Mexican Coleslaw

Mexican Coleslaw

    Tonight with our dinner we had one of our family favorites as a side dish for "Taco Tuesday," Mexican Coleslaw!  When I make this, I base it after my typical coleslaw recipe, just add a few different ingredients and alter the dressing.  Because we have dairy allergies in our home, I make my dressing with a mayo base.  This helps to make it more creamy.  We are not huge fans of a mostly vinegar based slaw.

    This recipe can most definitely be made in advance.  I'd actually recommend it so the flavors can come together and "chill" in the fridge for a little while before serving.  In my humble opinion, room temperature slaw doesn't taste as good as "cold"slaw...haha..."cold"slaw.  Sorry, bad joke.  

    We've had this recipe with tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and other meals with our "Taco" Tuesday theme.  This is a great dish to bring to a party or BBQ, or just for a weekly dinner.

This recipe serves 6 with a little leftover.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of coleslaw
• 1 jalapeño, remove seeds, diced
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1 c. frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 c. mayo
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 c. chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine last 8 ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk together.
2. Add first 4 ingredients into a large bowl.  Add dressing.  Mix well.
3. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  Serve with your favorite burger, tacos, nachos, burritos, or more!  Enjoy!!

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Easy Orange Chicken

Easy Orange Chicken with Chicken Fried Rice and Homemade Egg Rolls

    Sure it's extremely quick and easy to open a bag of frozen orange chicken or order it for takeout, but there is something rewarding about making it at home.  Because we are a big family, I usually buy the large family size packages of chicken breasts from Aldi.  Each package typically contains 4 large or 5 medium size chicken breasts.  When making a meal like Orange Chicken with Chicken Fried Rice, I will use the entire package of chicken, but the good thing is that I get two meals or dishes out of it!  

    I will warn you that this recipe can get time consuming, but make it in stages.  This will definitely help.  I will cut the chicken into 1 inch chunks the night before.  Put them in a large freezer bag or air tight container and store in the fridge.  In the morning or early afternoon, I will make the coating for the chicken.  Combine the chicken and allow it to sit in the coating in the fridge.  Then about an hour or so before dinner, I will start to fry the chicken.  I have the oven on a lower temperature to keep the chicken warm after frying it.  

  

    Yes, you can definitely make the orange sauce from scratch, but after making the chicken, I get a little lazy and open two jars of orange sauce and heat it.  😃  We serve the chicken and sauce separately.  Everyone can add the amount of sauce they would like and this makes it easier to store leftovers so the chicken doesn't get soggy in the sauce.  Serve with plain white rice, brown rice, or fried rice.  Our preference...fried rice.

This recipe will serve 6 to 8 with leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3/4 c. corn starch
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• salt and pepper
• 2/3 c. water
• oil for frying
• 2 bottles of Orange Chicken Sauce

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 1 inch or bite size pieces.  Feel free to do this ahead of time.
2. Whisk together corn starch, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.  Add water slowly to combine.
3. Add chicken to the flour mixture.  Coat chicken on all sides.  You can prepare in advance, and can place in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
4. When ready to fry, heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Prepare a pan to put chicken after it's fried.  Cover a baking sheet with foil.  Place a cooling rack on the foil covered baking sheet.  This will allow excess oil to drain after frying.  After each batch of chicken is fried, place it on the cooling rack and put in the oven to keep warm.  
5. To test the oil if it's ready, dip the end of a wooden spoon into the oil.  If bubbles form around the spoon, the oil is ready.
6. Add chicken pieces one at a time to the hot oil.  Be sure not to crowd the skillet.  This will reduce the oil temperature and cause the chicken to stick together.  The chicken will cook quickly in the hot oil.  Flip once to brown both sides of the chicken.  Remove to cooling rack and season with salt.  Place the chicken in the oven and start to fry the next batch.  Continue this process until you are finished.
7. While the chicken is staying warm in the oven, heat the Orange Chicken sauce in a separate pot.
8. Serve with white or brown rice or fried rice.  You may choose to combine both the chicken and the sauce, but we prefer to serve them separately.  ENJOY!!

NOTE: If you keep the chicken and sauce separate when serving, keep them separate for leftovers.  The chicken will not get soggy.

