GF recipes

Here are a couple of GF (and vegetarian) recipes I've tried recently and thought you guys might be interested! Black Bean and Corn Stuffed Potatoes Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

Sweet Pork Burros

So, I make this Costa Vida copycat recipe. It is very yummy. However, I don't think it's an exact match as far as the flavor of the sweet pork at Costa Vida. My mom has a DELISH recipe for sweet pork and makes a heavenly tomatillo dressing that's just like at the restaurant, but it's much more involved and requires ingredients I don't usually have on hand. SO, here's the one I use cause it's easy, yummy, and I don't have to make an extra trip to the store.

Meat:
Pork
Brown Sugar
Salsa

Place pork (mine's usually frozen) in crock pot. Cover with brown sugar (probably 1/2 a cup or less, depending on how much meat you're using) and salsa (probably 1/2 a jar or more). Cook on low for several hours. Shred and stir before serving.

Rice:
1 C. rice (I use brown, but white is more like the restaurant)
1 small can diced green chiles
onion
garlic, minced
cilantro
spoonful of "butter"

Place green chiles, onion, and cilantro in food chopper and chop until "fine". Place all ingredients plus one cup water into pot and cook like you usually cook rice.

Serve meat and rice in tortillas (the kind you cook yourself are best) with cooked black or pinto beans. Top with cheese.

*Last night I made my own version of pico de gallo with tomato, cilantro, and green onion. Yum. I also used feta cheese instead of the shredded cheddar I usually would use and it was GREAT! I know I was a little vague on the exact measurements for the meat and rice, but if you ever want to make this, let me know and I'll be more specific!

Greek Pasta Salad

I had this at a baby shower and it was divine, so I asked the lady who brought it for the recipe. She brought it cold, sans chicken. For our dinner I did it with the chicken and served warm. I set aside some for Ryan before adding the olives, red peppers, tomatoes, and feta cheese. I LOVE the flavor combo of having all of it together! It was delish and easy! I recommend it!

*I'll give you the same disclaimer as the lady gave me: the seasoning contains MSG... if that matters to you.


Greek Pasta Salad

1 lb. corkscrew or penne pasta
Chicken breast – brown in olive oil and lot’s of cavendar’s seasoning
1 can olives – sliced
1 red pepper – diced
Broccoli – cooked till soft (not overcooked- can run cold water on it to
stop the cooking)
Cherry tomatoes - optional
Feta Cheese – crumbled

Mix all together - Add dressing – then add feta last

Dressing:
½ cup olive oil
½ cup vinegar
3 Tbsp cavendar’s greek seasoning (yellow and red container found in
the spice aisle of any store)

** for authentic greek salad use artichoke hearts instead of broccoli. I
just don’t like artichoke hearts so I changed it.

A couple new recipes

Okay, I don't know what the deal is, but for a while now (like a few months) I've been having problems uploading pics to blogger. I did take pictures of everything I'm posting about today, but I only got one pic to upload. Sorry.

We were having company over on Sunday night so I decided to try a couple new recipes that I've been wanting to make.

Main Course: Lasagna Roll Ups

1 pkg. lasagna
1 (24 oz.) jar your favorite spaghetti sauce
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. basil leaves
2 (16 oz.) container Ricotta cheese
2 C. mozarella cheese, divided
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt

Prepare lasagna according to package directions. Drain. Pour half of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of lasagna pan. Blend ricotta, 1 cup mozarella, parmesan, eggs, herbs and salt. Spread cheese mixture equally on lasagna strips. Roll up each strip. Arrange lasagna rolls seam side down in pan. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serves 6-8

*My notes: I didn't know if the recipe referred to fresh parsley, oregano, and basil, but I used my stuff from my spice cabinet and just estimated. I used less than the measurements given since dried is much more potent than fresh herbs. (Right?)
Also, I let the noodles cool laying flat in layers separated my towels on a cookie sheet so that they didn't stick to each other.
Oh, and I forgot to cover before baking...no harm done, just not as pretty on top.
This was yummy!!

Served with: Breadsticks Recipe HERE


and green salad (I know you don't need a recipe for that. Ha)

Dessert: Ice Box Dessert from Kraft Foods magazine

7 1/2 graham crackers, broken in half
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups milk
1 pkg. (4 serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding mix
1 tub (8 oz.) cool whip, thawed, divided
1 cup quartered strawberries
1 cup chopped kiwis
1/3 cup coconut, toasted

Arrange graham crackers in even layer on bottom of 9 x 13 pan

Beat cream cheese in large bowl until creamy. Gradually add milk. Add pudding mix; beat 1 min. Stir in half the whipped topping. Spread over graham crackers in pan. Cover with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate several hours or over night. Top with fruit and sprinkle coconut just before serving.

