Sunday, March 24, 2013

Homemade Salsa

I have a couple other recipes for homemade salsa, but decided I better save this one too when I saw it on facebook today.  It looks really easy and good.


Homemade Salsa

Chop 5-6 Roma tomatoes,1 small onion and 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro. Mince 2 seeded Serrano or Jalapeño peppers and 1 clove of garlic. Add 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and let sit overnight for flavors to meld.

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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

I had some chicken breasts in the fridge and some sweet potatoes in the pantry, so I went looking for a recipe.  I found this one which also included cabbage - and I had some of that in the fridge, too!


I made this a day early and then added 1/2 cup of water when I reheated it, because it was really thick.  I'm not entirely convinced the cornstarch is needed for thickening because I cooked mine long enough that the sweet potatoes got really soft and thickened the stew on their own.  I will probably leave that step out next time.  I also may have used more than just the 1 cup of peas, too - their green color against the orange of the sweet potatoes is really pretty.

This was a really easy and tasty soup recipe, great for a potluck.  Everybody really seemed to like it and there wasn't much left, so I'm sure I'll be making it again.  A nice slice of wholegrain sourdough bread is the perfect complement.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Beef Noodle Bowl

I found this recipe in one of my old Food & Family magazines from Kraft.  My biggest question is - "Why haven't I made this before?"  Since I found the recipe, I've made it twice with beef and once with chicken.  This is going to be a regular recipe around here. 


This is really easy and tastes really good. It is best with steak and fresh vegetables, but I used boneless chicken thighs and frozen broccoli once, and that was pretty good, too.  You could probably adapt the recipe to use whatever vegetables you have or want to use - though carrots and broccoli are pretty much perfect. 
with chicken

I always set a bit of the pasta water aside to add to any leftovers - whatever looks good - because pasta tends to absorb liquid when it sits, and a little extra is welcome when it's time to heat it back up.  Of course, last time I made it, my husband was here, and there weren't any leftovers.  I guess he likes it too!


I really like to sprinkle a few red pepper flakes on top and cilantro if I have it.  The Kraft recipe says to sprinkle with dry roasted peanuts, which I haven't tried, but it does sound good - so maybe next time.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Chicken Apple & Cheese Muffins

My  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) assignment this month was to choose a recipe from Aly's blog Cooking in Stilettos.  Why is it that everybody but me can come up with such creative blog names?  Don't you love that one?  There are plenty of great-looking and creative recipes on her blog, and I had a very hard time picking just one!

I thought about Bourbon Molasses Baked Chicken (except that I don't have any of that Bourbon Molasses Mustard - wonder if I could make something similar?)  Update: I found this recipe in my local paper for a Honey Bourbon Jalapeno Mustard, which might work.
Honey Bourbon Jalapeno Mustard
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup whole yellow mustard seeds
  • 3/4 cup whole brown mustard seeds
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup honey (range depends on your desire for a sweeter mustard)
  • 1-1/4 tsp. fine salt
  • 1 to 2 jalapenos, chopped (leave in seeds and ribs for a spicier mustard)
  1. In a medium bowl, combine bourbon, water and mustard seeds. Let soak at least 4 hours up to overnight.
  2. In a food processor or powerful blender, add mustard seed mixture, vinegar, honey, salt and jalapenos. Blend until very smooth (you will still see seed hulls). You may add more water or vinegar to thin, if needed.
  3. Pack into a clean glass jar. Leave at room temperature for several days if you want mustard to mellow, otherwise store in the refrigerator 3 to 4 weeks.
  4. Makes about 3-1/2 cups
And next time I have apple cider in the house, somebody remind me to make this Bourbon Cider Twist!  I am also actually going to make tortillas next time I need some.  Yes, I've been planning to do that for ages, but this recipe for the Easiest Ever Homemade Tortillas has me convinced.  And there are more, but I had to choose, didn't I?  Well, at least for this post.  I can always go back....


I ended up modifying the recipe for Apple Cheddar Chicken Muffins, not because it didn't look perfect the way it was, but because I had to substitute some of the ingredients.  I substituted 1/2 cup of white wheat flour for part of the white flour, used broccoli instead of arugula, a Braeburn apple instead of Granny Smith, and used a 3-cheese mix instead of Cheddar.  Of course, Aly did say to think of this muffin recipe as your “Leftover Muffin Canvas” - so I just did what I was supposed to do!
 


These muffins are great!  They make a really nice change from sandwiches. You get your meat, cheese, bread and veggies all in one easy-to-grab package. My husband really enjoyed having them in his lunches.  I also sent some to college with my son because he has some long days when he has no time to get anything to eat.  He can throw some of these into his bag in the morning and have a handy snack to tide him over until the day is over and he has time to get to the dining hall or back to his dorm. I'm already thinking of variations - because I will be making these again.  I'm thinking something with cornmeal and zucchini would be good.