Monday Monday

Today we got off to a late start because school is in full swing! But do not fret...we cooked up some delicious recipes. It was so nice to cook with the oven on and not sweat to death at the same time. This glorious weather looks like it is here to stay ~ Thank LLBJ.


Chicken Rollatini and ditalini Pasta

Ingredients

* Cooking spray
* 2 pounds ditalini pasta
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
* 8 ounces thinly sliced ham
* 1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
* 4 ounces goat cheese
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cook ditalini according to package directions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.

Arrange chicken breasts on a flat surface. Top each piece of chicken with ham. Mix together spinach and goat cheese and spread over ham. Starting from the shorter end, roll up chicken and secure with wooden picks. Brush mustard all over chicken rolls and then roll in bread crumbs.

Heat remaining oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken rolls and cook until golden brown on all sides.

Transfer chicken to oven and bake 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Serve chicken with half of the ditalini. Reserve extra ditalini for another dish.





Spicy Pinto Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini, Tomatoes, and Parsley

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T peperoncini juice (brine from the bottle of peppers)
1/2 tsp. green Tobasco sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but recommended)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 large peperoncini peppers, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chopped tomato, drained if the tomatoes are very juicy (I used cherry tomatoes cut in fourths)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 can (5-7 oz) Italian Tuna packed in olive oil

Dump beans into a colander placed into the sink, then rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears. Let beans drain while you mix dressing ingredients.

Mix together the lemon juice, peperoncini juice, green Tobasco sauce, and Spike seasoning. Whisk in the olive oil, then season dressing to taste with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper. (I used just a pinch of salt and about 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper.)

In a bowl large enough to contain all the salad ingredients, mix the drained beans with 2 T of the dressing mixture and let beans marinate while you prep other ingredients.

Cut stem end off peperoncini, remove seeds, then finely chop peperoncini and slice green onions. Chop tomatoes to make 1 cup diced tomatoes, then drain in a small colander if the tomatoes seem juicy. Wash parsley, spin dry or dry with paper towels, then chop enough parsley to make 1/2 cup. Drain oil from the tuna (I just do this by removing lid and using it to press out the oil) then use a fork to break up the tuna slightly in the can.

Add chopped peperoncini, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, and chopped parsley to the bowl with the marinating beans, mix together, then toss with the remaining the dressing. (If you like your salads on the dry side, you may not need all the dressing, but I used it all.) Add the tuna and gently combine with other ingredients, season with more salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and serve.





Cherry Cheese Strugle

Package of Puff Pastry
1 can of cherries
1/2 brick of cream cheese
melted butter

unfold puff pastry and cut each side 1/3 of the way in
fill with desired filling, we used canned cherry pie filling dotted with cream cheese
criss cross the cut pieces to cover the top
brush with egg wash
sprinkle with sugar
bake at 400 degrees until puffed and golden
enjoy!



Pizza Casserole
This is a Weight Watchers recipe that is fantastic.
Take one refrigerated pizza crust and line a 9x13 pan, bottom and sides
brown one pound ground beef and mix with one 15oz can of chunky tomato sauce
pour this into the crust and bake for 12 minutes at 425 degrees then top with low fat mozzarella cheese for 5 more minutes
It seems really wet but it sets up and is delicious. You can add any vegetables to it and keep it low calorie/fat. We made this a few months ago if it seems familiar.
I do not have a picture but believe me it is YUMMO!




We are so glad it is the end of today...bed time is just around the corner...Can not wait for time alone! I love my kids...but I love peace and quiet too :)
Have a great week everyone!

Sick Sister Sunday

We actually cooked on Sunday this week because Monday was full of other running around. I now remember why we don't cook on Sundays - the grocery store was a zoo. I had two recipes that I have been wanting to play with, the first was a Asian Chicken Soup I tasted at a food show, the second was a Seafood Pot Pie. Since there was a chance I would be the only one to like these recipes we also made Macaroni and Ground Beef which is good hot or cold, fresh or the days after. We also made chicken wings and decided it was way easier to just order them next time! Poor Erin was sick this weekend and could not really taste anything so hopefully there will be something left for her when she is back to normal. Monday came and we just had to have something sweet so we made Snickerdoodle cookies too.

