Fresh Pico (Pico de Gallo)

In a mixing bowl, combine:

• 3 medium/large tomatoes, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2-2 TBS lime juice
• salt to taste

HINT:  We can't keep this in our house...as soon as I make it - it is gone!  Try serving this with grilled white fish, scrambled eggs, with cooked rice.  The possibilities are endless.  Enjoy!

Oven-Roasted Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 rack of ribs
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 TBS minced garlic
• 1/2-3/4 cup rib rub

Directions:

1. Prepare ribs by trimming if needed, and generous seasoning with dry rib rub.
2. In an oven roasting pan with a rack: combine beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, water and minced garlic.
3. Insert rack into the roasting pan, and set seasoned ribs on rack.
4. Cover entire pan with foil.
5. Bake in a 250 degree F oven for 4-4 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer measures the internal temperature to be no less than 160 degrees F.
6. After removing the ribs from the oven, allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Hint: We meant to cook these on the grill, but as it turned on we were out of gas for our grill. This was a great alternative and the meat was very juicy and tender. If desired, a small amount of liquid smoke could also be added to the liquids in the bottle of the roasting pan for flavor. Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pizza crust (home made or store bought)
• 1 cup diced, cooked chicken
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 can (2 1/4 oz) slice ripe olives, drained
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. (Making the pesto.) In a blender: combine the cilantro, parsley, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic cloves. Cover and blend well. Once fully processed, add olive oil in a steady stream while continuing to blend.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Place pizza crust on prepared baking sheet. Top pizza crust with about pesto, spreading with the back of a spoon.
4. Next, sprinkle with chicken, tomatoes, olives, and cheese.
5. Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes - or until cheese is melted.

Hint: The original recipe called for flour tortillas as the crust - that is my favorite pizza crust! We had been traveling all day and I didn't realize we didn't have any tortillas. Apparently our oldest thinks flour tortillas make great late night snacks...Any whoo... In 15 minutes I prepared a home made crust (recipe to follow). Being flexible in the kitchen can be very rewarding! Another way to save time would be to substitute prepared pesto sauce - instead of making it from scratch. Enjoy!!

I'm sharing this recipe at A Little Nosh for the Tastetastic Thursday 4/19 party - go see what other great ideas are being shared!!

Curried Beef Kabobs

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 bay leaves
• 16 whole peppercorns (I subbed 2 tsp ground black pepper)
• 2 lbs. beef tenderloin, cut into 1 1/4 inch cubes
• 2 large green peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 medium onions, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Combine olive oil, beef broth, lemon juice, garlic, curry powder, salt, bay leaves, and peppercorns to create marinade for beef cubes. Reserve 2/3 cup for basting, and refrigerate.
2. Add beef cubes to main marinade mix in a covered dish or resealable bag. Turn to ensure beef is fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Prior to assembling kabobs, drain and discard marinade from beef cubes. Prepare kabobs on metal or soaked wooden skewers by alternating beef cubes, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions.
4. Grill or broil on high heat 3 minutes on each side. Baste with reserved marinade.
5. Continue cooking on high heat, turning and basting for 10-12 minutes - or until meat reaches desired doneness. (medium = 160 degrees F, well-done = 175 degrees F)

Hint: I think this may be my favorite new recipe - even me, the non beef fan...loved this dish! (Although, I am equally sure that it would be great using chicken too!) As it turns out, our propane for our grill ran out as we getting ready to put these on the grill - so we used the broiler in our kitchen oven to cook these delicious kabobs. The only complaint from my kids, why did I make more... I hope your family enjoys them as much as we did!!

This recipe is being shared at Everyday Mom's Meals for Church Supper #35. If you haven't stopped by to check at a Church Supper - please do! This is a great exchange of wonderful recipes!!

Thai Spiced Chicken Patties

Last week we made Thai Spiced Chicken Pitas for dinner. The chicken patties used in that recipe can easily be made ahead and frozen to be used as needed. With grilling season quickly approaching, this is a recipe I will be referring to so that I can stock our family's freezer.

Assemble ingredients for chicken patties:

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lb ground chicken

1 TBS fresh ground ginger root

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp Thai seasoning (I used Spice Islands Thai Seasoning blend)

1/2 tsp salt

* Combine in a medium bowl, shape into patties and place between sheets of wax paper before freezing. Place patties in wax paper in a freezer safe container, or freezer bag. (I like the freezer bags.)