*I didn't do the coconut, although it would be yummy! Also, I used strawberries, blueberries, and boysenberries and it was red, white, and blue for the 4th! Yummy!

grilled avocado

again, this recipe is from 'summer grilling' from come back to the table.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
2 large ripe avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup picante sauce (or chopped tomato and jalapeno) {i think she meant pico de gallo type combo... NOT pace picante sauce :o)}
shredded cheese {of your liking... probably monterey jack or a white cheese. not sure how cheddar would do}
snipped fresh cilantro

Stir together olive oil and lime juice. Bruch avocados with the mixture, and sprinkle the cut sides of the avocado with salt.

Grill cut side down on grill rack for about 5 minutes until browned. {remember, preheat on high, turn to low right when adding food}

Turn avocado halves and fill them with picante sauce and shredded cheese. Cover and grill 5 minutes more until cheese melts. Remove from grill, sprinkle tops with snipped cilantro. Serve on a bed of salad greens if desired, or as a side dish to grilled meat or fish.

{these are my little add-ons above. i would have waited a little longer for the cheese to melt more thoroughly... and i was going from memory so i just put the cilantro in with jalapeno and tomato mixture.}

Grilled Pizza & Grilling Tips

Grilled Pizza: (please note these directions are either directly from 'summer grilling' class at come back to the table or my rough interpretations of them.)


Make pizza dough... or a new trick we learned at an italian cooking class this last weekend... buy dough at a local pizza shop or at whole foods. for northern colorado - pulcinelli's is awesome and its 3 bucks for a large dough. not bad for the time saved. lindsay - i know that wouldn't happen with you or your fam ;o)


Okay, you have the dough. split the dough into two or 3. roll out into a rough round shape. in the meantime, preheat the grill on high. place pizza dough on a rimless baking sheet covered with coarse cornmeal. make sure the dough doesn't stick to the pan anywhere so that when you go to slide it on to the grill... it goes on smooth. turn the grill down to low right before putting the pizza on. drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on the top of the crust. when the pizza is stiff, turn it with tongs. olive oil, salt and pepper the cooked side. top with pesto and cheese (or the toppings of choice). close the lid and cook until dough is cooked and toppings are warm/melted.


so the big tip?! preheat grill to high... but always cook on low to medium!

the pesto one was 1/2 of the large dough at pulcinelli's... the canadian bacon/pineapple one is a full large dough.

Ckn parmesan

This is my first mobile posting on the blog. But this was chicken parmesan we made a couple weeks ago.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

EDIT: per lindsay's comment/request...

i used the same breading as i do with the chicken tenders/bites (ritz & parmesan combo). i used 2 chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise (to make 2 thinner pieces of chicken). then i placed them on parchment paper and covered them with it as well. i then used a heavy pan and pounded them down a bit. there are actual kitchen tools for this - sometimes the opposite side of a meat tenderizer... but a pan will do just fine.

then lightly cover them in olive oil and bread with ritz/parm mixture.

baked at 425 until done (about 20 minutes... and i flip half way through)

then top with some pasta sauce and parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese. throw back in the oven for about 5 minutes for sauce to heat through and cheese to melt. serve on pasta.

Dinner idea

Here's a delicious, easy dinner idea for you all. This is a meal I always thought of as a treat when my mom made it growing up, and it's so easy! However, I don't know what you'd call it...

Ingredients:
Smoked Sausage
Fresh pineapple
Green bell pepper

Brown rice

Bring skillet to medium heat. Meanwhile, chop ingredients. Add about a tablespoon olive oil to skillet and add peppers. Saute for a couple minutes, then add sausage. Let cook, stirring occasionally until it starts to brown. Add pineapple and cook till everything is hot. Serve over cooked brown rice. Yum.

I think I served this with corn on the cob or watermelon, some summer produce item.

Another plus about this meal is that it is very cheap to make. I only used about half of the sausage (a little over $1). The pineapple was $1 and I only used about 1/4 of that. One bell pepper, about $ .50. Rice, cheap. Anyway, you get the idea...all in all, the meal was definitely under $5.