Asian Chicken Soup
I just made this up based on what I remembered from the sample that I tasted at the food show.
two large cans chicken broth
half a box of spaghetti noodles
4 chicken thighs
green onions
shitake mushrooms
thai chili garlic paste, about a tablespoon was more than enough for me

I just cooked the spaghetti noodles and chicken thighs (bone in skin on then diced up just the meat) then added everything into the broth till it tasted good.
I will break the noodles next time so they are not slapping me in the face as I eat the soup.






Seafood Pot Pie
I got this idea from a menu somewhere that I was reading, this is what I came up with:
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 pint whipping cream
tarragon
celery, pearl onions, carrots, peas
shrimp, scallops, crab
saute the veges until soft, saute the scallops until just done, I used precooked shrimp and crab but if you use raw cook those too
stir it all together with the cans of cream of celery soup and the whipping cream and pour into a 9 x 13 pan.
I made a homemade pie crust but you can easily use store bought and cover the dish, brush the top with an egg wash and bake until golden brown and bubblylicous.




Macaroni and Beef
one box elbow macaroni
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 green peppers
2 onions
a couple pounds ground beef
salt and pepper
Brown up the meat with the onions, peppers and salt/pepper
Boil the noodles and stir it all together, super simple and cheap!




The Chicken Wings were both hot sauced and sweet teriyaki sauced, super good just too much work when you can get them anywhere.


Snickerdoodle Cookies:

* 1 cup butter
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 3/4 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 3 teaspoons cinnamon

1. 1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. 2 Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
3. 3 Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4. 4 Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5. 5 Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
6. 6 Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. 7 Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
8. 8 Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
9. 9 Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
10. 10 Remove from pan immediately.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor day ! What a great weekend we had along with fabulous weather. We went today to watch the Blue Angles fly over downtown ~ super cool! We hope you enjoy the oh so yummy recipes we made today.

Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing :

1 lb. Ground Turkey
2 tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
2 cans black beans
1 pouch fat free shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 bottle of Light Catalina Dressing
1 pouch taco seasoning

Brown up the ground turkey and add the taco seasoning per instructions
Add all of the above stated and chill.
You can serve this on top of a bed of Lettuce or serve with Tortillas.

This recipes is super yummy and LOW CALORIES :)





Buffalo Chicken Pizza:

1 refrigerator pizza crust

Left over Buffalo Chicken Wanton filling ( See last week )

1 pouch shredded Mozz. cheese

Pre heat oven 425 and cook for 20 min.

Serve with either blue cheese or ranch dressing.






French Onion Soup:

12 yellow onions
3 cartons of Beef Broth
2 packages of Provolone Cheese
1 French Loaf
Worcestershire To taste
1 stick butter

Saute Onions in butter until transparent
add beef broth to onions and Worcestershire to taste

spoon soup into bowl top with a piece of french bread and top with
provolone cheese...Enjoy!





Chorizo & Clams :

Portuguese Chorizo and Clams

Serves 4 with a crusty loaf on the side

* 4 lb clams*
* 2 links (200 g/ ) Portuguese chorizo sausage
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion
* 3 large (or 4 medium) cloves garlic
* 3 large very ripe tomatoes (450 g / )
* 3-4 waxy white potatoes (600 g/ )
* 2 cups white wine
* 4-5 sprigs fresh oregano (2 tbsp finely minced)
* small handful fresh parsley (3-4 tbsp finely minced)
* salt and pepper to taste
Quarter the onion lengthwise and then slice it horizontally about 1/8″ thick. Mince the garlic, and add both to the oil. Saute the aromatics for 4-6 minutes, or until the onion is golden.

Chop the chorizo into 1/2 rounds and add these to the pot.
Saute the chorizo with the onions until it is starting to brown, which will take about 5 minutes. Be vigilant and keep stirring so that the onions and garlic do not blacken and burn, which will be their tendency. Browned is fine, but burned is not.

Peel the potatoes and cube them into large bite sized pieces. When the chorizo is browned, add the potatoes to the pot and give them a stir.
Cook the potatoes for 3-5 minutes, or until they are golden with that glorious fat released from the chorizo.

In the mean time, finely dice your tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the mix and immediately start to scrape up the flavorful brown bits that have collected on the bottom of the pot. Those bits represent flavor, pure and simple. The liquid from the tomatoes will act as a deglazing agent, which is rather fortuitous.

