Delicious Ratatouille

So I decided that I felt like trying Ratatouille. I have to admit it is because of the Disney movie. So I did a google search on Ratatouille, and after weeding through websites about the movie, I found a couple recipes. The recipes for this dish are almost all the same, same ingredients but some recipes had it as more of a stew rather than a bake (yup, like what was in the movie). I wanted to do a bake, so I picked a recipe from Allrecipes. This dish was very good on its own served with some steamed white rice, but would be really good paired with some kielbasa or another type of sausage.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil (I used about 4 tbsp because the eggplant sucked it all up)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes
• Salt to taste
• 1 c grated Parmesan cheese (I used about 1/3c to cut back on fat)
• 2 Zucchini, sliced (I used 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash)
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 2 c sliced fresh mushrooms (I used whole shiitake mushrooms)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of casserole dish with 1tbsp of the olive oil (I used my Pyrex glass deep pie dish and it was perfect).
• Heat remaining olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until it is lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle some of the parmesan cheese over eggplant. Layer zucchini/squash in an even layer over the eggplant. Lightly salt and sprinkle more parmesan cheese. Continue layering in this fashion with onion, mushroom, bell pepper and tomatoes covering each layer with salt and parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Lebanese Chicken with Curry Couscous

OMG... this was absolutely the most fantastic chicken dish I have made in a really long time! I am stuffed, but still drooling at the thought of making this again. Rob thinks that it needs some spice to it, but I found it to be just perfect. I cheated with the couscous and got Far East Curry Couscous... perfect substitute and much quicker to make than curry couscous from scratch.

Please, if you are reading this... you absolutely must try this recipe... I want to make it again tomorrow!!! LOL

Ingredients:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast (I made 2, recipe calls for 4)
• 1/3c chopped onion (I used white onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2tsp finely shredded orange peel
• 1/2c orange juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice (I added a dash extra because I love the allspice)
• 2 tbsp honey
• Orange wedge and mint leaf (optional)

Directions:

• In large skillet cook chicken, onion, garlic and butter over medium heat for about 6 minutes or until chicken is brown, turning once. Add orange peel, orange juice and salt to the skillet, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon and allspice onto chicken and add some to the juice mixture, drizzle honey over chicken and into juice. Simmer on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced to a glaze type consistency.
• Make couscous while chicken cooks
• Serve a small mound of couscous with chicken breast on top and drizzle with extra sauce (I made enough sauce for the full recipe and Rob and I ate every bit of it... if you like saucier chicken then maybe add a touch more orange juice, honey and spices).

Chicken with Saffron Cream Sauce

This is my recipe of the week, well, until Thursday when I make Lebanese chicken with couscous. This recipe is from Better Homes and Garden and is fantastic. There are a lot of things going on with the cream sauce, but it isn't overpowering at all. My only suggestion, if you don't like a tomatoey sauce is to cut back to 1 to 1.5 teaspoons rather than 2 full teaspoons... that's my plan next time around! Oh, and I used boneless chicken breast rather than chicken pieces (thighs, drums and breasts).

Here goes...

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 to 3 Lbs chicken pieces (thigh, breast, drum) I used 2 large boneless chicken breasts instead
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 c whipping cream
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
• 1 bay leaf (whole)
• Pinch of Saffron threads

Directions

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken in hot butter for about 5 minutes on each side until it is browned. Drain off any fat (no fat if you use boneless chicken breast)
• In small mixing bowl, while chicken cooks, combine whipping cream, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and Saffron. Mix well with whisk.
• Pour cream mixture over chicken in skillet. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked to 180 degrees. Remove chicken from the skillet and keep warm. Boil sauce gently for about 5 minutes or until it reaches desired thickness. Discard the bay leaf.
• To serve, arrange chicken on platter (or plate) and spoon the sauce over the chicken.

I served this with chicken flavored rice and fresh asparagus (steamed). I spooned a little of the leftover sauce over the asparagus. Delish!

Christmas is coming...

This year is a harder year at the Ahlgrim house with the economy tanking so bad. So, this year for Christmas, rather than spending hundreds of dollars we don't have on gifts people won't like, we decided that baking is the way to go! I will be blogging this weekend as I make and can strawberry jam, candied apple jelly, and make chocolate truffles, rice crispy treats and chocolate chip cookies.

Recipes to follow!!!

Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl

I got this recipe off Better Homes and Gardens website. Again, this is a stock picture... mine really didn't look this pretty. I personally think this recipe could have used a little more of the stir fry sauce (which comes in an 8oz bottle for about $2.99) and a little more ginger.

Ingredients
2c dried Chinese Egg Noodles
1/4tsp Ground Ginger
1/3c Bottled Stir Fry Sauce
1c Fresh Sugar Snap Peas (cut up)
1c Sliced Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
1sm Sweet Red Pepper, chopped
2tsp Peanut Oil for cooking
5oz Cooked Chicken Breast, Sliced (about 1 cup)
2tbsp Broken Cashews

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Mix ginger into the stir fry sauce, set aside.
2. In large skillet cook peas, mushrooms and sweet peppers in hot peanut oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. Add cooked noodles, chicken, stir-fry sauce and cashews. Toss together and heat through.

Yield 3-4 Servings.