Easy Peasy

No Bake Cookies (my mom's recipe)
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 C milk
2 C sugar
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C cocoa

Combine above ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Add:
3 C oatmeal
1 t. vanilla

Remove from heat and stir well. Form cookies and place on wax paper to cool. (As you can see, I put my wax paper on on a cookie sheet so I could place in fridge easily. This recipe made two pans full.)



I tried a new recipe from a cookbook my grandparents gave me for Mother's Day.
It is titled "Delicious and Easy Burrito Filling".

Approx. 2 lbs. frozen or thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1 jar salsa

Put chicken in crockpot and season lightly (I used taco seasoning). Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high for four to five hours or low for six to eight hours. Shred chicken and mix together before serving. Serve in tortillas.

*We topped with shredded cheese.

~Now that it is getting hot, I try to minimize heating up the house for cooking. Hence the no-bake cookies. I love using the crockpot in the summer because I put in in the garage to cook all day and it doesn't heat things up inside. That is what I did yesterday with the above recipe.

enchiladas & mexican rice

I finally took a picture of our enchilada dinner before devouring it.
see enchilada recipe from april 2009

the rice is simple. use a small can of diced tomates with green chilies.
usually you would use 2 cups water with 1 cup rice. in this case just measure the water/juice from the can of tomatoes and add water to hit the 2 cup measurement. {don't measure the tomatoes though} then use 1 cup rice... and cook like normal or ~ 20 minutes.

Mac & Cheese Primavera

I tried THIS recipe last night. It was pretty yummy and, most importantly, quick and easy! I just took the veggies out for Riley.

(I didn't add the green beans and my basil wasn't fresh.)

Ham & Scalloped Potatoes

Yep...you guessed it...from mommy
This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE meals
HAM & SCALLOPED POTATOES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ham:
3lb ham
whole cloves
Glaze:
In small bowl mix 1/2 tsp ground mustard, 1 T vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar

Cut ham both ways (as seen in the picture). Stick a whole clove in each space (where the cuts meet...if that makes sense) Bake for an hour with the cloves in.

Take ham out & remove the cloves after 1 hour is up. Spread the glaze over the top of the ham & bake for another 30 minutes.

I prefer to get ham with no skin, the glaze really seeps in better that way!

Scalloped Potatoes:
6 Medium potatoes (about 4 cups) sliced into small pieces.

In a sauce pan:
melt 3 T of butter on low heat, add 3 T of flour and a little bit of salt & pepper. Stir until smooth & bubbly. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of milk (I use rice milk). Add some minced onion for flavor. Heat to a boil. Boil & stir for 1 minute.

In a 9x13 pan: put the potatoes in and pour sauce over. I like to mix it a bit to make sure it gets all over.

Bake 30 minutes covered. Remove cover & bake for another 30 minutes.


I like to put the ham in for 30 minutes, then put the potatoes in. 30 minutes later remove the cloves & cover from the potatoes. Then, cook for the last 30 minutes. Sometimes the potatoes need a little more time then an hour total. So, I remove the ham, let the potatoes bake for a bit longer, then put the ham back in for a few to get warm.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Also one of my mom's recipes...this is SO delish
Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut up into small pieces)
1 can of pineapple chunks
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
3/4 cup chopped green pepper

Sauce:
In a bowl, put: juice from the pineapple, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce and mix well.

Cook chicken in a skillet/pan. After chicken is close to being done, add chopped peppers (if you like the peppers more cooked add them earlier). Next, add pineapple chunks and pour sauce into the pan. Let it cook for a bit, until the sauce thickens.

Best if served with rice :)

Chicken Pot Pie

(from Jill - from Michelle)

1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken [I boiled the chicken, then cut them up... and so did Jill]
2 cups (1 can) chicken broth
1 chicken boullion cube
2/3 cup milk
10 oz. frozen veggies (or a mix of frozen veggies and fresh carrots and celery as well....boil the vegetables a bit before adding them in, so they soft)
2 refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts

1. Melt butter, add onion, flour and slowly add broth, boullion, milk, and cook until thick.
2. Add spices, chicken, and veggies to the mixture, and pour into pie plate lined with one crust.
3. Place the second crust on top, pinch together the edges, slit the top to vent and wrap the edges in foil (if you want to) to keep them from browning too much. [I didn't use the foil - and it turned out perfectly golden brown and crispy.]
4. Bake at 400 until golden brown - about 45-60 minutes.