Finely mince the oregano leaves and discard the stems. Or, if you don’t have fresh oregano, use 2 teaspoons of dried. When the tomatoes are broken down, which will take about 5-6 minutes depending on their ripeness, add the oregano and give things a stir.
Pour in the white wine and seal the pot with a fairly tight fitting lid. Turn the heat down just slightly so that the liquid is simmering, not boiling. Let this cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Drain the clams and add them to the pot, picking through and discarding any clams that are open and do not shut when you rap them gently on the counter. Give the clams a stir in the flavorful chorizo broth and replace the lid. Let the pot simmer, sealed, for 5-7 minutes. Give the clams a check; if they’re open, perfect! Season with salt and pepper and you’re done. If only about half the shells have opened up, pick out the cooked open clams and leave the rest to continue cooking for another minute or two.

Give the pot a final stir, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary, and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley right before serving.
Got this recipe from this blog: http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2010/07/01/portuguese-chorizo-and-clams/
I was not 100% happy with the out come but can totally play with the idea and ingredients to make it better next time.






This weeks weather was so super nice and it was nice to cook with the oven on.
Until next week :)

One week till Labor Day, bye bye Summer!!

It is far too hot again for our liking but fall is just around the corner. I had to work alot this weekend so we took it easy today and only made a few dishes.





We started out with Peanut Butter Crispies~
TIME 20 MINUTES ACTIVE 2 HOURS REFRIGERATING
MAKES ABOUT 40 BALLS

You will need:

2 - 2 1/2 cups All Natural peanut butter
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal
2 cups *Puffed Millet
1 cup craisins, raisins or other bits of dried fruit
1/2 - 1 cup Honey (eye it, it's easier than messing with a measuring cup)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ (optional, I didn't have it this time, but it's in my original recipe)


Mix all ingredients together. Shape into bite size balls with your hands, adding a spoonful of PB if they become to crumbly.
Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Keep stored in an airtight container in fridge. These will be perfectly fine to send to school, they will keep their shape.

We used rice crispie cereal instead of the millet and omitted the wheat germ too just personal preference and what was available at the store.






Next up was Hot Wing Wontons

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
1/3 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 large carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup Saucy Mama's Hot Wing Sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 package of Wonton Wrappers
Canola or vegetable oil for frying ( about 1/2 gallon )
Blue Cheese dressing for dipping

In a deep sided pot, heat your oil to 350 using a thermometer.
Meanwhile mix together chicken, cabbage, carrot, celery and wing sauce.
Lay out a few wrappers and put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each.
Brush all 4 sides with a little egg wash and then fold wrapper over and press out all the air and seal the edges.
You can then either leave them in triangles or, for a more bite size package, fold the corners in to create a little purse.
Continue until all the wontons are done.
Gently drop 4 or 5 wontons in the hot oil at a time, frying until golden brown all over, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels.






Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
3/4 pound penne
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
5-ounce log goat cheese
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup packed freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)
1 extra large egg yolk

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400º. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
-In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
-Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring heavy cream, onion and garlic to a simmer.
-Transfer 1/2 cup of the cream to a medium bowl and gradually whisk in flour; return mixture to saucepan. Set the bowl aside for later.
-Whisk over moderate heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
-Remove from heat and whisk in goat cheese, cheddar and half of the Parmigiano until melted.
-Stir or in the sour cream, zest and 1 teaspoon thyme and season with salt and pepper.
-Add egg yolk to medium bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Whisk egg/sauce mixture back into saucepan.
-Pour cheese sauce over pasta and toss to coat evenly.
-Add pasta to cast-iron skillet and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano. Bake for about 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining thyme.
-Allow mac and cheese to rest for about 5 minutes (if you can stand it), then serve.
Serves 4 as an entrée.




We also made a sandwich we made from an earlier post with pesto, artichokes, fresh mozzarella and basil on olive oil bread. Bridget really likes this sandwich..she could not wait to get a bite :) Easy and yummy!

Enjoy!

Kelly & I are back after a hiatus...We enjoyed our family vacation and
wish it could have lasted a little bit longer. The kids had such a great
time playing with their cousins in the sand and water.
They will start back to school this week ( Thank the Lord )!

