minutes.  You want your peppers to still be firmish, but moist looking.

4.Place the steamed peppers into the prepared baking dish, and fill lightly with the meat filling. Press 1 tsp of cheese into the center of the filling in each pepper, and spoon the remaining can of tomato sauce over the peppers. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

5.Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot, 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Much love.

Post Graduation Life Through Photos

Luckily for me, it's easy to stay busy this time of year!  Between finishing up Christmas shopping, wrapping presents, baking for school, baking for cookies exchanges, keeping the house clean, packing for holidays spent away from home, apply for jobs, learning a new photo editing program, being a wife, mother and friend...you get the idea!  There is no shortage of things to do at the moment.

Oh, you know that couponing thing that I mentioned a while back, well, that was hastily thrown aside during the past month...or two.  I finally sorted out all my expired coupons out...

Umm...that's a heck of a lot of EXPIRED coupons.  I am basically starting back at square one.  I clipped at least a months worth of coupon inserts and realized that some of my unclipped inserts had expired too.  The coupon gods are shaking their fingers at me right now.

Even though I haven't been studying, my faithful study partner hasn't left my side.  She doesn't know the difference between running regressions and applying for jobs...but my heart and mind do... Looking for a job in this economy and in this area is far from easy.  I've applied to a few, gone on some interviews, but haven't had any luck. 

It was noon was I took the picture. Yes, her eyes are covered. :)

The sky this morning was awesome!  It's the little things in life that put a smile on my face and make me realize how awesome nature it. 

Nature spoke to me once more this morning...

A cocoon of some sort...

I was fascinated and didn't even realize the owner of the house staring at my for being in his driveway...Oops.  I was only about a foot into his drive... Sorry dude.  I apologized and told him about the cocoon, but he glared at me.  Obviously he woke up on the WRONG side of the bed.  Stinks to have his attitude.

Oh wrapping...being one of six kids myself, having married into a quite large family and spoiling my husband and stepson, I had a lot of wrapping to do...

This is just a glimpse...

What's a Christmas tree without a bottle of wine?!? Don't worry.  It's a gift too!

For all you nonbakers out there that want to share in the cookie giving tradition...

OR

For all you Chocolate and Pomegranate lovers out there...

YOU MUST TRY THESE

De-seed two pomegranates

Melt 2 cups of chocolate (white, milk or dark)

Add dollop of shortening to chocolate while melting

Mix together

dollop onto a cookie sheet

Chill for an hour

ENJOY!

It's a tart, juicy, sweet explosion in your mouth!

I used white chocolate because a) it's all I had in my house and b) it looks festive.

Back to applying for jobs and piles of laundry...

Happy Tuesday!

Much love.

Good Night Summer...

Good Night Summer...

After my first week of graduate school, there couldn't have been a more perfect weekend than the Labor Day weekend that greeted me.  Ok, so I'm lying a bit, if Ryan and Jared were with me, it would have been a PERFECT weekend!  PERFECT I tell you!  Soooo, my almost perfect weekend started with Hurricane Earl creating a scare and canceling all Thursday night classes!  This girl was a happy girl!  I hit the road around 2:30pm and started driving north!  Windows down, music blasting, sun shining and a smile on my face.  The drive was smooth...not too much traffic, no turtles i.e. sloooww drivers in the fast lane and killer music on the radio!

I got home around 8pm to an empty house...where was everyone you ask?  Dad was on his way home from work, mom and sister were at my grandmother's and my brother was still at football practice.  A late dinner and a glass of wine was a great ending to a surprisingly early evening...considering I wasn't planning on leaving until 10pm.

