Quesadillas are one of those Tex-Mex restaurant dishes that's just as good, if not better!, made at home. Perfect for a family, they're easily customizable, delicious, and both quick and easy to make. Anyone can make these and I'm talking to you, Aunt Kay! All you need is some kind of already cooked meat (or skip it and go vegetarian!) and at least a vegetable (or not and go carnivorous) and a hot skillet. But since the goal is to eat healthier and get in those 5 servings of veggies a day, I went with the cooked chicken breasts that I had simmered in the chicken and orzo soup I made earlier in the week, and the onions, mushrooms, and red and yellow peppers that magically appeared in my crisper. By magically, I mean that Auntie Miranda found on sale at Aldi's and was kind enough to pick up enough for both of our homes since they were so cheap--thanks Auntie!
For those who know what a Girl Geek/Trekkie I am, is it really a surprise to know that my pizza cutter is in the shape of the Enterprise? Yeah, I thought not. Makes me smile every time I use it.
Spring is here! BLT's are my favorite sign (right after planting the tomato and pepper plants in containers on the back porch.) We broil the bacon in the oven and our secret ingredient this year is Avocado "Salad", a tangy blend of chunked avocado with balsamic vinegar and spices. For recipe, click here: Avocado "Salad".
Has anyone else seen this photo on Pinterest and been intrigued? It kept coming up and every time I would think "I love avocados...need to do this someday." Someday became a couple of days ago and here's the shocker: even my husband who hates avocados loved this on his BLT! Seriously, it's sooooooooooo good.
If you go to the blog web site http://www.neringa-blogas.com/ you'll find it's not in English but the Pin itself had these directions: "Avocado with black pepper 1 avocado at maturity 1 v. tablespoon of soy sauce 1 v. tablespoon lemon juice 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil freshly ground black pepper pinch of spicy smoked Paprika combine soy sauce, lemon juice, oil and chilli powder. Pour over avocado, sprinkle with black pepper."
I saw a different version that said to refrigerate for two hours to overnight.
I was also intrigued by the overnight directions. Avocados are hard to keep at my house because, like I said, my husband doesn't like them and I'd prefer to only eat half at a time but I hate wasting the browned edge from the second half I store. I've tried the plastic wrap, leaving the pit in, and lemon tricks but none work perfectly well, in my experience. But I've never tried oil to stop the oxidation. I think this recipe will work. Our avocado "salad" got finished off the night I made it with both of us eating it but I think either the oil trick might work or the fact that the balsamic vinegar I used browns the avocado a bit anyway the oxidation wouldn't be noticeable. It's not like the oxidation changes the flavor of the avocado anyway, it's just a head thing I can't get around even knowing it doesn't mean anything.
This is delicious! The combination of tart vinegar (or soy sauce/lemon juice in the original) with the spices and creamy avocado was spectacular, alone, and as a condiment/salad on our BLT's. I also tossed the last spoonful of it later onto a salad and skipped the dressing.
My version was a bit different but still in keeping with the original intent:
Glenna's Avocado "Salad"
Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse
Adapted from Pinterest
Ingredients:
1 ripe Avocado, chunked
1 Tbsp good Olive oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Cavender's Greek Seasoning to taste (or simply salt and pepper works well too)
Optional: Sriracha sauce to taste
Directions:
1) Toss avocado chunks gently in olive oil, covering all sides of each. (Use a bit more oil if needed).
2) Add rest of ingredients and lightly toss as well.
Eat as is or add as a condiment or compliment to sandwiches, salads, or grilled meat.
I've been seeing this recipe for King's Hawaiian Roll Baked Mini Ham Sandwiches for a long time. It looks and sounds great, but to be honest, I've been burned on some Pinterest recipes. The more loudly it proclaims "Best (fill in the blank) ever and only (fill in the blank) ingredients!" the more I now tend to ignore it. But. I will say that this recipe is delicious. I've seen several versions on Pinterest but I went straight to King's Hawaiian Rolls web site itself to get the recipe and it came out nicely. The baked on sauce adds a little zing, a little salty crunch, and a little savory to the sweetness of the rolls. Yummy!
After reading on Facebook the other day that the grandmother of our neighbors was going over to their house for lunch made by her grandkids, I was excited when they posted a photo of their lunch made by 8 year old Samuel and thrilled when he agreed to come over and allow me to interview him for his recipe for "Taco Dogs".
Apparently, entrepreneurally-minded Samuel has been busy this summer running a business he calls "The R Family Cafe". He charges $2.00/5 year membership for regular lunches and an extra $1 per "romantic meal". Gene and I will have to take him up on that one! Wonder what he charges to cook for a dinner party of 4-6? We might have to contract him for one of our Dexter dinners, although with the violence and Debra's cursing, we'll probably have to send the Chef home to bed prior to showtime!
When I asked what his little sister was doing while he was slaving away over a hot microwave, Samuel informed me that she "played on the computer" but after lunch provided an impromptu ballet recital for the entertainment.
When asked what he served with his taco dogs, Samuel stated that his mom steamed broccoli from their backyard garden "you know, on top of the stove where the fire is" and then put cheese on it to form a tasty sauce. He also said that since they had to pick off a few bugs who were trying to munch for free on their garden broccoli, that meant it was extra good. I agree. That's how you know your garden is successful, when you have to fight the critters and bugs for your produce!
All I have to say in closing is "Watch Out!" to all my local chef friends: Dave Ponder, Steve Young, and Brad Lyons, Samuel is on his way up and he's going to be a force to be reckoned with!