Since we have not cooked much the past couple of weeks , we really outdid
ourselves today...and believe me , we are really feeling the after effects of it...
FOOD COMA!
Why we do this to ourselves every I do not know....but I do know we LOVE food!
Enjoy!






http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp-tortellini-spinach-107842.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/campanelle-pasta-salad-recipe/index.html

http://www.laaloosh.com/2009/01/19/weight-watchers-chicken-taco-salad-recipe-6/


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/warm-white-bean-and-steak-salad-recipe/index.html



Chipotle Cream Meatballs

Frozen meat balls ~ coated them with heavy cream after pureeing the Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
Baked till hot throughout at 350 degrees




Pot Roast and veggies in the crock pot ~ Need we say more...Oh yes We do .... the house smells DELICIOUS!




If you have any request's we would love to try and make it. We love new Ideas:)
Thank goodness fall is coming, today's weather was so wonderful! Cant wait for winter cooking ~ comfort food.

Bacon & Booze

Today was a busy day of cooking! Today we tried to mix it up a bit as we feel by looking back through the blog that we cook alot of shrimp and pasta :) So today we have prepared the following ~ Broccoli Salad, Stuffed Cucumbers, Fish almondine, Lemon Smashed Potatoes, My brother Brussels, Flank Steak Tacos with Guacamole & Rubens along with Zucchini Fries. I absolutely LOVE the Broccoli Salad ~ it is super yummy!

Stuffed Cucumber Recipe
English cucumbers are perfect for this recipe. Not too big or or small when sliced in coins and have an excellent crunch. Persian cucumbers are excellent if you’d prefer cute mini-bites.

1 Lrg. English Cucumber, chilled and sliced in 1/2-1″ thick coins
3/4c (100g) Feta Cheese, crumbled
1/3 c (40g) Roasted Nuts, finely chopped
2 T (30ml) Sour Cream
Slice of Prosciutto, cut into 1″x1/2″ strips
Dill, in 1/2″ pieces to garnish
Lemon Wedges, to serve on the side

1. Combine feta, nuts, and sour cream in a bowl. Have prosciutto and dill prepped and ready.

2. Core out some of the cucumber coins’ centers. Fill with a dollop of feta mix. Garnish each stuffed cucumber coin with a slice of prosciutto and a sprig of dill.

3. Serve with wedges of lemon for individual squeezing.


This is a broccoli salad with raisins and bacon and a sweet and tangy mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar dressing.
Ingredients:

* 2 bunches broccoli, florets only (5 to 6 cups florets)
* 1 medium red onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 10 to 12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
* .
* Dressing:
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:
Separate florets from broccoli stalks. Save the remainder of the broccoli for another use or freeze for later. Combine salad ingredients; top with dressing mixture. Chill and serve.

Fish Almondine
Ingredients
For the Fish:

* 2 cups blanched slivered almonds
* Kosher salt
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 4 cleaned sole fillets (6 ounces each)
*

For the Sauce:

* 1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
* 1 cup white wine
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/4 chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Set a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat (if you have 2 pans you can work simultaneously at this point, i.e. 2 fillets per pan) and add a 2-count of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to each pan.

Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour, then dip them into the egg mixture. Allow some of the excess egg to drain off, then add them to the hot pan. Cook 2 pieces at a time. Fry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then carefully turn the fish over to cook the other side. With a spoon, baste the fillets with the butter sauce. Repeat basting to ensure the fish remains moist. Once the other side is cooked (about 30 seconds) carefully remove the fillets from the pan to a serving platter. Repeat with remaining 2 fillets and a 2-count of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the fillets have been removed the pan, add the chopped shallots and gently saute over low heat until translucent, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and finish with the lemon juice. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon the sauce over the top of the fillets and sprinkle generously with the toasted almonds.

My Brother Brussels

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, loose leaves removed
* 1/2 pound bacon, thinly cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt and the Brussels sprouts. Put the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil until the Brussels sprouts are just fork tender about, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the sprouts and transfer to an ice bath. Let cool completely, then drain and set aside.

Cut the Brussels sprouts into 1/4-inch lengthwise slices and set aside. Add the bacon to a medium saute pan, and cook until just crisp, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Adjust heat to medium-high, add the onions to the pan and saute until they are translucent and just beginning to caramelize, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the butter to the pan, then add the Brussels sprouts and saute for 3 to 4 more minutes. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the reserved bacon and the cheese. Serve immediately.