* Pull out frozen chicken patties to use as desired, and grill on low heat until fully cooked. (Internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F)

Grilled Fish Tacos with Fresh Salsa

Ingredients:

2 limes, juiced - divided

3 plum tomatoes, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup mayo

2 TBS milk

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups thinly sliced Romaine lettuce

1 avocado, peeled & diced

10 corn tortillas

1 - 1 1/4 lbs. tilapia fillets

*black pepper*

1st - Prepare white sauce for tacos by combining mayo, milk, garlic, and 2 TBS of lime juice with a whisk until smooth.

2nd - Prepare salsa by combining remainder of lime juice with diced onion, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and salt.

3rd - Place lettuce and avocado each in a separate dish for easy taco assembly.

4th - Warm corn tortillas on a grill or griddle and set aside in a warmer or plastic dish with a lid.

5th - Heat grill or griddle to cook fillets over medium heat. Season tilapia fillets with black pepper. Cook fillets 3-4 minutes on each side, until fillets flake easily with a fork.

6th - Assemble tacos in corn tortillas: layer lettuce, fish, salsa, avocado, and sauce into tortilla.

This recipe is linked up to Friday Food - Click on the Momtrends box for more of this weeks recipes!!

Thai Spiced Chicken Pitas

Assemble ingredients for chicken patties:

1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lb ground chicken
1 TBS fresh ground ginger root
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Thai seasoning (I used Spice Islands Thai Seasoning blend)
1/2 tsp salt

* Combine in a medium bowl, shape into patties and grill fully cooked. (Internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F)


Next, prepare the sauce and vegetables to fill the Pita with the grilled chicken patties:

For sauce -

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt

* Combine sauce ingredients well in a small dish

Veggies -

1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into small thin sticks
1/2 small red onion, sliced


Fill 1/2 split Pita round (we used Whole Wheat) with a chicken patty, sauce, and vegetables.
This is a quick and delicious twist on the pitas we normally eat. The Thai seasoning really adds an interesting flavor!

Spicy Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 TBS vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBS cornstarch

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat

3 cups broccoli florets

1 medium onion

1 medium red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp peeled fresh ginger root, freshly chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup beef broth

1 cup dry roasted peanuts
**rice or noodles**

- In a large ziploc bag combine soy sauce, cornstarch, stew meat, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Place filled bag in refrigerator to marinate 2-4 hours prior to cooking.

- Prep broccoli, onion, and red pepper by cleaning and cutting into bite-size chunks.

- When you are ready to cook, heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet to a medium heat.

- Cook marinated meat with juices in vegetable oil until meat is completely browned. Juices will begin to thicken the longer the meat cooks.

- Slowly add beef broth and continue to stir.

- Add the vegetable to the skillet last, and cook until tender crisp.

- Serve over prepared rice or noodles, garnished with dry roasted peanuts.

**Tonight we used unseasoned ramen noodles...a compromise to make my kiddos very happy campers**

Stuffed Shells

As I started pulling out the ingredients to put this together, my husband asked "Are you making dinner already?" I answered no, but in all honesty - yes, yes I was!

I not only have dinner ready to bake for tonight, but I also have a second meal for my freezer. Score!!

Sunday afternoons I am away from home and my fellas need to eat lunch while I'm gone. Freezer meals are a great way to keep the meals a little more interesting than *just* ramen noodles or a PB & J sandwich. Freezer meals are also a great way to be prepared for those days or nights that we need to make life a little easier. One less meal to prepare, right?

With this recipe, the frozen Stuffed Shells can be pulled out of the freezer to thaw and then baked for a hot delicious meal your family will enjoy.



Ingredients:

1 box, uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 container (24 oz) small curd low-fat cottage cheese
1 (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend (divided)
1 1/2 cups of half-n-half (divided)
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (divided)
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can ( 15 oz) tomato sauce


* Boil pasta shells for 9 minutes in boiling water. Drain thoroughly, and let cool.

* In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, 24 oz container of cottage cheese, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 3/4 cup of half-n-half. Next add drained spinach, garlic and Italian seasoning to cheese mixture.

* In another mixing bowl, combine spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of half-n-half. Divide in half. Reserving 1 cup of the first half of tomato sauce, pour the remainder into the bottom of a prepared freezer safe baking dish.