Peppered Bacon and Tomato Linguine

The photo is a stock photo... I couldn't find my camera. This dish is very good with a little grated parmesan cheese on top. Mind you, it is not low-cal considering you add some of the bacon grease to the pasta.... but it is so worth it.... delicious! (from Allrecipes.com)


Ingredients
1lb Peppered Bacon (diced)
1/4c Chopped Green Onion
1tbs Garlic (minced)
2cans Diced Tomatoes
2tsp Dried Basil
2tsp Salt
Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
2 packages Linguine Pasta
1/4c Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserve drippings and set aside.
2. Saute green onion and garlic in bacon drippings over medium heat for one minute. Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt, bacon and ground black pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta using package directions
4. Toss hot pasta with sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Yeild 8 Servings

The Kitchen is DONE!!!

Well, I now have a new kitchen to call my very own. It is so gorgeous I can't stand it! 1 year of blood, sweat and tears and it was very much worth it in the end. Now that the kitchen is done I'll start blogging more (actually, 2 recipes to follow this).

The above pictures are not the best pictures, but it shows the new countertop and tile backsplash and new home for my Kitchenaid, my awesome silverware drawer and our new table!!!

Holy Crap!

I can't believe I haven't been on here since December 2008!!! What is wrong with me? Oh, I know... we've been remodeling our kitchen so I stopped blogging during that process... well, we're almost done with the kitchen so I'll start blogging again at that time!

Classic Pecan Pie

I make this pie every year for one of the guys my husband works with. I've been doing this for four years now and will keep on with it. I do make this pie for holiday parties as well, but only when asked...for some reason, not all people LOVE pecan pie the way I do! The nerve! LOL!

Ingredients
1 (9 inch) pie shell
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Prick pastry shell in several places with a fork and bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, salt, and pecans. Mix well, then pour into pie shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes; if crust is getting too brown, cover edges with aluminum foil. When done, pie will be a little loose in center, but will set as it cools; do not overbake.

I put my pies onto a wire rack to help cool the bottom.

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

When I was looking up cookie recipes, this recipe ended up being one of those little pop-ups and it linked to Jif's website for the full recipe! I forgot about these cookies, its been years since I've had them, and I remember now how freaking good they are!!!!

Ingredients
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
2 cups packaged biscuit mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
Hershey Kisses milk chocolate candy pieces, unwrapped

Directions
HEAT oven to 375°F.

BEAT sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in large bowl until smooth. Add biscuit mix and vanilla; mix well.

SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned around edges (do not overbake). Immediately press a chocolate candy piece in center of each cookie. Cool.

Snickerdoodles

Rob LOVES Snickerdoodles, so I thought I'd make some to go with all the other cookies...I mean, why not? I already made something like 300 cookies...what's another 100, right? These are pretty easy to make once you get rolling with them.

Ingredients
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Stir in the eggs. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the cinnamon. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, then roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Place them onto an unprepared cookie sheet, two inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be slightly brown. Remove from sheets to cool on wire racks.

Double Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies!

These cookies are freaking AMAZING, and probably the easiest cookie I have ever made in my entire life! I think this one will become a staple of my household! I was kind of weirded out by the recipe, but was amazed when they were done! I fully recommend these cookies to anyone who is wanting to make a chocolate chocolate chip cookie!!!

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets (or line them with parchment paper).

In your Kitchenaid stand mixer or a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Again, I went with 9 minutes for my bake time because I like the chewy cookies! I just can't say it enough how fantastic these cookies are!!!

Sugar Cookies!

Holiday cookie making isn't complete without SUGAR COOKIES!!! These tasty cookies are easy to make and are even yummier when you frost them and add colored sugar...mmm...

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
In a mixing bowl, cream sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Add eggs and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter; place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 7-8 minutes or until light golden brown. Decorate if desired.

I used Betty Crocker white cookie frosting I found in the baking isle at Kroger's, it tastes really good, not overly sweet, but sweet enough to just add to the sugar cookie.

On a side note, here's a picture of what you DON'T want to do with sugar cookies. For some reason I was thinking you could put preserves in sugar cookies...well, it didn't work and it wasn't until they were in the oven that I realized that it is Shortbread cookies you do that with, NOT sugar cookies...Sheesh!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

I SWEAR by my Oxo cookie scoop...this thing is a freaking dream! It makes chocolate chip cookie making so much easier! I also swear by using parchment paper when making cookies. Not only do the cookies just slide right off, it also makes for quick and easy clean-up of your cookie sheets!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 cups butter, softened
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In your Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Slowly blend in the flour mixture. Finally, add in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown. (I usually only do the minimum because I prefer a chewier cookie).

Buffalo Chicken Dip!

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law a couple years ago...this Buffalo chicken dip is absolutely to DIE for! It is a must for parties or family gatherings. I made this batch on Thanksgiving day to take to my mom's house and snack on prior to dinner.

Ingredients

1 can white chicken in water

1 block cream cheese (softened)

1c sour cream

Franks Red Hot Sauce (to taste)

1.5 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl put cream cheese and sour cream and mix well with hand mixer (until no lumps). Add chicken, cheddar cheese and Franks (I usually end up using about 1/4 cup of Franks in mine, I like it spicy). Blend everything together with a spoon and microwave it or place it in a small crock pot on low.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, pretzels or anything else that may sound good to you. Beware...this stuff is like CRACK...you will keep going back for more!!!

