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Turkey and Rice Stuffed Cubanelles

September 17, 2011 by

My favorite type of food is Mexican. If I could eat burritos, beans and tacos every night I’d be a happier woman. This summer our garden was literally overflowing with peppers and tomatoes so I had to modify lots of our existing everyday recipes to accomodate the abundance of produce that was growing. I usually make stuffed bell peppers with an Italian influence but the cubanelles felt more ethic to me. The flavor of them cooked was much better than raw so I knew I had to get them in the oven. Hope you like!!!

Ingredients
1 lb of ground turkey (or beef, chicken or pork)
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
½ cup salsa + ½ cup salsa
½ tsp Adobo seasoning (can substitute with garlic & onion powder)
3 cups cooked rice
Tbls chopped fresh oregano
½ cup shredded cheese of choice
4-6 cubanelle peppers

fresh from the garden

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

cooked and fluffed

In large skillet cook turkey with cumin, adobo, oregano and pepper until just done. Add ½ cup of salsa to cooked meat, mix thoroughly.

Mix cooked rice and meat mixture together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Split peppers down one side and remove seeds and ribs. Stuff peppers full with rice mixture, close with toothpick if necessary. Bake at 375 for 12-16 minutes, till warmed through. Top with tbls of salsa and sprinkle of preferred cheese.

ready to bake

Serve with seasoned black beans and a salad for a complete tasty meal.





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Let’s talk Baking

September 12, 2011 by

I’m no Betty Crocker but I like to bake. I’ve experimented lots over the years and have hads lots of hits and lots of misses.  One thing I do try my best to realize is that baking isn’t the same as cooking.  I can’t deviate from baked goods recipes or I risk a disaster.   Here are some of the “rules” I’ve learned to make sure I get the best possible outcome when it’s time to get some sweets on the table.

use for liquid measuring

  • use butter when a recipe calls for butter, margarine can cause cookies to spread too thin.
  • reading a recipe that calls for grams and ounces means ingredients should be weighed not measured in cups or spoons.
  • unless a recipe specifically calls for sifted flour don’t bother, spoon flour into your measuring cup and then level off with the straight side of a knife, easy peasy!
  • always prep ahead. Measure out ingredients before you start mixing, this allows for smooth and swift additions. Doing this also helps make ensure you have enough of all the ingredients to correctly make your recipe.
  • measure measure measure, baking is a science where as cooking is not. what looks like a teaspoon in the palm of your hand might not be. Not enough baking powder will prevent getting the proper rise from your sweets.
  • preheat your oven-not much more to say about that
  • cooking spray can be your friend; a quick spray in your measuring cup will lessen the amount of scraping you need to do when measuring out peanut butter, shortening or honey.
  • invest in rubber spatulas, they make for less clean up when you can get every morsel of batter or dough out of the bowl.
  • parchment paper is awesome!You’ll be amazed how easy it is to get a whole pan of brownies out of a pan without losing a single crumb.

    dry ingredient measurement

What are your fool proof tips or secrets to successful baked goods and desserts?




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Crock Pot and Slow Cooker Desserts

September 7, 2011 by

Winter is going to be here very soon. In my house that’s the time to break out the crock pot for some savory stews and roasts. What I’ve never done is use my crockpot for desserts. Here are a couple recipes that look amazing and super easy for anyone to try.

Crock Pot Deserts

Crockpot Applesauce
Ingredients

10 apples, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup water
1/8 cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Directions
Add all ingredients to crockpot, cover & cook on HIGH for 5 hours. Turn off crockpot, uncover & mash with potato masher until desired texture. If you prefer smoother applesauce transfer to food processor or blender. Ready to eat warm with ice cream or whipped cream or chilled for a sweet snack.

Crockpot Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 TBLS milk
1 TBLS vegetable or canola oil
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup water
Cooking spray for coating crock pot

Directions
In a large bowl, combine flour, 6 tbls sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, & nutmeg. In a separate bowl, mix egg, vanilla, milk and oil. Blend the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Coat the crockpot with cooking spray and evenly spread the batter on the bottom.