* Next, use a scoop or large spoon to fill pasta shells with cheese mixture. Once filled, set into tomato sauce mixture in baking dish. When you have filled the needed amount of shells for the first baking dish, cover the shells with the leftover cup of tomato sauce. Top with 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and additional Parmesan if desired.

**Repeat the last step for the second dish, going into the freezer. I recommend the dish going into the freezer be covered with foil first, then the lid be placed on the freezer safe baking dish.**

Time to bake!

Thawed shells should bake, covered with foil for 40 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow shells to stand for10 minutes prior to serving.

The Stuffed Shells from the freezer should be thawed in the refrigerator and then set out prior to baking to avoid placing a frozen dish into a hot oven.

Grilled Sandwiches

Ingredients:

thinly sliced Italian bread

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 TBS softened butter or margarine

1 tsp minced garlic

sliced pepper-jack cheese

deli sliced smoked ham

Dijon mustard

1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

dried basil

* Combine softened butter or margarine with minced garlic and grated Parmesan cheese.

* Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter mixture, place buttered side on grill or griddle.

* Top unbuttered side of bread with 1/2 slice of cheese, ham, Dijon mustard, sliced tomato sprinkled lightly with dried basil, and finish with the other 1/2 slice of cheese and another slice of bread - buttered side up.

* Grill on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Sandwich should be well browned and crispy.

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This recipe is linked up over at Everyday Mom's Meals...go see what other fabulous recipes are being shared!!

Tuna (& Crab) Ring

Do you ever have those special moments in the kitchen when what you plan to do and what you actually do are two very different things? Last night was one of those nights...

The good news is, it worked quite well. The bad news is, before I make home made Crab Rangoons I need to buy a replacement can of crab meat.

Oops!

The plan was to use 2 cans of tuna for this recipe. If you are not a fan of tuna, chicken breast can be substituted as well...or the 50/50 split of 1 can tuna and 1 can crab meat like I cooked. Whatever your personal preference for protein, this is a dish I enjoy and my steak and potato guys enjoy without protest.

Ingredients:

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cans (6 oz) water packed tuna, drained (**or chicken, or 1 tuna & 1 crab**)
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can (3 1/2 oz) sliced black olives
1 1/2 TBS lemon zest
1 (4 oz) package of crumbled Feta cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan, Roman, Asiago cheese blend
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS Italian seasoning blend

*egg white + 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning*

1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2- Unroll crescent rolls and separate triangles. Arrange triangles in a round pattern, with the wide end in the center, and the point extending out, overlapping enough to create a base for the filling.
3- Combine the tuna (crab), diced red pepper, artichoke, olives, lemon zest, both cheeses, garlic, and 1 TBS Italian seasoning.
4- Place combined filler in a circle on the overlapping section of the crescent rolls.

5- Pull the pointed ends of the triangles gently up and over the filler and tuck in the center.

6- Brush outside of crescents with egg white + 1 tsp Italian seasoning mix.

7- Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Adapted to meet our kitchen needs from the Mediterranean Tuna Wreath recipe, published on page 13 of the Pampered Chef's 2001 Fall/Winter Season's Best Recipe Collection.

Quiche Me Baby!!

I have a love-hate affair with breakfast.

In my mind, breakfast is always best when someone else cooks it.

Having a diabetic teenager in the house means breakfast is not an option - it is a requirement.

I stumbled across a lovely spinach-quiche recipe a couple of weeks ago and after tweaking it a little here and there...I've found a breakfast recipe that even I don't mind to cook.

*Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.

*Next assemble the ingredients:

1/2 cup butter margarine
1 small can, drained, sliced mushrooms stems & pieces
1/2-1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup diced frozen onion & pepper seasoning blend
6-8 oz baby spinach

4 eggs
1 cup skim milk

3 oz feta cheese
3-4 oz shredded cheese (colby jack for us...)
1 deep dish pie crust

- Begin by melting the butter or margarine in a deep skillet on the stove top.

- Once melted turn the heat down to medium and add mushrooms, onion & pepper blend, and garlic. Saute until well combined and onions are slightly translucent.



- Turn heat down slightly more, and add spinach allowing it to sit on top of the butter mixture briefly before stirring. This allows the spinach time to begin wilting.




- As the spinach begins to wilt, mix eggs and milk together gently in a separate some bowl or in the blender. If you use the blender - do not over blend.