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Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice with Orange Chicken and Turkey Egg Rolls

    It's nice to know that my kids prefer my Orange Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice and Egg Rolls to Chinese takeout.  It's a rewarding experience for me to make this for my family because I know they really enjoy it.  This Chicken Fried Rice is extremely quick and easy to make, and what I like best about making it at home, I get to control the salt.  Also, not everyone in our family likes eggs, so I scramble up the eggs separately.  Those who like eggs may add it to his or her individual plate.

    I often use fried rice as a way to incorporate veggies that we have on-hand, something I can use up from the freezer or fridge.  I've used carrots, onions, corn, broccoli, and peas.  The recipe pictured above includes carrots, onions, corn, and broccoli.  Cauliflower or mixed veggies would also be good in this dish.

This recipe serves 6 - 8.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sesame oil, you may also use olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3/4 c. baby carrots, diced
• 2 chicken breasts, diced into small pieces
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 c. frozen corn or peas, for this recipe I used leftover corn from the cob
• 1 pkg. chopped frozen broccoli
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• 2 green onions, diced for garnish
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add grated garlic, onions and carrots.  Saute for 5 minutes.  Veggies will brown a little.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Add chicken.  Saute for 10 minutes on medium high heat.  Stir frequently.  Add soy sauce.  Stir to combine.
3. Add broccoli, corn or peas.  Combine.  Adjust seasonings, adding more soy sauce if needed.  Turn down the heat to low.  Allow to cook for another 5 minutes to finished cooking the broccoli.
4. Scramble eggs in a separate skillet. If your family likes eggs, feel free to add eggs to your fried rice.  We serve ours separately.
5. Before serving, sprinkle green onions on top of the fried rice.  Serve and ENJOY!

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Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

    For our son's 11th birthday this year, we gave him the opportunity to pick what he wanted to eat.  Normally we would take the kids out to dinner on their birthday at a restaurant of their choice, but this year is a bit different, so we make the best of it!  When asked, Matthew picked my Sloppy Joes with coleslaw without hesitation.  Sloppy Joes it is!  I like to make Sloppy Joes in the slow cooker to save some time, and this time, since we were having the Sloppy Joes for lunch, I decided to set them to cook overnight.  One important tip: when you are making Sloppy Joes or taco meat in your slow cooker, it helps to brown the meat a bit.  This will give the meat more flavor, but depending on the type of meat, you may need to drain it before setting your slow cooker.  If you have a slow cooker with the capability of browning, GREAT!  Just be sure to drain the meat.  If you don't, you will need to brown the meat in a separate skillet first, and then transfer it to the slow cooker

    We like to serve Sloppy Joes with coleslaw and fries, chips or tater tots.  A simple creamy pasta salad would also serve as a nice compliment to the Sloppy Joes.

This recipe will yield 6 - 8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 lbs ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 sweet pepper: green, red, yellow or orange; diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard (yellow mustard will work too)
• 1/2 c. BBQ sauce
• 3/4 c. ketchup
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 4 oz can tomato paste
• 1 c. water, may not use all of it
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in either slow cooker (one that has browning setting) or in a large skillet.  Add onion and peppers.  After 2-3 minutes, add ground beef.  Break up into small chunks.  Season with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  Brown the meat, but no need to cook all of the way through.  Once most of the meat is browned, drain the pan/slow cooker.
2. Return the meat, onions, and peppers back to the slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients with 1/2 of the water.  Stir well to combine.  Set the slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours on low, 3 to 4 hours on high.  Stir periodically while cooking.  If the Sloppy Joes get too thick, add a little more water.
3. Stir before serving.  Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite coleslaw, pasta salad, chips, or fries.  Top the Sloppy Joes with your favorite toppings!  ENJOY!!

NOTE: This recipe reheats easily for leftovers! 

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Dairy Free Mac and Cheese

    Looking at this picture, I bet you never would have guessed that this is dairy free mac and cheese, but it is!  How does this look just like the real thing you ask?  I'm just about to tell you.  My secret to making it super creamy is oat milk.  Yes, oat milk!  We have found that it has a much better taste with cooking than soy milk.  With Emma's dairy allergy we are always making things dairy free or having the same dishes, one with dairy, the other dairy free.  We have tried both soy and oat milks in cooking, and soy tends to be better with breakfast items, especially the vanilla flavor.  Since oat milk is thicker to begin with, it makes "creamy" dishes the consistency of having real dairy in them.  I honestly can't remember the last time we've used soy milk.  Almond milk is out for us because Emma has a nut allergy too, and coconut milk is good for certain meals, but NOT mac and cheese.  