Friday was a sisterly love filled kind of day!  We went to the driving range, in skirts, and hit balls like completely crap, but made sure to laugh at ourselves!  Our critiquing was quite amusing since neither one of us actually knows what she is doing...we just think we do!  After some kid friendly, giggle friendly golfing, I took my little sister through he very first car wash!  This wasn't just any old ordinary car wash, this was a car wash in Ryan's F-150 and she sat in the front seat!  N.B. Riding in Ryan's truck is a novelty all in itself for us ladies and sitting in the front seat is earth shattering in a little nine year old's eyes because airbags and her in the front seat are a no no.  Since the truck was on auto pilot and in neutral, I figured a little rule breaking was completely acceptable!  Plus car washes are so much better when you are front and center to the spraying and slapping and sudzing!  It's kind of like a roller coaster ride, the front seat is hands down the best seat in the house! After that is was home to hang out and watch some totally awesome Miley Cyrus!  She is actually quite funny!  Way better than Power Rangers, even though I was a die hard fan and love the yellow ranger! 

That evening was a transition from little girl gossip to older, slightly more mature girl time!  Mo and I had the grand idea to get all dolled up in dresses and heals and hit the town!  Well actually, hit up her boyfriend's bar...free drinks and a great surprise!  I wore my college graduation dress - a dark grey short strapless dress with an exposed zipper in the back and a bright yellow ribbon around the waist, oh and the best part...it has pockets!  To top it off, I wore silver, almost white, stilettos!  A very stylish lady told me, "Girl, you look hott!  I love your shoes!"  in the bathroom!  I felt pretty and totally sexy!    Mo wore a killer grey dress with high back that had snaps and an opening!  She too strutted in some sexy high heeled black Mary Jane shoes!  Dan was a happy boy!  We had a great night!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to head off to my brother's opening football game!  The heat had broken, the air was crisp, football was being played...fall was here!  LC started off a little rocky with the halftime score being 7 to 21, not us. But with a lot of faith and some family blood finally in the game, the defense prevailed and LC kicked some booty!  There were QB sacks, interceptions and favorable penalties which all created some great opportunities for our offense!  The game ended with a score of 28 to 26!  Oh yea baby!  First game of the season was a big fat W!  After the game, parents, siblings, friends, all fans form a line for the team to walk through and if you have a mama there, you give her a proper hug first and then if you a little love there, you give her a peck.  It's a neat little tradition that makes mamas feel really special!

That evening was date night!  Mom and dad went on a date, Mike went to a group date...that's what you do in high school when you can't drive yet, and Bonzers and I had a sister date night!  We went to a yard sale and scored some dynamite eagle claw foot chairs from Eastern Europe...for free, two photo frames, some knit baby caps, crystal candle holders and a great white dotted serving bowl with 4 matching mini bowls...drum roll...all for $10!!  It was a successful night already.  To continue with awesomeness, we headed to the mall for some little girl shopping time!  We tried on headbands, talked about the coolest kids in 5th grade, looked for a homecoming dress and ultimately decided that it was ice cream time!  What better time to have ice cream that an 9pm?!?!  We headed over to Friendly's and ordered our own huge sundaes!  Yum!  It was super chilly in there, so we cuddled together in one booth!  The night was a complete and utter success!  I love my little sister!

Sunday was a stay at home kind of day!  I did some laundry, cleaned a bit, packed for my long journey back to Virginia and celebrated my love for my husband with a red, white and blue heart cake!  Oh and by making our future headboard!  BonBon and I died yellow cake red and blue without thinking that red and yellow is really pink and blue and yellow is definitely green...oops.  We were successful with the white though!  It was my first attempt at homemade icing and it was a total success!

3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter
dollop of shortening
1 tsp of vanilla
3 tsp. of half and half
sprinkling of salt
whip together the perfection!  (double for an average two layer cake!)

Ok, where was I...oh yes, the cake was actually pink, green and white with a lovely pink sprinkle heart on top!  It tasted oh so yummy and our tummy's didn't know the difference!  The headboard, made mostly by my wonderful and completely handy father, but with some supervision, measuring and a lot of staple gunning by me, is almost done!  The entire frame is made, the foam is attached, the fabric covering has been positioned, but the wood is not stained, so the fabric is not going on...  I will post photos of the final project and the bedroom all done up when everything is perfect!  I am so excited to finally have a bedroom set and one my by love nonetheless! 