Cornish Game Hens

I haven't had Cornish hens since I was probably 14 years old. When Rob and I went grocery shopping a couple weeks ago they were on sale so we bought a package of them! I am intimidated a little bit by poultry other than boneless breasts. I was totally clueless how to prepare these babies, but I found directions online and went to work! They were super easy, I was surprised!

Ingredients

2 Cornish Game Hens

Butter

Poultry seasoning

Montreal seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Rub the hens with soft butter (on top of AND under the skin). Season with your chosen spices (I used the ones listed above). Put hens into a roasting pan and put a little water in the bottom. Place in oven and let bake for about 30 minutes, then you will want to start basting the birds (baste every 10-15 minutes). Total baking time is about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Let them stand for few minutes then serve them up.

SIDE NOTE: Use the leftovers to make chicken stew or soup. YUM

Breakfast Scramble

Every now and then I make this delicious breakfast scramble. It is super easy to make, which makes it nice for a busy weekend day when you don't have a lot of time to slave over the stove making a super fancy breakfast!

Ingredients
1lb Regular flavor bulk sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's)
1 package Simply Potatoes (cubes)
4-5 eggs beaten (add a splash of milk to make a fluffier egg)
1/2 to 1 C of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
In LARGE skillet, crumble and brown sausage. While sausage is cooking, prepare potatoes per package instructions in a separate pan. When sausage and potatoes are cooked, add potatoes to the sausage in the large skillet. Slowly add egg mixture and scramble it together with the sausage and potatoes. When its all done, serve into a bowl and sprinkle cheese on top. The heat from the skillet will melt the cheese. Eat it up...YUM!!!

Sugar's!!!

When Rob and I ordered our wedding cake last year, we also were to receive a 1 year anniversary cake of our choice. Since our wedding, our baker sadly went out of business to take care of her sick son. We were unable to collect on our cake, which is fine because of the issues our baker is dealing with. Then I remembered that a lady I use to work with has a small home based cake company...Sugar's! Rob and I ordered our cake from her, we got the berry bomb in a heart shape! The cake was amazingly delicious that Rok now has a customer for life! Check out her website sometime, her cakes are AMAZINGLY good!

Homemade Butter...Yup...

I found this recipe on Confections of a Foodie Brides blog. It is a super easy recipe to make butter and butter milk! The butter is very good, an must have for your holiday dinner!

1 cup organic heavy whipping cream

Put the cream into your food processor and turn it on. For full details and instruction, please click the link above to Confections blog.

A New Taco Bake...

Rob's grandma gave me this recipe before she passed away (she was always giving me recipes whenever we went to her house). This is my favorite Grandma Grace recipe! I haven't made it in ages...I wanted taco bake but I wasn't feeling the richness of Lindsay's taco bake. This one is more hearty with only shredded cheese on top.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
1 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa or Pace® Picante Sauce
1/2 cup milk
6 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Cook beef in medium skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned, stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat. Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Spoon into 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Skillet Ham, Cabbage and Potatoes

I am burned out on all the "usual" stuff, so when allrecipes emailed me this recipe I decided to give it a go. It sounded different, but in a good way. Rather than getting ham and cutting it in cubes I just purchased Dearborn Ham from the deli department and had them "shave" cut it. I would suggest Dearborn Ham for this recipe...its the best! I also made Mrs. T's special crescent rolls...mmmm...delicious goodness!

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 small head cabbage, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup water
3 large potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
1 dash seasoning salt
1 dash paprika
2 cups cubed cooked ham

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onions in the margarine. When tender add cabbage and stir. Pour water over, cover and simmer gently on medium low for ten minutes.

Add potatoes and mix. Cover again and allow to simmer for ten more minutes. Additional water may be needed. Sprinkle seasoning salt and paprika over cabbage and potatoes. Allow to simmer covered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until cabbage is soft and potatoes are nearly cooked. Mix ham in and finish cooking until ham is hot and potatoes are done.

Click here to go directly to the recipe. Photo is a stock photo from allrecipes...I was too lazy to take a picture. :)

Mild Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas!

Wow, I haven't posted in a long arse time! Sheesh!


Well, I made these enchiladas on Tuesday for "Debate Date Night" (don't ask). Anyway, the were absolutely delicious! If you are a cheese and sour cream lover like I am, you will LOVE these enchiladas. I also made baked flan for dessert...see my older posts for my flan recipe.

This recipe is from Allrecipes.

Ingredients
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat (I used 2 cans of cooked chicken)
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, onion, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, and 3/4 cup sour cream.
3. Disperse the mixture evenly among the 8 tortillas. Roll into enchiladas, and arrange in single layer in the prepared baking dish.

4. In a saucepan over low heat, melt together the remaining Cheddar cheese and sour cream. Pour over the enchiladas, and top with tomatoes and olives.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Shelly's Hot Mess Chicken and Famous Potatoes w/ Spinach Salad

I decided to put together this dinner together tonight because I have been so engrossed with my invitation business this past week that I have been sort of ignoring my poor husband. I felt so bad about so I put together a delicious dinner at the table complete with wine and water served in our pretty crystal we got for our wedding...I was also able to use our pretty silver serving platter and fancy serving utensils and placemats, napkins and napkin rings...ok, ok, so I wanted an excuse to actually use all this stuff...LOL.