In medium saucepan, combine blueberrries, water & remaining sugar, bring to a boil and remove from heat, let set for 5 minutes. Pour blueberry mixture on top of batter & cook on HIGH for 2 hours. At the end of 2 hours, turn off crockpot, uncover and let cobbler set for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Crockpot Decadent Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients
1 box chocolate devil’s food cake mix
1 box instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
2 cups sour cream (do not use fat free)
4 eggs
1 cup water, room temperature
1 cup canola oil
16oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
In mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, water and oil; beat until mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in chocolate chips.

Coat crock pot with cooking spray; pour batter into bottom of bowl. Cover and cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours, center should be just set. A toothpick inserted near center should come out with moist crumbs when done. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream of choice.

 




Best Rocky Road Brownies #Recipe

July 26, 2011 by

I’m not a big dessert eater; it takes something special to get to sidle up to the table for the sweet dish. This Rocky Road Brownie is one of those dishes. It’s a delicious blend of sweet, salty, gooey and crunchy.
The best part of this recipe is there is no need for a mixer. Everything is mixed together in on bowl over a double boiler. A quick prep of all of your ingredients and this can be mixed up in just a few minutes and on the table in time for an after dinner treat.

Rocky Road Browniesrocky road brownies recipe
Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup chocolate chips, semisweet
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup mini-marshmallows*
  • ½ cup caramel sauce*
  • 1/2 cup chopped lightly salted walnuts, pecan or almonds*
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips, your choice of flavor*
  • 1/2 cup fudge topping*
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter chips*
  • ½ cup chopped candy bar or toffee bits*
  • 1 cup broken Oreos or other cookie of choice*

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment with a couple inches overhang on 2 sides, then butter the parchment paper. It sounds like a lot of work but you DON’T want these brownies sticking to the pan.
In a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pan with 1” simmering water add butter and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Mix until completely melted, remove from heat. Add sugars and salt, mix until combined. Mix in eggs then flour until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 28-32 minutes until inserted toothpicks come out with moist sticky crumbs attached.

*Remove from oven and start adding your toppings. Start with something sticky or melty like chocolate chips and marshmallows, and then add dry toppings like nuts or cookies then finish with sticky melty topping like caramel. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes to set toppings onto brownies.

Remove from oven and let brownies cool completely in pan. Using parchment handles, remove brownies from pan and cut into squares. Using a large plastic knife or wet sharp blade works best. These will keep in a sealed plastic container for about 3 days but they don’t last that long in this house.

 

 

I Disclose




What’s for Dinner This Summer

July 12, 2011 by

I’m in another mealtime rut. Summer has been great, we’ve been doing tons of stuff and having a great time with friends and family. Even my garden is producing edible goodies I can get to the plate.  My issue is I’m bored and I don’t want to cook. It’s too hot inside with the oven and it’s too hot next to the grill and my kids typically don’t like salad or sandwiches or soup. I’ve been on the hunt for new recipes and ideas that will at least give me some motivation to cook for my family.

I’ve found a couple of new recipes that I’m really interested in trying. I’m sharing them with you and maybe if they sound appetizing you can test them out for yourself and tell me your experience.

Penne with Spinach, Shrimp, Tomatoes and Basil
Ingredients
12 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 large plum tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves (about 6 ounces)

Preparation
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Ladle 1 cup pasta cooking liquid into small bowl and reserve. Drain pasta. Return pasta to pot; cover to keep hot.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and garlic to skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, 4 tablespoons basil, lemon juice and lemon peel and sauté until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Add spinach leaves to hot pasta; toss until spinach wilts. Add shrimp mixture and toss to blend. Add enough of reserved pasta cooking liquid to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl.
Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.