Flank Steak Tacos with Guacamole

Ingredients
Steak:

* 1 (2 to 3-pound) flank steak
* 1/2 cup tequila
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
* Kosher salt and black pepper

Guacamole:

* 3 avocados
* 1 small red onion, finely diced
* 1 serrano pepper, minced with seeds
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish
* 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* Kosher salt

To Assemble:

* Corn tortillas
* 1 head romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
* 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
* 1 white onion, diced

Directions

Put the steak in a nonreactive dish and pour over the tequila, lime juice and olive oil. Turn to coat. Add the chili powder, and use your hands to work it into the meat. Let stand about 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to high. Remove the steak from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Halve the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and use a fork to mash to a chunky mix.

Remove the steak from the grill and rest 5 to 10 minutes. Slice across the grain. Heat the tortillas to soften. Fill the tortillas with steak, lettuce, tomato, onion and guacamole.

You will see Kelly bought us a new toy to make cooking easier :)
We also made Rubens and Zucchini Fries , those are pretty much self explanatory
:) If you truly need the recipe , email us and we will get one for you .
If that is not enough I also found time to take 2 kids to the Doctor and now if life has not had enough of me my third has Pink Eye .....Phewww I am done!

An International Bunch of Recipes

Today we made a Black Bean & Sweet Corn Quinoa Salad, if you have not tried Quinoa yet you should, its good for you, easy to make and very versatile!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the quinoa and cover with broth. Stir in cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).

Stir in the frozen corn and black beans. Cover and let the pot sit off the heat until the corn and beans are heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve warm or chilled – it is delicious both ways!


We prepped the Roasted Corn Quesadillas and will be eating them shortly, the sour cream looks great and the mixture for the quesadillas tastes so good ~ add cheese and how can we go wrong?!
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1 cup sour cream
* 3 ears white corn on the cob
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
* 1/4 red onion, diced
* 1/2 cup black beans
* 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
* 2 tablespoons diced roasted red bell peppers
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 6 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves, divided
* 6 ounces Jack cheese, shredded
* 6 ounces Cheddar, shredded
* 8 medium flour tortillas
* 5 tablespoons, sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat grill to high. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix diced chipotle, lime juice and sour cream, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Over medium flame or on a grill pan, roast corn. Let cool and cut kernels off cob.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, jalapenos, red onions, and black beans. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, corn kernels and roasted bell pepper. Stir and saute for 3 minutes and add salt, pepper, cumin and 3 tablespoons of cilantro. Remove the pan from heat and let rest.

Evenly distribute mixture, the remaining cilantro and cheeses among 4 tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas.

Place tortillas on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes, until cheeses have melted and the quesadillas are warmed through. Cut each into 6 pieces.

Serve with chipotle sour cream garnished with scallions.


I don't go out of my way to follow a recipe exactly if I know that what I have will work just the same...so I did not take corn off the cob when it was easier to take it out of the freezer today. Some things you can't mess with and I don't like to change a recipe the first time I try it but I am sure the corn will be ok!


Pesto Shrimp Pasta was next up on the list...

Ingredients

* 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
* 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
* 3/4 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the basil, lemon juice, garlic, 1 tablespoon oil and salt; cover and process until smooth.
2. In a large skillet, saute the asparagus in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Add the shrimp and pepper flakes. Cook and stir until shrimp turn pink. Drain the spaghetti; place in a large bowl. Add basil mixture; toss to coat. Add shrimp mixture and mix well.



There was a frozen pie crust in the freezer that needed to be used up so we made a Mushroom Spinach Quiche. No special recipe for this one...frozen pie crust, whatever vegetables (mushrooms were on sale) or meat you like, swiss cheese and a combination of about 4 eggs and a couple cups of heavy cream because well that's what makes it taste so good :)


There is a London Broil marinading for a day or so in garlic, salt, red wine, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and honey. You would have to try pretty hard to ruin a London Broil (well overcooking it would do it) but I have yet to try a marinade I didn't like on this piece of meat.


We told the kids weeks ago that we would make cookies and well Aunt Kelly is learning not to open her mouth unless she can deliver because kids do not forget such statements, ever! So we made chocolate chip cookies, just the Nestle Toll House recipe nothing fancy, but super yummy!

OK, hope that gives you all some good ideas. We are less than 5 months until Christmas, cold weather and even yummier recipes :)