I made Shelly's famous potatoes and her hot mess chicken (see nomnomnom in my favorites). Along with the hot mess and famous taters I made my famous spinach salad with homemade lemon olive oil dressing. I also made a loaf of homemade italian bread with italian spices in my bread maker (and I am happy to report actually doing a good job at it!). I have to say, I was very intimidated by the chicken recipe, but it was really super easy!

Excuse the jacked up walls in the background...we're in the middle of demoing our kitchen.

Hot Mess Chicken (recipe copy/pasted from Shelly's blog)

Hot Mess ChickenServes: However many you can fit on the pan
-Large skinless boneless chicken breast (I filleted it then pounded it)

-Thick sliced bacon (I used thick pepper crusted bacon..mmmm...)

-Red Onion

-Fresh Leaf Basil (we grow basil in our garden, so it was super fresh! fresher the better)

-Small can petite diced tomatoes

-Provolone Cheese

-Toothpicks

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Yup.

2. Get a baking sheet that has edges and line it with foil (easier clean up!). Then take a rack from your toaster oven and put that on top of the foil so there is a gap. Or if you wanna be all 'top chef'... just use a broiler pan =)

3. Take a chicken breast and put it between some plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet. Or a big can of beans will work! Not too thin... maybe like an even half inch. Or if you wanna get crazy and skip the next step... pound it out into a really big flat piece that is about a quarter inch thick.

4. If you stuck with the half inch option, take a knife and slit the chicken open (parallel with the countertop) and open it like a book. Don't cut it all the way open.

5. Lay in some provolone, a handful of diced red onion, a couple spoonfuls of tomato, and a few leaves of basil.

6. Fold up the chicken. Now lay out 3-4 slices of thick sliced bacon and put the chicken in the middle. Wrap the ends of bacon up over the chicken and overlap them. Secure with a toothpick. Try and cover most of the open seam to keep the goodies in.

7. Place on the rack or broiler pan. I like to pour some italian dressing all over it, but that's up to you. Put in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. The bacon should be pretty crisped and the chicken cooked thru. Yummm.

Shelly's Famous Potatoes

-5 cups chopped red potatoes (about 5 large) (I used idaho potatoes cuz I'm not a fan of reds)

-1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (I skipped the red cuz we don't really like it)

-1/3 cup diced green bell pepper

-1/2 cup diced sweet onion

-1 teaspoon garlic salt

-1/2 tablespoon montreal steak seasoning

-4+ tablespoons butter or margarine

-Foil

1. Lay out about 2 feet of non-stick foil or non-stick sprayed regular foil.

2. Wash & scrub red potatoes clean. Chop up potatoes into bite sized pieces and place in single layer onto center of foil.

3. Dice peppers and onion and sprinkle onto potatoes, toss with hands if necessary.

4. Place little chunks of butter or margarine over top, space out as necessary.

5. Sprinkle garlic salt and steak seasoning evenly over mixture (amount may be adjusted to taste). We are not shy with either of them in my house!!

6. Fold foil up over the mixture, covering everything. Take another piece of foil and wrap in opposite direction to make sure the packet is leak-proof.

7. Place on grill at medium heat (about 350-400 degrees) for 35-45 minutes (flip over packet halfway through cooking), depending on your grill and your potato firmness preference.

8. Cut open foil pouch and serve, careful of the steam!

Lemon/Olive Oil Dressing

- 1 large lemon

- 1 tbsp fresh garlic

- 1/2 c olive oil (the darker the better)

Zest part of the lemon, cut it in half and juice the heck out of it. Add the garlic and the olive oil and wisk together. Serve over a bed of baby spinach with bacon bits, tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese...delish!

Chicken Kabobs and "Special" Crescent Rolls

We made some super fantastic chicken kabobs last night with these most delicious crescent rolls using a recipe of my best friends MIL! I'll call them Mrs. T's Famous Crescent Rolls!!! The kabobs were pretty standards, chicken, green pepper, white onion, 1 can white potatoes, and mushrooms. Rob put some curry seasoning on them with some extra red pepper powder and a little brush of olive oil. I made the Indian Rice that I blogged below with the kabobs. Now, on to the delicious crescent rolls!

Ingredients
1 tube crescent rolls (Pillsbury or store brand)
4 oz of cream cheese softened in the microwave to make it spoonable
Honey

Directions
Roll out the rolls as you normally would then add a spoon full (tsp) of cream cheese to the large end of the crescent roll. Roll them up and kinda pinch the ends so the cream cheese doesn't ooze when you bake them. Bake according to the package instructions (no extra time needed). Pull them out and put some honey on top of them and spread it around. Let them sit for about 5 minutes.

I suggest eating them with a fork! They are so freaking good! Its like a dinner roll and dessert in one!

Italian Sausage and Peppers

I LOVE this recipe! I actually picked it up from the Italian restaurant I worked at years and years ago. It is super simple and so delicious! I generally do a combination of sweet and spicy Italian sausage, but this time I just used sweet sausage.