    To make this sauce, I begin with a roux of flour and butter.  The butter is dairy free.  We buy an oil based butter, whichever is on sale.  Since we usually shop at Aldi, they are generally cheaper than most stores.  After my flour cooks down a bit, I whisk in the oat milk.  Once that has started a low boil, I will add an assortment of dairy free cheese.  We have provolone and cheddar on hand, both the slices and shredded.  Yes, they are costly, but definitely worth if for my kids to enjoy foods that normally have dairy.  

    Don't worry!  I also have a dairy version of the mac and cheese on the blog for you, which is EXTREMELY easy!!!  Even easier than this dairy free version.  I'm sure you love cooking recipes without many steps, don't you?

Ingredients:

• 1 lb elbow macaroni noodles
• 2 tbsp of non-dairy butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2-2 c. of oat milk
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 slices each of dairy free provolone and cheddar cheeses
• salt and pepper

Directions:

• Heat a large pot with 4 c. water.  Bring water to a boil.  Season with salt.  Once the water boils, drop the pasta and cook until al dente, just shy of the time on the box.  Drain.  You don't want to cook your pasta all the way through because you will be warming it in the cheese sauce.  It will continue to cook in the sauce.
• In a medium skillet, melt the non-dairy butter.  Once melted, add flour.  Whisk together and allow flour to cook out a bit.  It will become slightly brown.  
• Whisk in the oat milk.  Continue to whisk to mix in all of the bits of flour and butter.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Once the milk has come to a low boil and all of the bits are combined, add the cheeses.  Stir until well combined.
• Add pasta to the sauce.  Stir to combine.  Adjust any seasonings.

You are ready to serve and ENJOY!!!

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Leftover Pork Stir Fry

 

  For Father's Day this year, David made ribs.  He LOVES ribs, and we don't have them very often.  They can be expensive and for a family of 6, it gets costly quick.  Last week, one of our grocery stores had full slabs of baby back buy one get one.  Still not cheap, but definitely more manageable.  To make things easier on Father's Day, he braised the ribs in the oven on Saturday, then on Sunday, he grilled them to give them a quick char and heat them through.  From the braising liquid I made a quick BBQ sauce.  Holy cow, they were delicious!!!  

    We had plenty leftover and they were too good to let go to waste, so today I made Leftover Pork Stir Fry.  I took the ribs off of the bone and cut the meat into cubes.  We have plenty of rice, coleslaw mix, and the things necessary to make an easy stir fry sauce.  I used some of the leftover BBQ sauce from the ribs, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, and made it a little thicker by adding cornstarch.  

    Don't worry if you don't have any leftover pork (pulled pork works great too)!  You can easily use ground pork or turkey, chicken breasts, pork chops, etc.  You can even use beef.  This is a very versatile recipe and a great way to incorporate veggies into your meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 cups leftover pork, cubed
• 2 c. rice
• 1 c. frozen corn
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 red, orange, or yellow pepper sliced
• 1 bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 1 c. BBQ sauce
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 clove fresh garlic, grated or minced
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce, if needed
• 1 tsp. sesame oil or veggie oil to pan
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare rice ahead of time.  This will free up some time while you are making the stir fry.  Once you start putting all of the ingredients together, it will be quick!  Remember when cooking rice, it's a 2:1 ratio.  Two cups of water for every cup of rice.  Also be sure to season your rice with salt while it's cooking.
2. Make the stir fry sauce.  In a medium bowl, add BBQ sauce, soy sauce, ground ginger, honey, and rice wine vinegar.  Set aside.
3. Heat a large pan to medium heat.  Add sesame oil and garlic.  Watch the garlic because it will brown quickly.  
4. Add sliced peppers and chopped broccoli.  Saute for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add pork, heat through.  
5. Add the corn and stir to combine.  It may look like your pan will overflow, but the cabbage will cook down.
6. Add the stir fry sauce.  If the sauce is very thin, make a cornstarch slurry of cornstarch and water, and add to the pan.  This will thicken the sauce.  Allow to cook for 5 minutes.  
7. Stir in the rice, or serve separately making a bed of rice on the plate and add the stir fry on top.