Annie’s Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
Ingredients
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples – peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugarFruit Salsa for Dinner, Summer Recipes

Preparation
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Italian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
MARINADE
1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian dressing
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (optional)
CHICKEN SALAD
8 thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Mixed salad greens
Cherry tomatoes

Preparation
Combine the marinade ingredients in a medium-size bowl and whisk them to blend. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture for basting the chicken on the grill.
Place the chicken breasts in a gallon-size zip-lock bag and pour in the remaining marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal it. Turn the bag to thoroughly coat the chicken, then place it in a bowl and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, turning it occasionally. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling.
Prepare a charcoal fire or set a gas grill to medium-high, close the lid, and heat until hot — about 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill it uncovered, basting with the reserved marinade. Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink inside, about 2 minutes per side on a gas grill. Transfer the breasts to a cutting board and let them rest about 5 minutes before thinly slicing them crosswise. Serve the chicken over salad greens and cherry tomatoes. Serves 6 to 8.

 

fruit image courtesy of Deeluscious via Flickr




Too Easy-Homemade Croutons

May 26, 2011 by

homemade-croutonsThis weekend I bought all the ingredients for big healthy salads; except for one thing, croutons.  I hate buying croutons. they are expensive and usually really salty.  I decided to make my own. I happened to also buy a baguette and had half of it left.  Here is my experiment.

1/2 baguette, sliced 1 inch think then quartered

1 heaping TBSP finely chopped garlic

1/2 tsp sea alt

several cracks of fresh pepper

3 tsp melted butter

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Place cubed bread in a large bowl along with garlic, salt and pepper.  Pour melted butter and oil over bread and vigorously shake/stir ingredients so bread is completely coated.  Spread bread on shallow baking pan in single layer and bake at 325-350 degrees for 15-18 minutes till golden brown.  Turning halfway through may be necessary.

Remove from oven, immediately empty into a bowl, add grated Parmesan and stir until completely coated. They are ready to eat still warm.

I impressed myself. These were tasty.  Next time I’m adding fresh parsley along with the grated Parmesan cheese and lots more pepper.  I’m eating them like chips, they might not make it to the salad.

 

 

I Disclose




Sausage and Pepperoni Soup-Recipe

January 11, 2011 by

I love soup in the winter but the kids don’t like lots of stuff mixed together and Rob isn’t a big fan and doesn’t think soup is very filling. I came up with this using the same base as most of my other soup recipes so it came together quite easily. I used ingredients the kids usually love and I think it was a successful dinner. Try it, change it, let me know what you think.

Sausage and Pepperoni Soup
2 Italian Sausage links with casings removed
3 oz sliced pepperoni, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk diced
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp thyme
2 boxes low sodium chicken stock
1 tsp garlic powder or 2-3 cloves finely chopped
1 tsp onion powder or ½ medium onion chopped
2 cups ditalini or other preferred shape
8oz whole leaf spinach, fresh for thawed from frozen
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large stock pot brown Italian sausage and break up into crumbles. Pull out and set aside on plate. In same pot, crisp pepperoni, about 1 minute. Pull out pepperoni while reserving fat in pot. Add carrots and celery to pot with pepperoni grease and sauté for 5 minutes. Add pepper, oregano & thyme, stir till fragrant add stock. Bring to simmer then add pasta. Cook till al dente then add spinach. Stir in sausage and pepperoni. Serve with crusty bread to soak up broth.




Have You Ever Had Pastelillos?

August 2, 2010 by
Here is my question for you, have you ever had a Pastelillos?  Pastelillos is a Spanish beef patty which is a very famous pastry among Puerto Ricans and Dominicans.
If not you need to figure out how to get your hands on these little gems of goodness because they are AWESOME. I have been married to Melinda who is Puerto Rican for 9 years and this is the first time I have had these. Can you believe that? I can’t believe it has taken me so long to have these. It feels like I have been robbed for the last 9 years.  LOL. Her aunt made them and like I said they are soooooooooo good!  Look at that fried goodness above (mouth watering).  I can’t wait until I can have a few of these again.

The funny thing is on Saturday I couldn’t pronounce the name of these so I asked Melinda were there any more Hot Pockets left.  Pastelillos and Hot Pockets same concept but Pastelillos are a million time better!!!!!

I am not sure how to make them but here is a recipe I found online:

Ingredients

1 pk Goya dough for turnover pastries (discos para empanadas) look for it in the frozen Spanish section of your supermarket—they usually come frozen, ten in a pack.