Ingredients
4 links of fresh Italian sausage (sweet, hot or both) Cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large green pepper cut into large pieces
1 small to medium red bell pepper cut into large pieces
1 small yellow bell pepper cut into large pieces
1 small orange bell pepper cut into small pieces
1 small to medium Spanish onion cut into large pieces
1 jar Traditional Ragu sauce (yeah, I'm lazy like that)
various Italian spices (garlic, basil, oregano...)
Olive oil (to coat pan)
Cooked spaghetti noodles

Directions
Cook the sausage pieces until they are completely done. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan (leaving the sausage in it). Add all of the peppers and onion. Mix everything together and cover with a lid for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium/medium low heat. Remove lid and add about 3/4 of a jar of Traditional Ragu (enough to coat the sausage and veggies). Add a little garlic (powder), oregano, basil, cracked red pepper to your preferred taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes (until the sauce heats up).

Put some spaghetti noodles into a bowl, dish up the sausage and peppers over the noodles and serve with some Romano cheese (shaker cheese) and some garlic bread. YUM!!!

Yummy Chicken Stir Fry

One of my favorite things to make is chicken stir fry. Its nothing special, but tastes super yummy! You can make it with a chicken bullion base or a soy sauce base...I prefer the chicken base then putting a little soy sauce on the finished product. I generally make white or brown rice with my stir fry, but I forgot the buy some at the store and I didn't want to waste any of my basmati rice...so I did what any other domestically challenged person would do, I used Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice flavor and added 1 egg to it.

Stir Fry Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces

1-2 chicken bullion cubes

1/2 lb pea pods

1/2 lb bean sprouts

2-3 baby bok choy

1 tbsp flour

water

dash of salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

In a large skillet (or better yet, a wok), cook the chicken (with some salt and pepper) until it is thoroughly cooked (I'm paranoid so I cook it until it starts to brown). Add about a cup of water and the pea pods. Cover and let the steam cook the pods for a couple minutes. Next, add the bean sprouts and replace the cover. Cook for another minute. Add a touch more water and the bullion cubes then mix the flour with some water and use it as a thickening agent and thicken the chicken stock. The final step is adding the bok choy. Mix everything up and serve with rice.

I've Been Tagged!!!

The rules:
Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago?
Working a dead end job that I hated!

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
1. Wash the towels
2. Clean the bathroom
3. Put laundry away
4. Dust the house
5. Make dinner (nothing special, chicken on the grill, rice and mixed veggies)

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Fruit Naturals Grapefruit Cups
2. Snikers
3. Cheese cubes
4. Cookies
5. Pineapple

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off debt
2. Have a kick butt house built on 200 acres of land
3. Travel the world for a year
4. Take my family on a dream vacation for at least 2 weeks
5. Go on a shopping spree (clothes, furniture, car...)

Places I’ve lived:
1. Waterford, MI
2. Hazel Park, MI
3. Southfield, MI

Jobs I’ve had:
1. Fast food manager
2. Administrative Assistant
3. Business Coordinator
4. Controller

I will be tagging:
1. Shelly - http://lovestonom.blogspot.com/
2. Steph - http://lokiskitchen.blogspot.com/
3. Lindsay - http://lovedeliciousness.blogspot.com/
4. Amy - http://amyvan317.blogspot.com/
5. Tori - http://hyperpinkmini.com/ (sorry, I know you were tagged already...but... :-) )

Taco Bake (Yummm)

I love Lindsay (Iheartkeith on theknot...love deliciousness on blogspot) for this recipe! I have made it twice now and it tastes better each time. I swear it gave me my "O" face (lol). I used regular taco seasoning the first time, but this time I used Ortega Jalapeno and Onion and it was fabulous!!! The left overs are just as amazing! This dish makes me happy!

Ingredients

1 lb. ground round (or turkey or chicken)

1 package taco seasoning

15 oz. can tomato sauce

8 oz. seashell pasta

8 oz package cream cheese (softened in microwave)
1/2 c. sour cream

8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I like mild cheddar)

Directions

Brown ground beef, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.

Spray bottom of 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Put pasta in bottom of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. (This is kind of hard to do. Just dollop spoonfuls of the mixture about an inch apart and spread the best you can.) Spoon ground beef mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake @350 for 30 minutes. Cool about 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

Delicious Fruit Salad

I made this fantastic fruit "salad" and fruit dip for my best friend, Jennifer's, Mehendi party on July 2. I purchased the bowl that the salad and dip is in from Bed, Bath and Beyond and it was the best $29 I spent. The bowl I think really made the salad look so much nicer than if it were in just a regular glass, metal or Tupperware bowl.

Fruit Salad Ingredients
(any portion of)
Strawberries
Honeydew
Cantaloupe
Grapes (red and green)
Kiwi
Pineapple
Fresh Mango
Blueberries

Chop all the melons up, slice the kiwi and strawberries, mix it all together and PRESTO you have fruit salad!

Fruit Dip
8-16 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 large container of Marshmallow Fluff

Using your stand mixer (or hand mixer if you don't have a KitchenAid), beat the cream cheese on medium until it is smooth (lumps = bad). With your mixer on low, start adding in the marshmallow fluff to the point where your mixture starts to form somewhat solid peaks. You can add food coloring (I used red in the picture) to make your desired color or just leave it white...it tastes fantastic no matter what!