- Stir spinach into butter mixture, and continue stirring slowly until spinach has completely cooked down and mixture begins to thicken slightly.

- Remove skillet from heat.




- Add feta cheese, shredded cheese, and milk-egg blend. Combine carefully.

- Pour contents into the deep dish pie crust and bake for 40 minutes.

- After the first 40 minutes baking, sprinkle additional shredded cheese lightly over the top and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. HINT: Go lightly on the cheese topping...a little goes a long way.




- Full cooking time should be 55-60 minutes total. Check quiche for doneness by using a fork into the center to see if quiche is fully set or still runny. Cooking longer will set the eggs more.

- Do not under cook.

* Our breakfast was served with a glass of orange juice...without pulp of course! Great way to start the weekend!!

Sourdough Garlic Croutons

The sourdough bread I baked last Saturday needed to be used up.

Instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to use it to make croutons.



After for looking online for crouton recipes, we finally decided to kind of use bits and pieces of each recipe to make our own.

We started by preheating the oven to 300 degrees F.

So we sliced the remaining loaf of bread into 1-inch slices.

Next, we gathered the ingredients to finish the croutons:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup butter (or margarine) melted
1/2 cup minced garlic
Italian seasoning mix*



Mmmmmmm, garlic!



In one small sauce pan we combined the olive oil and garlic and simmered for approximately 10 minutes.

Next we added the melted butter and mixed it until it was completely combined.

While I was mixing, Jon diced the slices of bread.

He did a really good job. Knowing my track record in the kitchen today I probably would have cut my fingers. Or something.




In a big mixing bowl, we tossed the bread cubes in the oil/butter/garlic mixture.

Then spread the drowned bread cubes were dumped onto the cooking stone. Once on the baking stone I sprinkled them with Italian seasoning mix. More or less according to your tastes. Ours were pretty strong.

After I cooked them for 5 minutes in the oven, I decided to switch them over to a wire rack over a metal baking sheet. That would allow the excess oil and butter to drain.

My advice - go straight to the wire rack over the metal baking sheet or baking stone.

I should have.



In the end, they cooked in the oven for 25 minutes at 300 degrees F.

Within 2 hours they were half gone.

I'm afraid to go see if there are any left now.

The boys are on fall break right now and no food is safe in our home.

At 10:30 this morning I caught the middle one making himself a cup of coffee.

At least now I know why I'm out of coffee...I'm really just glad it wasn't me that drank it all!!

Stewed UP Spaghetti Sauce

I vaguely remember being asked what meat I wanted taken out of the freezer for today's dinner last night before I fell asleep.

Vaguely.

When I got up this morning I decided that spaghetti sounded really good - and we should have it for dinner. I love it when a plan comes together!

But when I went to get meat out of the freezer, I found that this package of stew beef was already thawing.



The only sensible thing to do was to plan on using it in the spaghetti sauce. And I could cook it in the crock-pot! Now we're talking!!

Time to assemble...




Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 lbs stew beef
1 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 26 1/2 oz can of prepared spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup red cooking wine
1 packet, dry onion soup mix
1 1/2 TBS Italian seasoning
1 TBS minced garlic
1 can of water (use the diced tomato can)

Mix well.

1 tsp sugar sprinkled over the combined ingredients.

(Mom always said to do that, and her advice has always been pretty darn good.)

Cook on low 6-7 hours.

With our Stewed UP Spaghetti sauce we served spaghetti noodles, garlic bread, and a fresh salad.

Long after the noodles were gone, the sauce was a welcome dipping sauce for the remaining garlic bread.



Now the garlic bread is gone too.

Success!!

BBQ'd Country Style Ribs

I got a text this morning that said, "You like to cook. I've got some ribs...any suggestions?"

Yes!

We tried this out a couple of weeks ago and it was a really good variation on the same ole same ole we usually have with country style ribs.



BBQ'd Country Style Ribs:

up to 4.5 or 5 lbs. boneless country-style pork ribs
1 1/2 cups bottled BBQ sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 TBS yellow mustard
1 TBS packed brown sugar
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried Thyme

**using a blender, mix BBQ sauce - onion - (celery) - mustard - brown sugar - worchestershire sauce - garlic & thyme**

place ribs in crock-pot, cover with sauce from blender....cook on low 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours

-> we had a communication error so the celery didn't make it to the blender, instead we put it in on top of the sauce