HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! (AND MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL)

I hope that all of my loved ones had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Sorry that I continue to leave my blog untouched for sooo many weeks on end.  I won't even re-read my post from last year with my New Year Resolutions on it.  Not saying that I won't set more again, but I'm pretty sure I didn't come close to putting a dent in my list.  I will simplify this year's goal.  "Survive" will be the theme.  :) 

So that you all start your New Year's off right, and because I love you all I'm going to include the recipe for "Mexican Shrimp Cocktail" that so many members of my family enjoy.  It's easy and we have it on New Year's Eve and other "special occasions".  Love you all!!!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail:

1 large bottle of Clamato.  This is sold in the juice isle next to the V- 8.  Clamato is a Hispanic tomato juice cocktail and it does have a different taste than anything else you can buy.  It is the authentic ingredient to make perfect shrimp cocktail... ok I'll be honest, it's made with clam juice but don't be afraid.  You're not serving it over ice and drinking it for breakfast and it makes perfect Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.   If you can't find Clamato, use regular V-8 or spicy V-8 if you like some heat.

1 small can El Pato.  (the yellow can)  This is a Mexican tomato sauce.  I think this can be found in most grocery stores.  If the Smith's in Sandy, Utah carries it (it does), I'm pretty sure you can find it just about anywhere... just sayin'.  For some reason if you can't find this ingredient then just stick to regular old shrimp cocktail...  ok, just kidding.... maybe you could use some juice from pickled jalepenos instead and extra extra seasoning.  The El Pato adds a lot of flavor.  (Or some Herdez red salsa may work, that may come close to the flavor you need.)  Just TRY to find it.

1/2 cup Heinz ketchup (it has the best taste in my opinion)
1/2 - 3/4 bunch cilantro or more to taste
3/4 a medium size red onion, or more to taste
4 stalk celery
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed.  (Cucumber pieces may be larger than the other vegetables.  Small cubes.)
2-3 avacado
approximately 2 pounds frozen shrimp, shells and tail removed
the juice of 1 to 2 large limes
salt, pepper to taste
(A de-seeded, de-veined jalapeno or two, chopped is also optional - just depends on who is eating it...)

Use a "slap chop", food processor or knife to cut the cilantro, celery and red onion into very small pieces.  Really the slap chop makes the veggies a perfect size, a food processor can be too much - you still want some crunch when you eat but the vegetables need to be small.

Pour Clamato into a large bowl, add the ketchup and stir together.  Pour in about 1/2 to 3/4 can of the El Pato.   This keeps the shrimp cocktail fairly mild.  For more kick, add the whole can.

Add vegetables into Clamato mix, then add frozen shrimp.  Juice lime over the entire bowl, add salt and pepper.

Taste test:  VERY IMPORTANT!  Like all things Mexican everything is "to taste."  You may want more crunch from vegetable.  You may need more salt and heat.  Add ketchup for more sweetness. Taste the mix and add any ingredient you think you need to add.

Cover your large bowl and let it sit on the counter for about 20 to 30 minutes.  The shrimp will defrost into your mixture and make it a perfect cold temperature for eating.

Right before serving, cube 2 or 3 avacados and add them into your bowl of cerviche.  (Or shrimp cocktail).  Again, anything you add is to taste.  The final product here should be a soupy consistency that is a little sweet and spicy, almost like eating a cold shrimp soup.  It is fantastic.

Enjoy a little bit of our family tradition and eat up!!!  You will love it, I promise.

Happy New Year! 

Sun Block (and a Fish Taco Recipe)

That is what I am calling my current "writer's block" going on here this summer with my blog.  We've done so many fun things this summer and I'm hoping I can go back here and write about it... I noticed I did the same thing last year.  I just get distracted playing during the summer... I turn into a kid every year when school is out!

I don't have so much to say tonight except that I haven't forgotten about my blog and I totally plan to go back and write over the next few weeks about some of our little vacations. 

I do want to write down my fish taco recipe really quick in honor of Christina who loves them.  She just had her twins, Anna and Jackson.  They are BEAUTIFUL!!  I love them and I love you Christina!  Good Job!!

Fish Tacos

Ok, so my favorite fish to use for this is "Treaures of the Sea" Breaded Flounder that you find in the Freezer section at Sam's Club. Bake according to the package.  This is the easy way (and yummy!)

However, if you accidentally buy the unbreaded flounder, (obviously this happens to me sometimes...) here is how I season it:
Use equal parts olive oil and butter in a skillet and add fish fillets.
Season fillet with garlic salt, onion powder, celery salt and BBQ seasoning.  Brown the fish on both sides and squeeze lime and lemon over the filets when they are done. 

Mix equal parts sour cream and mayonaise.  (You can use plain yogurt instead of sour cream and it actually tastes more like authentic fish tacos.)
I season this mixture with garlic salt to taste and it's ready to go.

Put fish in corn tortillas that were warmed in a skillet, and use both the cabbage salad recipe and the tomato and avacado recipe listed in this blog.  Dress with the sauce...

You won't need to go to any restaurant to get fish tacos after this, they are delicious and authentic!!

(And Christina,  I will make them for you when you get home...)