The fruit dip also makes an excellent cake frosting (white cake with fruit dip frosting makes me drool thinking about it)

Enjoy!

New Kitchen Coming Soon!

Last night Rob and I talked about the projects that are left to do with our house. We made a list of what needs to be done and took a bunch of measurements. We are getting new carpet throughout our house and after that we are going to start our kitchen remodel!!! The remodel will start "hopefully" at the end of the summer! We are going today to order all of our cabinetry and purchase the items needed to make our pretty tile counter top and back splash and all the other miscellaneous supplies. We are taking advantage of the Lowes or Home Depot 10% off for opening a credit card...we figure we may as well get everything and use the 10% at one time! Yay for saving a little bit of money!!!

We are doing white cabinets with a tanish floor and the tiles for the counter are all tanish colors and we will be accenting with some "special" tiles to make the kitchen look prettier!!!

Check back in the next couple months for remodel updates!!!

Basmati Rice

Basmati rice is an Indian rice that is quite different from regular long grain rice like Minute Rice or other rices along those lines. Its a longer rice that requires either being rinsed or soaked in clean water. The rice above is what I have found in the local grocery store and is very good. Its about $5 for this 1lb bag.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is a-mazing and rather simple to make (don't let the ingredients list deterr you from this delicious, flavorful dish). Rob and I opted to chunk the chicken breast and place the chicken on skewers rather than do whole breasts which would need to be cut anyway (it was easier this way, I strongly recommend it). Tandoor Chicken is best served with Basmati rice (or veggie rice, see below) and Naan...steamed curried vegetables would be very tasty too...but I haven't tried making those yet!

Note: All the Indian food I have had, and what I have made, is served "warm" not "hot"

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (I prefer boneless)
1/2 C plain yogurt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

DIRECTIONS

Run garlic through a press, or finely mince. Grate ginger. Mix together yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Make diagonal slashes in the chicken meat to allow marinade to penetrate better. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken parts.

Marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. If the chicken is placed in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before cooking (approximately 1 hour). I recommend overnight to get full flavor!

Preheat broiler.

Brush grill or shallow baking pan with a little oil to keep chicken from sticking. Arrange chicken on the pan.

Broil chicken 2-3 inches away from the heat until cooked through, approximately 25 minutes, turning halfway through.

Naan (Indian Flat Bread)

Naan is a simple and delicious flat bread that is the most common bread in India. It is wonderful to use with rices, curries and my favorite, Tandoori Chicken. The recipe looks like it is very difficult, but it is really quite simple. In all, it took about a half hour to make (minus the time for proofing). I have a feeling this bread is going to become a staple in my house!!! Delicious!!! The picture above shows the raw Naan ready to be cooked and the second picture is the cooked Naan...I used a fry pan and cooked stove top.

Note: You can add spices to this bread if you are feeling daring. I have had it with cumin seeds, onion seeds, blackened sesame seeds and so on. I think it is best without spice and brushed with Ghee.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ghee
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons kalonji (onion seed) - opotional

DIRECTIONS
Whisk the warm water with the yeast and sugar until the yeast is dissolved. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Sift flour and salt three times into a large bowl add the yeast mixture, half of the ghee and all the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough then knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough is doubled in size .

Punch down dough then knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece out into 8 inch round naans.

Cover an oven tray with foil and grease the foil. Brush the naan with a little of the remaining ghee and sprinkle with some of the kalonji. Cook naan one at a time under a very hot grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until puffed and just browned.

Biryani (Vegetable Rice)

This dish is amazingly aromatic! The spices that are used are simply delicious...my entire house smelled of Indian food last night and it was so yummy! I suppose you can change the vegetables used if you are not a big fan of tomatoes, peas and carrots...but the onion is a must have in this dish. If you don't like spicy food, then this dish is not for you (although, I do believe you can control the heat by skipping red or black pepper). I skipped the potato in my rice because I forgot to buy one at the market.

Note: The recipe calls for a spice mix (which is homemade) called Garam Masala. To make this spice mix you take whole uncooked spices, brown them stove top and grind them. I found a Curry spice at a local market that has everything Garam Masala has for a lot cheaper than buying whole spices and easier than cooking and grinding them myself (yeah, I'm lazy like that). Here is a picture of the Curry spice I used:

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice (red or yellow onion)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced potato
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red chile pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups water
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS
Melt ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir Garam Masala; cook until the spices are fragrant, and the cumin seeds begin to pop, about 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, carrot, and potato. Season with chicken bouillon, salt, red chile, black pepper, and turmeric. Stir well, then cover, and cook for 3 minutes.

Pour in 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, stir in basmati rice, reduce heat to medium, recover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until the rice has softened, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

I got this recipe off AllRecipes and changed it up just a little. When I had this dessert (which was homemade by Indian ladies) it included Vermicelli and cashews rather than Basmati rice. It was absolutely fantastic. Because cardamom pods are very hard to find (and somewhat expensive) I purchased already ground cardamom (which mixed in milk tastes an awful lot like Chai). I used 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom. This dessert is very rich and is fantastic served with a sweet corn bread on the side.