Enjoy!!

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Copycat Chic fil A Sauce

  Sometimes I think I live under a rock...just kidding, but I didn't there was a such a thing as making this sauce at home until Nicky and I went to lunch with his cousins.  They love the sauce and had it on their turkey sandwiches!  So, what did I do?  I came home and made it.  I can definitely say it's delicious on chicken, burgers, with fries, onion rings, and I'd like to try it with meatloaf and turkey burgers.  As is with other copycat recipe, this recipe is extremely easy to make with all ingredients you have on hand at home, especially since there are only four ingredients: mayo, mustard, bbq sauce and honey.

This recipe will make 4 servings.  I will tend to double the recipe for us.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. mayo
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp bbq sauce
• 2 tbsp honey

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a small bowl.  Whisk until well combined.  You are ready to enjoy!!  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week. 

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French Silk Pie

    Now tell me, doesn't that look good?  One night during dinner, we got on the subject of pies.  A few days before I had made an apple pie using up the apples we get with the free lunches from the school district.  David and I started reminiscing of our high school and early adult lives frequenting Baker's Square and having ____ (fill in the blank) pie a la mode.  My go to pie choices were cherry pie (warmed) a la mode or French Silk.  David and I were trying to see how we could make a French Silk dairy free.  This one is not, but don't worry.  I made it on a weekend when the kids weren't home.  Yes, two of them got to enjoy it when they came home.  

    Because I am focused on quick and easy dishes, this pie is no different.  I should also mention that I am NOT a baker.  Emma usually has that role in our family.  She's amazing at breakfasts and cakes.  It's her thing.  Me?  I'd rather cook, but when you have a taste for French Silk, and know you can make it homemade, you go for it!  This pie is made with chocolate pudding and wait for it...a refrigerated pie crust.  Of course you can definitely make your own crust and filling, but hey...this is more my speed of baking.  😁  I did make homemade whipped cream from heavy whipping cream, and shaved the chocolate pieces on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 refrigerated pie crust, allow it to sit out of the fridge for about 10 minutes before unrolling it
• 1 3.9 oz box chocolate pudding, this can be the instant or cook and serve
• 1 8 oz. carton of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 piece of a Hershey's chocolate bar, shaved

Directions:

1. Prepare crust according to package directions.  Allow to cool before adding pudding to the baked crust.
2. Prepare pudding according to package directions.  Once prepared, pour into the cooled, baked crust.  Set aside.
3. In a chilled bowl, pour the carton of heavy whipping cream.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar.  Granulated sugar can be used, but this may make the whipped cream a bit grainy.  Beat either with your stand mixer or hand mixer on medium for one minute.  Increase speed to medium high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  
4. Delicately spread the whipped cream over the chocolate pudding.  Using a vegetable peeler (it's what I had on hand), shave the chocolate onto the whipped cream.  

The French Silk is now ready to enjoy!  Trust me, it's very difficult to refrain from eating this in one sitting.  Should you have any leftover, be sure to keep it in the refrigerator.

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Our first harvest!

Red Leaf Lettuce

 For those of you who've known me for a long time know that I'm not the best with plants of any kind.  One of my best friends once asked me to water her plants while they were on vacation.  That didn't go so well...

But lately I've been taking the time to take care of our garden and flowers.  I was able to cut some of our first veggies, we had red leaf lettuce and spinach.  Wow!  I can't believe how fresh it all tasted.  Making a salad with these was incredible.  I didn't think it would be that much of a difference from store bought, but I was wrong.  I wish we lived in a place where we could garden throughout the year, but alas we don't.  I can't wait to be able to cook more with our other veggies and herbs that are continuing to grow!

Spinach

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DIY Project - Bookcase

    Since I've been enjoying reading so much, I asked David if we could get a bookcase for me to store my books/cookbooks, and trinkets of course.  😀 When I mentioned this to him, he was on the hunt looking for ideas or inspiration of any kind.  He also had the thought of going to one of our favorite places, Upscale Rummage Sale, to look for a bookcase we could rejuvenate into something new.  I couldn't articulate what I wanted when looking at plans for building one from scratch, so we went to the rummage sale shop.  As a side note, we love this place for a variety of reasons.  First, they have great quality items at a great price.  Sometimes you really have to dig and use your imagination, but if you take your time, you'll find something you are looking for to redo and make your own.  We've found desks, a dresser, table, bookcase, and many other items there that we've taken and redone.  Second, their proceeds get donated to local charities.  Signs are posted throughout the store highlighting the organizations who benefit from them.  