Someday I will get myself a pie pan. Never had one... might just need one! :O)

I'm sorry there are not pictures right now... my batteries are charging. The pot pie pics might be uploaded with the Europe pics! haha.

Mexican Food

Well, mexican food is one thing I can eat :) We usually have tostadas/burritos atleast once a week.

MY tostadas go like this:

Open a can of refried beans and put in a sauce pan on the stove. After they are heated to your liking remove them from heat.

Warm some tostada shells in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.

Take a spoonful of beans and put it on the tostada.

Add whatever toppings you would like.

YES I add ketchup to mine :)

mom's (riggs) enchiladas

mom- edit as necessary

1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
10-15 corn tortillas
1 can old el paso enchilada sauce (mild or medium - your call)
lettuce, tomato

cut chicken into small pieces
cook chicken and add 1 packet taco seasoning along with 1/4 cup water
cook until water is cooked out
OR
place chicken in crockpot over low with 2/3 cup water and 1 packet taco seasoning. cook for 4-6 hours, then remove from water and shred with fork.

while chicken is cooking, start heating corn tortillas [either quickly heat in vegetable oil, or heat in pan - plain] i've done both ways, just depends on my mood.

scoop chicken down center of a tortilla, then add a little cheese. roll and place in 9x13 glass dish. continue with remaining tortillas/ chicken. top with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

cook at 350* for 15 minutes.

serve with shredded lettuce and diced tomato.
LOVE THIS DISH!

breakfast for dinner

we love to have breakfast for dinner. we have that along with enchiladas and spaghetti the most often.

if you are like me, then you would enjoy some hashbrowns along with some eggs, and sometimes even pancakes or waffles.

dice 1/2 green pepper and 5 potatoes (enough for leftovers for breakfast the next day), the smaller the quicker they will cook

heat up 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
add diced potatoes and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
add 1 teaspoon seasoning salt at the beginning - if desired.
when the potatoes are about 5 minutes away from being done, add 1 tablespoon original mrs. dash and green peppers

i like the potatoes a little crispier, so i turn up the heat for the last couple minutes and keep a close eye on them.

then fry up or scramble up some eggs to go along with them. serve with ketchup - if desired. :o)
and that's my go to meal.

ok. so my go to recipe is very simple.
spaghetti.

i use a pound of ground beef and brown it in a skillet with a generous amount of garlic salt.
when the meat is done i add a jar of traditional ragu (cringe all you want i love it!).
and i always use angel hair pasta.

it's one of the few ways i can get sage to eat veggies without realizing it! :)

anyways! that's one i usually make once a week.

i'm so excited about this blog! ok. mindy + traci...your turn!

The "Usual"

I submit that everyone post their go-to recipe, the one that you feel like you make "all the time." I know I have a few standard meals that I reuse on a regular basis because they're easy and I usually have the ingredients on hand. So, what about your "regulars"? Maybe I can incorporate some of your favorites so that we don't get sick of the ones I feel like I'm making all the time.

Here's one of mine that I usually make about once a week. (I've never had an actual recipe for this. It's just what my mom does and her mom did the same. I just wing it, so I'll try to make it clear enough that you could duplicate this meal without too much trouble.)

Chicken Enchiladas

One to two chicken breasts, cooked. (I usually cook mine in the crock pot for 4-5 hours on low with a little water and taco seasoning in it.)
One can cream of mushroom soup
Approx. 1/2 cup milk
One small can green chiles
Approx. 1/2 cup sour cream
Shredded cheese (I usually use cheddar)
Tortillas (I usually make six enchiladas total for our small family.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shred cooked chicken.
Combine cream of mushroom soup, milk, green chiles, and sour cream. Mix well.
Spread a spoonful of mixture on the bottom of pan (I usually use a glass 9x9 pan).

Create enchiladas by placing a spoonful of chicken, large spoonful of mixture, and some cheese inside a tortilla. Fold into enchilada form. Stack enchiladas very closely together in pan. Spread remaining sauce mixture on top. Sprinkle cheese on top (the more the better, in my opinion).

Put in oven for 20-25 minutes.

You can serve this with whatever toppings, but they are delicious plain! I know you Riggs aren't big sour cream eaters, and same goes for Ryan, but he loves these! It's not like there's a strong sour cream taste; it's mainly to make a good consistency for the sauce.

Let me know if this isn't clear or if you have questions!