Note: I like kheer to be a little on the liquid side rather than a true "rice pudding". You can adjust the thickness of kheer by adding or taking away milk. So, if you like a thicker kheer then add less milk or a runnier kheer, add more milk. Get it?

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup uncooked Basmati Rice
2 quarts milk
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 pods cardamom
2 teaspoons rose water
1/4 cup Raw Cashews

DIRECTIONS
Place the rice in a small bowl and cover with water. Soak for one hour.

Drain the rice and place it in a large, heavy saucepan with the milk over low heat. Cook, covered 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender. Stir in sugar and cardamom and cook 20 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water. Serve topped with cashews.

Ghee

So, ever since my best friends wedding I have been on an Indian food kick. I was spoiled the week of her wedding with endless homemade Indian cuisine that was so fantastically delicious I thought I'd try my hand in it. What I didn't know is that traditional Indian cuisine calls for Ghee about 90% of the time. Ghee is a refined butter and very easy to make. I decided to search on how to make it since the cheapest I could find it online was about $20 after shipping. The directions are very simple. (The pictures above show Ghee in its final clarified state and the second picture is of the milk products curdled at the bottom of the pan).

Ghee

1 lb Unsalted "real" butter (not margarine)

In a heavy saucepan, put the 1 lb of butter in the pan on medium heat. Allow the butter to melt down and come to a rolling boil. Let the butter boil for about 15 minutes. It will smell sort of like popcorn (no kidding). The milk fats will curdle at the bottom of the saucepan and the oil on top of the curdles is what's left, and that is called Ghee. The Ghee should be a clear gold color, once the Ghee reaches the clear gold color you will want to remove it from the heat and let it sit until it is room temperature. Once it is cooled you have to strain it into a clean glass jar. I used a couple of old pantyhose to strain it (cheese cloth or a super fine sieve will work if you have either, if not, use pantyhose). Avoid any water getting into the glass jar as it will cause harmful bacteria to form and ruin your Ghee.

Ghee has many beneficial elements to it. It is refined to the point where all the fats that are bad for you are boiled out leaving you with an oil. The Ghee aids in digestion and offers other benefits that you can't get from using olive oil or actual butter. It can also be used as massage oil (I don't think I'll be using it for that, but good to know).

London Broil w/ Butter-Lemon Broccoli

I made this for dinner on June 1, and I think it will go down in my recipe books as a keeper! I was sceptical of marinating the beef in wine (or marinating it period). It turned out amazing with a very subtle wine and herb flavor. The broccoli was very good, but I used a touch too much lemon. The potato is just a plain jane baked potato with real butter. For the London broil, I used a cheap $8.99 bottle of dry red wine from the local grocery store.

London Broil Ingredients
1-1.5 pound London Broil (cut is a Flank Steak)
1 cup dry red wine (any red wine is fine, but go cheap since you are using it to cook)
1/2 cup olive oil
2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper (fresh ground is better)
dash of salt (I prefer sea salt)
1 tsp oregano
dash of seasoning salt
1 tsp italian seasoning (like McCormick or something similar)

Directions
Mix the marinate ingredients together in large bowl or ziplock bag. Poke meat with fork and place into marinate. Coat meat. Let stand about 30 minutes to 1 hour, massaging meat frequently. Place meat on grill (be careful, between the wine and olive oil, the grill will flare up). Grill to desired doneness (I prefer rare). Cut and serve.

Lemon Butter Broccoli Ingredients
1-2 large brocolli heads chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
2 tbsp butter

Directions
Steam brocolli until it is tender but crunchy. On high heat, put butter, garlic and lemon juice into saute skillet and saute until garlic turns a white color. Place broccoli into butter mixture and toss to evenly coat it. Dish it up.

Hearty Spaghetti

I make a nice hearty spaghetti every now and then, and normally from scratch until I figured out that it is so much easier and less messy to just use a "traditional" ragu (you know, that jar crap you get at the grocery store). I know, "gasp"! Really though, its just plain tomato sauce and a good base to build on. I am going to post my traditional recipe, but rather than making the sauce from scratch, omit the sugar and tomato sauce/paste and use Traditional Ragu (this is good, especially if you don't have time for the full "homemade" version).

Ingredients

4 (15) ounce cans tomato sauce

1 small can of tomato paste

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1lb ground beef

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

1-2 green peppers, chopped

Mushrooms (if you care to ruin the sauce by adding them)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

to taste:

Salt

Black pepper

Cracked red pepper

Oregano

Basil (I prefer sweet)

Garlic powder (if you add garlic salt, omit the salt from above)

Fresh or dried parsley

Directions

Brown the beef and drain the grease. Heat the olive oil in large stock pot and add the chopped onion and green pepper. Sautee the peppers and onions enough to make them "sweat". Add ground beef, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and sugar. Stir completely to combine. Simmer on low for 4-5 hours (or put this into a crock pot). Stir occassionally. Serve with your noodle of choice and garlic bread. Yum!

Hump Day Feast!

I am so embarrassed that I won't even post pictures! I was so swamped with homework last night and DH worked late...for dinner...mac-n-cheese with the little chicken nugget things from the grocery meat department...the "processed" breaded chicken things. The only saving grace was the yummy Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce...yum!