    When we head out to Upscale Rummage Sale, we try not to go with high expectations, why?  We don't want to be too disappointed if we don't find anything.  We may have a piece of furniture in mind that we are looking for, but we try to think outside of the box looking at similar items to possibly transform these items into what we need.  The bookcase we purchased actually had two overlapping doors and was varnished in a dark wood tone.  This is what I mean about thinking outside of the box.  We were able to see past those things and visualize how we wanted the bookcase to look.  We were able to find this bookcase for $35!!!  It was a steal, and in great condition, made of solid wood.  Dang, this thing sure is heavy!

    I knew I wanted a pop of color, for this bookcase to stand out.  And stand out it does, but it's gorgeous!  David had the idea of making it two tone, so the inside is a creamy white, while the outside is teal (our living room chairs have some teal in them).  I LOVE IT!!!!  We used Rustoleum Chalk paint, which can be tricky and it needs a few coats even with primer, but it sure turned out great!  I'll let you guys decide.  I just wish I had a before picture. 😒 One thing I can do is show you the piece of furniture we replaced with the bookcase.  The ladder was also something we transformed into a bookshelf, and it was one of our first projects.  I am thrilled with the results of the bookcase.  

Something old...

Something new!

    Our next project will be a bedroom set for Emma, I can't wait to see what we will find!

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Baked Strawberry French Toast

Happy Father's Day 2020!!!

    My hubby LOVES French Toast.  I wanted to make him something special for breakfast today for Father's Day.  He really enjoys breakfast foods, but he often doesn't eat breakfast. Occasionally Emma will prepare pancakes or waffles for us for breakfast on the weekend, but today we needed something a little extra special for Father's Day.  What better and easier than a baked French Toast?  

    The Baked Strawberry French Toast was extremely easy to prepare, and we made it the night before, just having to heat it up this morning.  It doesn't take long to cook in the oven, but let's face it, who's really thrilled to be making a full breakfast first thing in the morning?  Who's looking for minimal effort?  I know I am!!

    This recipe calls for fresh strawberries.  If you can't find fresh strawberries and use frozen strawberries, you will want to thaw them first.  The excess liquid will make the bread that much more soggy.  Something that would have definitely put this delicious dish over the edge would be whipped cream.  Unfortunately I thought of it too late, meaning this morning, but it's a mental note for the next time we make this.  I'd also like to try a combination of berries too.  

    We did have bacon and sausage links with our breakfast this morning.  I was able to cook/heat everything in the oven, so again...very minimal effort this morning.  Good stuff!  Also, this is another dairy free recipe!

Ingredients:

• 16-18 slices of white bread, cut in half
• 2 lbs fresh strawberries, sliced and tops removed
• 8 eggs
• 2 c. oat milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.  
2. Line the dish with the pieces of bread, slightly overlapping the pieces.  
3. Spread the strawberries over the bread, tucking slices of strawberries in between the bread.  
4. In a medium size bowl, combine eggs, lemon zest, sugar, salt and milk.  (If you don't have oat milk, regular milk would work just fine.  Whisk until well combined.
5. Pour egg and milk mixture over the bread.  Be sure to press the bread into the mixture to soak up some of the excess.  Set dish to rest for 15-20 minutes before putting it into the oven.
6. Put the baking dish in the oven.  This will need to bake for 45 to 55 minutes for everything to be set.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.  Enjoy!!  

Note:  This dish can be prepared the night before!  Once removing it from the oven, allow to cool completely.  Cover and put into the fridge overnight.  In the morning, take it out from the fridge, preheat the oven to 400, and warm for about 30 minutes.  

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Limited technology...what are we thinking?

Yep, you read that correctly.  We have given our children access to limited technology in our house.  What exactly does that mean?  Well, with the exception of TV, they are given 30 minutes each day to play on their devise.  This could be their phone, iPad, gaming system, tablet, etc.  You must have read that thinking, seriously???  Are you nuts???  