Like everyone else on the planet I have a job, and like a lot of other people on the planet, I work nights. It makes for odd schedules in so many ways, and meals, according to me and everyone I know who works 12 hour overnights, can be a nightmare...or at least challenging. I've spent hours on Pinterest searching for and planning a big cooking day where I stock lots of healthy meals in the freezer so that I don't dread cooking as much on my work and sleep days or make Gene do it. I know, it's a pretty pedestrian fantasy but trying to avoid the non-nutrition of fast food and the expense of restaurant food by cooking clean home-made meals consistently (the key is consistently) can be a challenge. It ain't for wusses, that's for sure!
I did a mini trial run this afternoon on the whole pack the freezer in one afternoon concept and I have to say it was much easier than I thought it would be and very emotionally rewarding. it's great to know that I already have dinner for my work day tomorrow prepped and in the firdge and a half dozen easy options in the freezer for my sleep day on Tuesday. This will be particularly good for when I work stretches of 12 hours on/12 hours off. 12 hours sounds like a lot of time until you try to do all those normal little things like sleep, bathe, spend time with the family, answer emails, watch a little of the boob tube, let alone trying to cook from scratch--and we don't even have kids! My admiration is off the charts for the moms and dads who work 12 hour overnights and manage to keep the family and their sanity together and dressed in clean clothes and with full bellies.
I chose four coordinating recipes this afternoon (recipes/links/photos follow) mainly to make it easy on myself and because both ground beef and round steak were on sale at my market this week.
Happy Father's Day to all of our Dads everywhere and to Bruce and Tom, Gene's and my Dad, up in Heaven!
Even though there's only the two of us for dinner tonight and it's too stormy to set up a grill, we decided to grill Butter Onion Burgers inside anyway to celebrate our Dads. Well worth the effort! What's a Butter Onion Burger? It's my own creation where the onion is pressed into the hamburger as the burger grills so that it's half grilled softness but still slightly crispy, all served on a bun that's been buttered and toasted for a bite down softness that ends in crunch and keeps the condiments from soaking into the bread. In one word: YUM!
All-American Sloppy Joes, what a lot of us here in the states grew up on as a regular meal, basically also called a "loose meat sandwich" which sounds terrifying. It's not, really,To the uninitiated it's a dryer version of beef spaghetti sauce made to fit on a bun: ground beef, Italian seasonings, and tomato paste. Taking it one step further, it feels like a treat to kids and Hubbies (who are really just big kids) as a fancified hand-held pocket sandiwch.
Great for a normal weekend dinner, a children's sleepover, children's parties or anytime you just want to do something a little extra special without making yourself crazy!
From scratch is always best but I will tell you that the Sandra Lee version is even easier if you're short on time and patience: thawed bread dough from the supermarket, ground beef, cheese, and jarred Sloppy Joe or Manwich sauce. Nobody will know the difference and you look like a hero! But. Sometime do do the from scratch verion, you'll be glad you did and surprised at how easy it is. I promise.
This is my entry for World Bread Baking Day #57. Check the roundup to see all the great loaves of bread being baking in ovens both near and far from you.
Chicken of the Sea tuna, the standard my whole life for tuna sandwiches and tuna casseroles, has a new product: no drain. I grew up on the oil-packed tuna, switched to the water-packed version as an adult to save calories, but am now an ardent fan of the no drain version.
I'll let you in on a little pet peeve of mine. You know how after chicken or tuna salad sits for a little while there's that sort of watery stuff in the bottom of the container that you have to mix back in. As much as my intellectual mind knows it's just the extra liquid from the tuna and what-not forming that, nothing bad at all, but my emotional brain always thinks "Ewwww." I know. It's a teeny tiny thing but it bugs me.
The No Drain tuna takes care of that problem. Even after sitting in the fridge for two days, the tuna salad I made with it was still nicely homogenous in texture, hearty to the bite, and with no weeping. I also liked that the flavors (mayo, mustard, pickle relish) I mixed in with it stayed very crisp and true, without getting watered down or needing extra spices to correct for the added mositure I don't always get completely drained out of the water or oil-packed tunas.
Chicken of the Sea No Drain Tuna--Definitely a thumbs up at our house! Can't wait to use it in the tuna casserole and other recipes.
I've often talked about what rotten brats my brothers and sister and I were as kids, not because we were inherently mean, but because we were so spoiled by our Mom's creativity and know-how in the kitchen. As an adult, I appreciate the summers we spent gardening and all the home-made great food we ate but as kids we were the frowny faces who whined to our cake-decorator Mom "Please, anything for my birthday but cake with decorator frosting!" See? Brats!
We also had home-made pancakes (not from Bisquick or a mix), home-made caramel sauce for our ice cream, and home-made mayonnaise on our sandwiches. Did we appreciate it? No! We whined for Bisquick pancakes, white store bread, caramel sauce that comes in a Smuckers jar, and Miracle Whip!
I laugh now, and hope she's laughing in Heaven with the unappreciated Moms!
I've been making a lot of buttermilk herb (ranch) dressing lately and since that's all from scratch, it seemed a shame to keep using commercially made mayo (I'm a Hellman's girl) when I know how to and how easy it easy to make home-made mayo before proceeding to the buttermilk dressing stage. Mayo, like all dressings, is a relatively simple concept with a variety of ingredients that can be used for slightly different tastes. I'll give the basic recipe and add some of the ingredients that can be exchanged for the basics to 'fancy up" the basic eggy, creamy, rich concoction that is mayonnaise. I may not have appreciated it as a kid but I do now, Mom!
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