My Yummy Taco Salad

I made my yummy taco salad for Memorial Day and it was, as always, a huge hit. Generally I add all the toppings to the salad and I get all artsy-fartsy with it, but with finicky ass eaters I put the toppings on the side...chopped onion, tomato and minced black olives (and I even stuffed one the the whole olives with tomato for presentation...LOL). I don't allow people to put Catalina dressing on my taco salad. Taco salad is to be served with sour cream and salsa or some sort of hot sauce.

The recipe will depend on your crowd size...this is the recipe I use for parties and such.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground round (you can use turkey or a higher end ground beef if you like)

2 packages Ortega taco seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)

1 head lettuce

1 head leaf lettuce

1 head romaine lettuce

1 (8)oz. bag of mild cheddar cheese (shredded)

4-5 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped

Black olives (however many you like)

Sour cream

Salsa (jar of any type store bought salsa)

1 bag tortilla chips

Directions

Brown the ground beef on medium heat, drain grease (also use paper towel to soak up grease that didn't drain, making sure the beef is somewhat dry). Add taco seasoning following directions on the back of the package. Simmer for about 10 minutes and let stand to room temperature. Put into Tupperware, seal and put it into the refrigerator.

Chop up all the lettuce and put into bowl. When ground beef is cold, spread over the top of the lettuce, do the same with the cheese and chopped veggies. Serve with sour cream and salsa (a Tbsp. of each on top of each serving), and crushed tortilla chips on top (do not mix the chips into the salad...nothing worse than soggy tortilla chips).

Side note:

This is also really good to put inside of a taco salad bowl, which you can buy at the grocery store...its like the old taco salad "bowls" Taco Bell used...the flour tortillas shaped into a bowl and you put your salad in it.

Keltik's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This pie is almost better than homemade apple pie! Some people think "rhubarb, ewww"...but let me tell you, rhubarb is da bomb! The strawberries give the pie a sweetness while the rhubarb adds a bit of tartness. The flavor combination offers a wonderful contrast of sweet and tart. The picture you are about to see is my failed attempt to properly seal the edges of the pie (you can kind of see the juices coming through in the spot where I didn't seal it good). I should have listened to my inner voice and put foil under the pie. :::sigh:::

Now, I am going off memory for this recipe as it is at home in my overflowing cookbook.


Ingredients
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
3 cups sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp of butter
2 pre-made rolled pie crusts (yes, I cheated...LOL)


Directions
Preheat oven to 425.


In a bowl, mix togther flour and sugar, set aside. Roll out one of the pre-made crusts on the bottom of an ungreased pie dish (I used my glass Pyrex one). Spread 1/2 the rhubarb and 1/2 the strawberries on the bottom.

Spread 1/2 the sugar mixture over the fruit. Spread the remaining fruit, top it with the remaining sugar mix. Dalop the butter on top of the fruit. Roll out the top layer of the pie (an "try" to follow the directions for sealing the edges on the pie crust box). Put slits on the top using a sharp knife or butter knife (whichever is handier).

Line foil on oven rack (trust me). Place foil around the edges of the pie (this protects the edges of the pie from being burned). Put in oven about 40 minutes. Remove the foil around the edge of the crust and bake another 10 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

We ate as is, but this would be wonderful with real whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

McDonalds Sweet Tea Sacrilege

When you can't get your hands on McDonald's Sweet Tea...This is the next best thing! Produce Palace (12 Mile and Dequindre) has them on sale right now 2 for $5.00.

Somewhat Traditional Flan

This is a yummy and simple flan recipe. It's not overly heavy and has a very nice texture and just the right amount of sweetness (I hate flans that kill you with sugar). Serving with strawberries adds a little more flavor, and depending on ripeness of the berry, offers either tart or sweetness. I had already taken a bite when I realized I forgot to take a picture! LOL.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup white sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small nonstick saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat. Shake and swirl occasionally to distribute sugar until it is dissolved and begins to brown. Lift the pan over the heat source (4 to 6 inches) and continue to brown the sugar until it becomes a dark golden brown. You may slightly stir while cooking, but continually stirring causes the sugar to crystallize. Pour caramelized sugar into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or a large loaf pan, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.

In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for one minute. Pour over the caramelized sugar.

Place the filled casserole dish into a larger pan and add 1 inch of HOT water to the outer pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.

Firehouse Machaca Taco Filling

This is a wonderful alternative to boring taco meet. I made this once before and it was so good I had to do it again. Be careful though, this is one heck of a spicy dish!

INGREDIENTS
2 quarts water
3 pounds beef chuck
1 small onion, quartered
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup green salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a stockpot, combine, water, beef and quartered onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Strain and reserve broth. Shred meat with 2 forks; set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Saute chopped onion and bell pepper until tender. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved broth, shredded beef, salsa, cilantro and jalapenos. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until heated through.

This recipe is also good if you cook in a slow cooker and eliminate about 2/3 of the water. I suggest the directions above though.

The New Look!

Welcome to my updated blog. I've turned my Lemon Cleanse Blog into my foodie blog for all to enjoy, laugh at or learn from!

I'll be updating VERY soon with some recent cooking adventures!