Let me take you back a few years to when I was a kid (not so long ago 😂).  During the summer months, my best friend and I were constantly outside, riding our bikes, making up gymnastics routines in her backyard, listening to whatever cassette tapes we had, using our imaginations.  I'm not naive and I realize things were quite a bit different just a few years ago...um...well, 30 years ago.  When I was a kid, we didn't have technology so accessible to us.  Heck, we thought CD's would be around forever.  Times have changed, and we understand that, but we as a family feel that now more than ever, it's so important to "get to know" one another again.  Communicate with one another without using a device to send a text.  Play together, go for walks, bike rides, go to the beach, play games, make up games, most importantly HAVE FUN!!  

Now that our kids are officially in summer break, we started this new policy last Monday.  We're coming to the end of our first week.  So, what are some of the things we've done so far?  Played a variety of board games, played bags, gone on walks and bike rides, made some great meals, helped members of our community through our church, used our imaginations, practiced baseball and softball, both pitching and hitting, learned new things about each other, and worked on many projects around the house.  

Trust me, there have been some days where I'd love for the kids to be "babysat" by their devices, but honestly, where is the personal connection?  Where is that time when one of the kids asks a random question, but is so interested in learning more?  I wouldn't want to trade in those small moments for anything.  Sometimes these little moments force ourselves as parents to step back and admire our four gifts from God.  I know I am able to appreciate their joys, talk through their concerns, and I'm quite enjoying this!  No one has complained (outloud) to us yet, but we will see!! This could end up being a VERY long summer.

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Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

For anyone who loves the flavors of Mexican Street Corn, YOU will LOVE this recipe.  Mexican Street Corn, or Elote, is a common street food in Mexico.  Elotes are a cob of corn covered in a spicy mixture of mayo, sour cream, and chili powder.  Then topped with Cotija cheese and cilantro.  Elotes are often served at festivals and as a street food by food vendors in Mexico.  This recipe captures those flavors, and puts a little twist on them.  I've modified the recipe as it's dairy free, but please feel free to use your favorite cheeses and crema.  It was something totally different for the kids, but they really enjoyed it!  We hardly have any leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb short cut pasta
• 1 bag of frozen corn, substitute with fresh corn or canned corn
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 tsp of chipotle in adobo sauce, substitute 2 tsp chili powder
• juice and zest from 1 lime
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 3/4 c. tofu sour cream, substitute real sour cream (crema)
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro
• dairy free mozzarella, substitute Cotija cheese or other types of shredded cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta.  Be sure to season the water with salt before dropping the pasta.  Cook to al dente, with a little bite to the pasta.  This way it won't be mushy.  Drop in the frozen bag of corn to the pasta water before draining.  Drain and allow to cool.
2. While your pasta is cooling, in a large bowl combine mayo, sour cream, adobo sauce, lime juice and zest, and salt and pepper.  
3. Once your pasta and corn are cool, add to the creamy mixture.  Add diced jalapeño, cilantro and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

We grilled pork chops to serve along with the Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad.

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Last Day of School

    What a year!  This seems like it's been the never ending school year, it just kept going on and on and on.  Last night at dinner, we were talking about parent-teacher conferences, and we couldn't remember how long ago they were.  My husband said it seemed like they were three years ago.  Please tell me I am not the only one who feels this way.  

    This school past year, or mostly the last three months, our homes were turned into schools, offices, learning centers, places for hosting meetings, bedrooms turned into offices, all the while still being our home.  We were forced to juggle eLearning, be teachers, moms, dads, office employees, and anything else we needed to be.  And now the year of the school year is here...FINALLY!  But how does it feel for our kids?

    "It feels like we've been on summer vacation."  "We've been home since March, so it's fine."  "Nothing's going to change other than I don't have work to do."  These are some of the responses my kids gave me when asking them how if feels to finally be finished with the school year.  I can't imagine how they are really feeling.  I am sure there are many mixed emotions, but I know they have enjoyed being home all of this time.  In this same conversation, they were wondering how their school year would look like in the fall.  I did my best to share some of the CDC guidelines that we've been hearing about.  Who knows?  Things will be different for a VERY long time, I am sure.

    I've posted about graduations before, but as the year comes to an end, I am extremely empathetic to all the graduates of 2020.  We have two in our house, our daughter graduating from 8th grade, and our 5th grader promoting to 6th (moving to the middle school next year.)  The schools have done a tremendous job of doing things virtually, but something is missing.  It's not the same.  We are doing our best to celebrate their accomplishments and do what we can to make this as special for them as possible!  It's a journey, and definitely not an easy one, but we are a family and we are together, and that's what's most important!

