Lexican Masagna

Lexican Masagna

Mexican Lasagna: No noodles required!

Ingredients

·         3 TBS olive oil

·         2 lbs ground chicken breast

·         2 TBS chili powder

·         2 tsp cumin

·         ½ red onion chopped

·         1 can fire roasted tomatoes

·         1 can black beans

·         1 cup frozen corn

·         Salt

·         4-6 cloves garlic

·         ½ cup Tomatillo (or enchilada sauce)

·         12 corn tortillas

·         1 bag of Mexican blend cheese

Directions

1. Cook the chicken in a pan with olive oil. The recipe calls for ground chicken but I just cooked chicken breasts and then cut it up and shredded the chicken. After this throw it back in the pan with the chili powder, cumin and red onions. Put a lid on it so the onions soften and so that the chicken doesn’t dry out. Next throw all this into a bigger pot (or dutch oven if you have one) with a little more olive oil.
2. Add the minced garlic, tomatoes, beans and corn. Mix it up and cook for 5-10 minutes, you want it to be very hot and cooked! Add some salt (optional).

1. Coat shallow baking dish with olive oil and layer your lasagna! From the bottom it goes:
1. Meat/beans
2. Tortillas
3. Tomatillo (or enchilada sauce)
4. Cheese
5. Repeat one more time

1. Bake 12-15 minutes @ 350 degrees or until the cheese is bubbling on top!

Consensus

I made this dish as enticement for Ian to come over and watch the Country Music Awards show with me! He also donated some chicken, the onion and cheese for the dish J I served with sour cream on the side and we both enjoyed this dish. 

This is pretty easy to make and there were leftovers. Next time I would try adding a layer of rice under the meat/beans for some extra texture.

I actually typed the title dyslexically on accident but I decided to keep it so that people would be curious about the recipe!

best smoothie EVER

Best Smoothie Ever

Winning!

I have been making smoothies ever since I got my Magic Bullet for Christmas in 2007 (thanks Momma). I have tried a lot of different combinations with mangos, berries, bananas, ice, yogurts, frozen berries, apple juice, orange juice, sugar, etc. My go to has been a banana, 5-6 fresh strawberries and Light and Fit vanilla yogurt; its okay. Just okay, it’s never been amazing. One day I didn’t have any fresh fruit so I used some frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) and yogurt. Then I remembered I had to buy agave nectar for the chicken suiza casserole and I knew it was a sugar substitute so I put a little of that in. You see, I don’t like the tartness of blueberries and blackberries so I never eat them and I don’t like to put them in my smoothies. Well the result was amazing! The agave took away the tartness and sourness of those darker berries and it’s my new smoothie recipe. Ian tried it and ended up scarfing down what was going to be my breakfast the next day.

Ingredients

Frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Frozen strawberries

Light & Fit vanilla yogurt

Agave nectar!

Apple juice

Instructions

Put all ingredients into a Magic Bullet or blender, mix and drink! Great for breakfast, dessert and a snack. I also put it in the freezer then let it defrost and eat it as an excellent sorbet.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Yum! We ate this during the OSU/Cal football game, let's just say this dip helped to improve our moods.

This has always been a yummy dip to order as an appetizer but I know that it is not the healthiest; my version isn’t much better. It does have cream cheese and not butter so I think it’s a bit better than most J I made this for the trip up to the mountain that Ian and I made last weekend. We went to visit my Godparents, they live in a mansion cabin in Welches J They just moved into a bigger cabin right on the Salmon River and we had a great time catching up. Cathie made us a delicious mascarpone cheese pasta with an Asian pear/pine nut/poppy seed dressing salad. Mike kept us well boozed. We talked about asphalt paving, Bailey, fishing, government, grad school and snow! Here is the recipe for the dip:

Ingredients

·         1 box (10 ox), chopped frozen spinach

·         1 can artichoke hearts

·         6 ounces cream cheese

·         1/4 cup sour cream

·         1/4 cup mayonnaise

·         1/3 cup grated Parmesan (I used more)

·         1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Directions for dip

1.       Boil spinach in water until tender and drain. Discard and press out the liquid.

2.       Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients.

3.       Mix everything in a small baking dish and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Directions for crostini

1.       I  used artisan bread slices that were on day old bakery shelf but I recommend sourdough!

2.       Break bread into palm-size pieces and brush both sides with an olive oil/salt/paper mixture.

3.       Bake on a baking pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Put in the oven 5-10 minutes before the dip for great timing J

Consensus

We all enjoyed this dip! We were a little full from breakfast and our beer and coffee nudges but we made room for most of the dip. Next time I will add mince garlic, more parmesan and a more pungent cheese such as fontina or extra sharp.