1 lb lean ground beef

3 tbs sofrito or (1 tbs chopped onions, green peppers, red peppers and garlic, and 2 tbs chopped cilantro or you may use one teaspoon of Adobo Goya)

1 cup cooking oil

2 envelopes of Sason Goya with annatto, for coloring

Salt and pepper to taste

Rolling pin

All purpose flour

(For spicy hot flavor add Cayenne powder or hot sauce to the ground beef mixture.)

Directions on how to make them:

  • In a skillet, brown the ground beef. No need to drain ground beef if you used lean meat. Otherwise drain.
  • Add the sofrito (or alternative), the salt and pepper and the Sason Goya. Stir. Simmer at low heat until meat is completely cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, pour oil in a small-medium skillet. While the oil gets hot, dust some flour on your counter. Put one pastry disc over the dusted counter and stretch out the dough, turn it over on the other side and do the same.
  • Spoon some beef mixture in the center of the disc. Close the disc to a half-moon. Seal the edges by pressing around it with a fork. By this time your oil should be hot.
  • Being careful, you may drop the filled pastry disc into the hot oil. Fry pastries until golden brown (one-two minutes.) Turn it over other side and cook until golden brown.
  • Remove from oil and rest it on paper towel. Repeat the same process and fry the rest of the discs. You may find it easier to fill and fry two pastry discs at the time.

Warning! The filling is very hot, although the pastry is probably not as hot.

Enjoy your pastelillos.

If you have had Pastelillos before let me know what you thought of them. 




Let’s Talk Tasty Food on a Budget

July 28, 2010 by

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mission Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.
3 kids, 2 adults equals mini squabbles at dinnertime. Shae doesn’t like sauce, Shaun doesn’t like chicken, Sabreena doesn’t like beans, Rob and I eat almost anything and expect the kids to eat what’s on their plate.

Most nights are pretty successful, I know what the kids like and try to offer some choices with veggies or sides but our main meal is for the most part not up for discussion. If I want a meal to go off without a hitch I go for Mexican. Mission Tortillas are my godsend. Food stuffed in a tortilla the kids will eat. From tacos to enchiladas to most recently beef and bean burritos, Mexican food is a hit. Always on our grocery list we go through about 2 packs a week, small ones for lunch (cheese quesadillas, peanut butter and jelly rolls) and big ones for dinner. I find Mission brand tortillas fresher, softer and tastier than other brands and low in fat and calories making them a guilt free meal or snack.

Beginning today Mission Foods kicking off the Mission Menus Challenge; a contest encouraging consumers to submit their budget conscious recipes for a chance to win a $10,000 Dream Kitchen Makeover and to participate in a LA area cook-off. All recipes must be original, include Mission Flour Tortillas and feed a family of 5 for $10 or less. Quick this contest ends August 9, 2010

Visit Mission Menus Challenge for all the rules and details and to also learn about Mission’s commitment to end childhood hunger through Share our Strength.




Smores without the Fire-Recipe

July 19, 2010 by

We camp, not tent camp but air-conditioned, running water, olympic sized pool included camper camping. Aside from the water park our favorite part about camping is a glowing fire with S’mores!  Since camping only comes around a couple times a year I had to figure out a way to bring s’mores to the table more often.

Grilled S’mores! That’s right, Grilled S’mores. Here’s what you’ll need.

graham crackers
marshmallows
chocolate bars
bbq grill (or oven)

heat up grill or oven to a low temperature (around 225), I turn the gas on a little bit and just turn on the burner in the back.  this makes the inside warm but not HOT

Break graham crackers in half (2 squares each) and place on grill or cookie sheet. Top half of the crackers with marshmallows, close cover or place in oven until marshmallow is soft.  Check the marshmallow progress after 3-4 minutes.  Once the marshmallows have puffed it’s time to remove from heat and assemble.  The heat from the marshmallow and graham cracker is enough to soften the chocolate. While you don’t get that real campfire char on the marshmallows these are a great alternative when a roaring fire is nowhere to be found.

This isn’t an exact recipe just a guideline, amounts,timing, temperatures and textures may vary.




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