    To all who's school years are coming to an end...HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!!  You've earned it!

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Loaded Baked Potato Salad

   

 What do you do when it's just too hot to turn on your oven, but you have such a taste for a baked potato?  Make the Loaded Baked Potato Salad of course!  This is an extremely easy salad to make, and perfect for any BBQ.  You don't actually bake the potatoes as you would for a baked potato, but make them as you would for making mashed potatoes.  I used red potatoes when making this recipe, mainly because I didn't have to peel them.  I got lazy!  If you don't have red potatoes, using yellow or gold potatoes would be just fine, again you don't have to peel them.  I'm not sure about using Russet or baking potatoes.  Those you would definitely want to peel first.  Then mix in your favorite toppings for a loaded baked potato and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 lbs. red potatoes, diced
• 1 c. mayo
• 1 c. soup cream, I made this a dairy free version so I used Tofu sour cream (no one noticed!!!!)
• 3 small green onions, diced
• 6 slices of thick cut bacon, diced, cooked and drained
• shredded cheddar cheese, keep it dairy free with dairy free cheese or regular
• 1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped finely
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Dice the potatoes into small chunks, add them to a large pot.  Cover the potatoes with water, add salt, cover and turn on heat to boil.  Once boiling, turn the heat down to a smaller boil to continue to cook the potatoes.  Potatoes are done when they are fork tender.  Drain.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a skillet.  After browned, remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.  This will help to remove any extra grease.
3. Combine mayo and sour cream in a small bowl.  Add parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and olive oil.  Whisk together.  Your dressing will be creamy and thick.  If you'd like it a bit thinner, feel free to add more olive oil.  
4. Add potatoes back to their original pot, add bacon, green onions, dressing, and cheese.  Mix well.  You are ready to enjoy!!  If you don't plan on serving right away, refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  Once you remove from the refrigerator, you may need to add a little more dressing if it soaked up in the potatoes.
   
   

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Corn Salad Reinvented

    If you're like me, you're looking for quick and easy recipes for your family that are also healthy, but also something that everyone will enjoy.  In an effort to meet this above criteria, I came up with this easy corn salad also became a use up for some leftovers.  We had corn on the cob for dinner the night before, and I really try to use up or reinvent our leftovers so as not to waste them and throw them away.  My family loves corn, especially corn on the cob, and because of this we tend to have it often, and I always have corn in the freezer.  Don't fret if you don't have fresh corn to make this salad.  Feel free to use whatever you have, frozen or canned.  It will work just as well!

I used this salad also as a way to incorporate as many veggies as I know my kids love.  I'm so blessed that I have a family that loves their veggies, especially salads.  We have a form of a salad every night for dinner.  Even if we have a cooked veggie alongside.

Ingredients:

• 3 ears of corn on the cob, corn cut off
• 1/2 frozen peas, cooked and cooled
• 1 c. cole slaw mix
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 large roma tomato, diced
• 2 green onions, diced
• juice of two limes or about 3-4 tbsp
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper.  Adjust seasonings accordingly.
2. Add the other ingredients to a medium size bowl.  Pour dressing over the corn salad.  Mix and serve!

Extremely easy and delicious!!  Enjoy!

Corn Salad with hot dog and curly fries!

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One of those days...

    I would not be remiss if I didn't touch on the events that have transpired over the past week and a half.  Our nation has been deeply touched, moved, enveloped by the senseless and traumatic death of a man in Minneapolis.  This happens unfortunately more often than not.  Many of us feel so entitled and privileged, and will often take for granted the many things we have in our lives.  We live inside of a bubble and do not see beyond that bubble and what happens around us.  When I was teaching, I was blessed to teach in many affluent areas, but something I quickly learned from doing so, the many children I thought never had a worry in the world.  They didn't have to worry about having a roof over their head, enough food to eat, or clothes to wear.  There are many who have these worries each and every day, adding in the factor of still not being treated as an equal.  Our nation's history has been plagued with injustices since it began, and there is still much to learn and much to do! 