Cathie cooking in her outdoor covered kitchen! Jealous? Yes!

homemade hummus

homemade hummus

I forgot to take a picture of mine so I stole this from the internet. Roasting the pine nuts is a great idea though! 

I have wanted to make homemade hummus for a very long time. It’s something that I eat quite often but I usually only buy it when it’s on sale. My favorite brand is the Sabra with pine nuts but it’s expensive so I go with Athenos or Fred Meyer brand. So since I started this cooking blog I figured it was about time to save myself some money and make my own! I did go all out and bought some pine nuts to put in it J

Ingredients

§  2 cans Garbanzo Beans, Rinsed And Drained

§  1/3 cup Tahini

§  3 cloves minced Garlic

§  1/2 whole Lemon, Juiced (or 2-3 TBS of lemon juice)

§  1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin, Or More To Taste

§  Salt To Taste

§  Fresh Basil Or Italian Parsley (or dry)

§  3 Tablespoons To 5 Tablespoons Cold Water (I had to use more)

§  1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (I used more)

Instructions

1.       Combine chickpeas with all ingredients, except water and olive oil, in a blender or food processor. I only have a Magic Bullet and a very small food processor and neither of them worked for this step. I suggest using a blender in which case go by the recipe and hopefully it will work out.

2.       Pulse until mixture becomes somewhat smooth and combined, but do not over mix. You just have to play with it in order to get all the beans blended.  

3.       Add water as necessary to facilitate blending. At the end, add olive oil and pulse no more than three times, just to incorporate. I had to add a lot more water and olive oil just to get it to mix.

4.       Pour mixture into a bowl and stir to ensure mixture is combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to three days in the fridge. I mixed in pine nuts (roast them if you have time) and also sprinkled pine nuts on top.

Consensus

I took this up to the mountain on our visit to my Godparents Mike and Cathie.  Ian and I drove up to Welches to see their new cabin (which is big and awesome) and I decided to bring this hummus and the spinach artichoke dip. I served the hummus with pita chips, carrots, broccoli and celery. Everyone thought it was great! I thought it could have been creamier though. 

Welsh Rabbit

Welsh Rabbit (Rarebit)

My favorite breakfast growing up!

My dad used to make this for us on the weekend when I was growing up. It was my favorite breakfast! I would have a toasted bagel with scrambled eggs on top and then pour this sauce over it. My mom sent me a recipe of it but I tried it about a year ago and it wasn’t quite the same. So I tried again, this time with an altered Pioneer Woman recipe. I added more Worcestershire sauce and substituted beer for red wine (I’m fairly certain he used wine). I also omitted the cayenne, because I didn’t have any (I’ll have to pick that up at the store!). Here is my second trial recipe below but look for more trials in the future!

Ingredients

§  2 Tablespoons butter

§  2 Tablespoons flour

§  1/3 cup milk

§  1/3 cup red wine (I used Merlot)

§  1 teaspoon (heaping) dry mustard

§  1/2 teaspoon paprika

§  4-6 dashes Worcestershire

§  1 cup Mexican cheese blend

§  1 whole egg yolk

Instructions

1.       Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.

2.       Sprinkle in flour and whisk together until combined. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes.

3.       Pour in milk and wine, whisking constantly, and cook for an additional minute. Add mustard, paprika and whisk.

4.       Add cheese and whisk slowly, cooking for a couple of minutes or until smooth, melted, and very hot.

5.       Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolk.

6.       Serve immediately (while hot) over scrambled eggs and toast.

Consensus

I made this for myself on a lazy Sunday morning and definitely enjoyed it. I made scrambled eggs and toasted my crostini bread that I used for the spinach artichoke dip. It still wasn’t up to my dad’s recipe; I think it needs different cheese (I think I will try extra sharp cheddar next) and more Worcestershire. I will probably add some cayenne to it as well. I took the leftovers to Ian and he enjoyed it the last time we made it so I’m pretty certain he will like this version as well. I mean, anything is better than Top Ramen right? Just kidding Ian!

Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread

Before

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan or larger baking bowl.
2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart. 

Yummy!

 Consensus
 I made this for Ian and his housemates and we all enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend cooking it in a Bundt pan if you can though because the pieces in the middle weren't cooked while the pieces on top were crunchy.

Pumpkin Spiders

Pumpkin Spiders

Cooking in the crockpot made the whole apartment smell good!