Monday was an eventful day as well!  I packed my car and headed to Dizzle's house!  We chatted about love and life, ate glorious Italian hoagies and coffee and soaked in the wonderful weather!  I love friend time!  It was a wonderful preface to a long drive home, a wonderful end to a glorious weekend and a beautiful start to a fabulous season!

Good Morning Fall...

Recipe: Betty's Guac...Mmm Mmm Good!

My love for guacamole started when I moved to San Diego to be with Ryan!  Growing up, my family always had taco nights, but guacamole was never part of that.  I recently found out that is absence was because my family isn't too fond of avocados.  To be honest, they consider them slimy.  Either way, I love guacamole and have been experimenting with it for about a year now.  To date, the recipe below is my most successful creation (according to my female coworkers, and believe me, they know their food)!

Ingredients:
4 Avocados (soft to the touch)
½ Medium Red Onion
1 Can of Chipotle corn, Mexi corn or Fiesta corn (Chipotle is my favorite)
1 Medium Tomato
1 Clove of Garlic
1 tsp +/- Salt
1 tsp +/- Pepper
Directions:
Place avocados in refrigerator
Chop the onion in little cubes
De-seed tomato and chip into little cubes
Rinse the corn
Crush the garlic
Add Salt and pepper to taste
Mix above ingredients together and place in refrigerator
Slice/mash avocados into the mixture and serve chilled

Serve with chips, tacos, etc.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Recipe: Breakfast Burrito!!!

Ryan and I love burritos, but especially breakfast burritos!!!  I came across this recipe and wanted to share.  (My printer isn't working and I secretly didn't to lose it, so I am posting it!) 

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/how-to/how-to-make-a-breakfast-burrito-113583

What You Need


Ingredients

1 cup rice - brown or white

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 15-oz can black beans - or your favorite bean!

1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, about 4 ounces - or your favorite cheese!

6 eggs, whisked

Large flour tortillas

Salsa

Optional Extras: Roasted potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted poblano peppers, crispy bacon, cooked sausage

Equipment [OR] Tools

Griddle or skillet

Lots of prep bowls for holding ingredients

Instructions

1. Cook your rice - We like cooking rice in a large amount of boiling water (like pasta) and then draining it at the end. Rice can be prepared the day ahead.

2. Roast your vegetables - Cut the peppers and the onions into large chunks and spread them onto a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast them under the broiler for 15-20 minutes, until the peppers are soft and all the vegetables show roasted surfaces. Check the veggies every few minutes and remove any that look done before the others. Slice all the vegetables into long strips.

3. Cook your eggs - We like our eggs soft and creamy, so we cook them slowly over low heat. You can also fry or poach eggs for breakfast burritos. The yolk splits as you roll the burrito up, covering everything with warm, runny yumminess.

While roasting the vegetables and cooking the eggs, rinse the beans and warm them in the microwave. If the rice was prepared ahead of time, also warm the rice. Set up a space on the counter where the burritos can be assembled.

4. Melt the cheese on the tortilla - Melted cheese is the key to an excellent breakfast burrito! Wipe the pan clean that was used for eggs and set it back over low heat. One at a time, warm the tortilla shells with a sprinkling of the shredded cheese. Place a large lid over the tortilla to help the cheese melt and keep the tortilla from getting too dried out.

5. Assemble the burrito - Spread a little of each filling down the center of the tortilla.

6. Fold the burrito - Fold the top and bottom of the burrito over the inside (or leave the top open, as we did), and then fold in the sides to make a neat package. Eat immediately while the cheese is still gooey!

Additional Notes:
• These instructions make enough to make 5-6 burritos, depending on how much you stuff them.

• If you have leftover tortillas, here are a few ideas for using them up: What to do with Leftover Tortillas.