    We've been seeing everywhere on social media and the news that Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter, and the constant daily situations that arise causing mass injustices for so many people, causing many of us to be numb.  I completely agree with the many protests that are happening, as we have the right to share our feelings as a free nation, but once these protests turn violent, how is that helping anyone?  How does that convey the message of liberty and justice for all, other than causing more harm than good?  I understand these are hypothetical questions, and I'm not looking for answers, but these things have forced me to think.

    The title of this post is "One of those days," because that's just what it is.  I've taken so much for granted in my life, and while I know I am blessed, there is so much to be thankful for.  I have those things that I mentioned above with a roof over my head, food, clothing, and a wonderful family.  While I'm in therapy for my PTSD, another blessing and a privilege in an effort to strengthen my treatment, it still makes days like these hard to process.  We get through, we survive, but I urge you, do not take your life for granted.  YOU MATTER!  BLACK LIVES MATTER!  WE ALL MATTER!

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Easy Beef and Rice Burritos

    

    For the last few months I've been grocery shopping for my family, my parents and my in-laws once a week.  During this time, i've also been preparing meals for my parents by either cooking at their house after a morning of shopping or at my house and dropping them off later in the week.  In either case, they are often freezer ready meals for them to have later in the week or that month.  In addition to that, I put together a meal plan for them two to three weeks at a time.  My parents' days are often consumed with doctor appointments, this gives them a respite from figuring out what to have for dinner.  Now, in the morning, they can pull out whatever is on the menu that night for dinner.  It may sound as if I'm enabling my parents, but this is my way of helping them how I can, when I can.  For most meals, they have to make rice or pasta, a salad or a veggie to go along with what I've made in advance, or even sometimes they have to grill burgers, steaks, chicken, or even fish, and they will pull out the risotto I've made for them from the freezer.  I think they are enjoying this just as much as I do, because they enjoy my cooking!  

    This is just one of the meals I've made for them recently, easy beef and rice burritos.  Basically I prepared the ground beef as if I were making tacos, cooked the rice, added them together, added some shredded cheese and wrapped the mixture in large tortillas to make the burritos.  I rolled each one them individually in foil to be ready for the freezer.  Don't get me wrong, these can most definitely be enjoyed right after you make them, or prepare enough for both the day you make them and to have at a later time.  I also want to share that you can add beans, green chilis, onions, and/or tomatoes/salsa to your mixture before freezing them.  Add these to your beef while you're cooking it.  If you plan on serving these the night of, feel free to have other items such as lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream to add before rolling the burritos.  Do not add these things if you plan on freezing your burritos.

Burritos wrapped in foil and ready for the freezer.

Easy Beef and Rice Burritos 

Recipe makes 6 burritos

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1 c. prepared rice
• 3/4 c. shredded cheese
• 6 large flour tortillas
• 1 tbsp each of chili powder, cumin, paprika
• 1 tsp each of garlic and onion powders
• 3/4 c. salsa, can be homemade or from a jar
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet with olive oil.  Once your pan is ready, add the ground beef.  Add all of the spices and seasonings, including salt and pepper.  Adjust accordingly.  While you are browning the beef, prepare the rice.  The rice can always be prepared in advance, and burritos are a great use up for leftover rice.
2. Depending on the type of beef you have, you may need to drain it once it's browned.  Once drained, add the salsa to the ground beef.  Stir to combine.
3. By this time, the rice should be cooked.  Add the beef to the beef.  Stir all together.
4. Have your tortillas ready to roll with your beef and rice mixture.  If you are serving these burritos on the night you make them, feel free to have any of the other typical add-ins to burritos to roll all together such as lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream.  If you are planning on freezing the burritos, just fill with beef mixture and shredded cheese.
5. Place a tortilla on a flat surface, add about 1/2 to 3/4 c. of beef mixture to the center of the tortilla.  Top with shredded cheese.  To roll the tortillas, fold in the sides, take the bottom end, side of the tortilla closest to you, fold over the mixture and sides, tuck under the mixture and roll up.  I'm attaching a link from YouTube on how to roll a burrito in case you're unsure.
6. You're ready to serve!  If you're planning on freezing the burritos, wrap each burrito in foil.  To reheat your burritos at another time, remove from the freezer to defrost.  Once defrosted, heat in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until heated through.  Since they are wrapped in foil, you can place them directly in the oven.  Remove from foil and enjoy!

How to Roll a Burrito

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