Ingredients

• 4 cups apple juice
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon of cloves
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 4 shots of rum

Directions

Put everything in a crock pot on high until hot enough to drink, then turn to low. Stir before serving.

Pumpkin spider

Review

I was a reluctant to make this because I'm not a huge fan of eating pumpkin (I'm a fan of carving and baking seeds though!) but I knew others could enjoy this drink. The pumpkin taste was not overwhelming and this ended up being a success! My roommate Danielle threw a Fall Party and everyone enjoyed this drink, even me! We had to add a little more rum to be able to taste it, of course. Overall it was hot, not too pumpkin-y, a little spicy and perfect for a cold day.

Tantalizing Turkey and Blue Cheese Meatballs

Tantalizing Turkey and Blue Cheese Meatballs

Allrecipes.com

Baking away!

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion, cut into chunks
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons blue cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Pulse garlic cloves and onions in a food processor until minced. the onion mixture into a large bowl along with the turkey, blue cheese, bread crumbs, egg whites, and olive oil. Season with soy sauce, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, pepper, and chili powder. Mix well. Roll the mixture into 2 inch balls, and place onto prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, and no longer pink in the center, about 25 minutes. 

Meatballs over rice but I suggest spaghetti instead!

Consensus

Next time I will use a different cheese, maybe gruyere or fontina. The blue cheese was too strong. Ian and I ate it with rice and soy sauce but it was too dry and we didn’t want to add too much soy sauce.  Ian suggested eating it with spaghetti next time.

Baked Kale Chips

Baked Kale Chips

Crispy kale chips

Ingredients

          

1 bunch of kale leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Rinse the leaves thoroughly and dry in paper towels. Break off chip-size pieces, avoiding the stem and put into a large Tupperware bowl that has a lid. Put the olive oil on top of the leaves and shake the bowl until the leaves are coated with olive oil. Lay out the “chips” on baking pans and sprinkly sparingly with salt and pepper.

Other versions to try:

Thai – add sriacha to the olive oil before coating the leaves

BBQ – add BBQ rub instead

Ranchy – sprinkle chips with ranch dip packet after they have cooked

Asian – sprinkle sesame seeds before baking

Salt ‘n Vinegar – mix ½ tsp white vinegar with olive oil before coating leaves, salt after baking

The Consensus

I made these for a game of Settlers of Cataan with Ian and his roommates but I didn't bake them right so no one really liked them. I made the mistake of using extra olive oil (which made them too crispy) and extra salt (which made them way too salty), so don’t be greedy like me!

Baked Chickpeas

Baked Chickpeas 

Garbanzo = chickpea

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS BBQ rub

Instructions

Drain and dry the garbanzo beans. Mix with olive oil and rub. Lay out on baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees. Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden and crispy.

The Consensus

Less rub!! I was greedy with seasoning as usual.

Chicken Suiza Casserole

Chicken Suiza Casserole 

Leftovers

Ingredients

3 TBSP EVOO
1 cup tomatillo sauce

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves, garlic

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp agave syrup

1 lime, juiced

1 cup chicken stock

1 ½ lbs cooked and shredded chicken

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ cups grated swiss cheese

1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

12 corn flour tortillas

Sliced red onions for garnish

Spicy option

Char 2 poblano chile peppers under broiler or over burners until blackened all over. Let cool, then peel, seed and chop the poblanos.

Instructions

Heat EVOO in a large skillet, add onions, garlic, bay leaf, salt/pepper/cumin and cilantro. In another large skillet cook chicken in the chicken stock. Once chicken is cooked, add tomatillo sauce, squeezed lime juice and agave syrup. Besides the tomatillo sauce, try to cook out most of the liquid.

In a medium casserole dish, place half of the chicken mixture (don’t let any extra liquidgo in this layer, just chicken). Top this layer with half the sour cream and half of the cheese. Depending on the size of your casserole dish, place a layer of corn tortillas (I only used 3 but I will use more in the future). Don’t be afraid to overlap! Repeat the chicken, sour cream, cheese and tortilla layer but save some cheese for the top. Is there liquid still left in the chicken pan? Pour this over the last tortilla layer (you don’t want too much settling at the bottom though!) Top with cheese.

Broil until the cheese is crispy and enjoy! I served with extra sour cream.

The Consensus

I made this dish for Ian and I and we both enjoyed it! The sour cream made it a little sweet but mixed with the tomatillo and spices it was a great combination. I modified a Rachel Ray recipe quite a bit and substituted chicken for turkey.