How to Roast Green Chli

Green chilis are usually called anaheim or hatch chili.  They are long and green, like the color of a green pepper but long like a huge jalepeno.  Roasting them really brings out all of their very best flavor.

How to roast green chili:


First I have a story to explain it. One of my dear friends that lives out here had just moved into her neighborhood and didn't know very many people. Early one morning she went out her front door and saw a brown paper bag. In that brown bag was a very suspicious looking pile. She thought, "who hates us so much that they would put this in front of our house!" She was sad about it for a few hours until she got a phone call from a gal in the ward who said, "hey, did you get that bag of fresh green chili we roasted for you this morning?"

Enough said.

That's how your green chili should look after you've roasted it properly. You can use a grill, gas stove, or iron skillet. You just want the chili blackened all over. Place in a brown paper bag for about fifteen minutes. The skins should come right off, leaving you with just little black bits of flavor. MMMM I can almost smell the chili now.   Pull the seeds out also, (unless you love spice), there is definitely lots of heat in the seeds.

You can use green chili in roast for green chili burros, scrambled eggs, quiche, tamale, chicken, just about anything!  You can also pack it into zip lock baggies and freeze it.

Summer Corn Soup

Here is my story today.

I wanted to use the fresh produce that is in my fridge, and I didn't want my veggies served the traditional way.  I've been craving Navajo Fry Bread so I had to think of a way to eat them that goes with bread. 

It is not NEARLY as warm as it normally is here.  For example, the high today was 95 degrees.  I know that sounds pretty hot to most of my family that reads here, but in all our years in Arizona, I can never ever remember when it wasn't over 100 degrees on June 1st.  (Really, never ever!) So it seemed like it wouldn't be too awfully weird to make soup.  Like, I almost made a cold corn salad and I am sure that I will someday but for today, soup just sounded good.

Derek said it was his favorite soup I've ever made, so I want to write it down here before I forget what I did.

Summer Corn Soup

4 ears of corn
2 small sweet vidalia onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
6 cups water
3 tbsp. powder chicken bouillion
one can Hunts tomato with oregano and basil
3/4 pound cream cheese, softened
garlic salt
one tbsp. butter/2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh basil (about 8 fresh leaves)
roux of corn starch and water to thicken

First, cut the kernels off four ears of corn. 
Then, in a dutch oven warm up the olive oil and butter, then add in cut corn, onion and green pepper.  Season with salt and pepper.  Saute until softened, then add chopped garlic cloves.  Stir until you can smell the garlic. 
Add in water, make sure you get any carmelized veggies bits off the bottom of the pan.
*Tangent here... if I had an immersion blender, I would've saved myself a LOAD of trouble during the next step...
Pour tomatoes and about four cups of your soup mixture into the food processor in case you don't have an immersion blender either, blend.
Add back into your soup pot.   If you like your soup smooth, you can process the entire pot in batches- it's up to you.
Add softened cream cheese and stir until melted into soup, season with garlic salt.
I like thicker soup, so I added a small slurry of corn starch and water to thicken.  (Sorry, no measurement here....  you can make it as thick as you would like.)
Simmer for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally
Finally, chiffonade the basil and stir into your soup.  The basil really makes it.
(Preferably from your fresh basil plant on your front porch.  I've discovered there is no reason every person shouldn't have one.  I kill almost everything I grow, but the basil is beautiful.  I don't have an immersion blender, but I have fresh basil!)

YUM!!!

PS.  Tyler and Michael are at Scout Camp this week, I really miss them!  My house is much quieter...

Simple Salads

So I've been asked for this recipe several times, and I thought I added it on this blog somewhere but I've been doing some blog "cleaning" and I can't find it, so I'm adding a few simple salad recipes.

Cabbage Chopped Salad

Half a head of cabbage, chopped.
About four green onion, white and green parts, chopped
Fresh cilantro, about five sprigs chopped finely.  So good to know about cilantro; there is a lot of flavor in the stem, so chop the entire sprig.
One lime
Salt

Chop the cabbage, add chopped green onion and cilantro toss together.
Add the juice of half the lime, adding the other half as needed.
Salt your salad.  Salt is key in this little salad, it brings out the flavor of all the vegetables so don't be afraid of the salt.
Toss again thoroughly.  Taste, add salt or lime if needed.
Let your little salad sit for a few minutes, and then you can have it on literally anything Mexican:  tacos, burros, enchilada.  My kids will eat bowlfuls of this stuff... it's that good. (And it's cabbage, bonus!)

Tomato Avacado Salsa

My sister, Christina served a mission in Chicago, and one of her members would always serve a cubed tomato and cubed avacado with her meal.  My sister adds a little bit of olive oil and salt for seasoning, and it's a delicious salsa!  As an option, add juice from the lime half leftover from your cabbage salad for a little flavor and also as a preservative for the avacado.  Once again, serve on any Mexican dish you like, or over a green salad or over chicken.

Meatballs for Whatever You Need Them For...

So here I am, after another sabbatical.  Can't promise I won't take another break, after all Rachel is here to play and Kathy comes this weekend.  Awesome, right?  But out of necessity I created a meatball recipe that turned out so well, I want to write it down here.  My measurements are going to be somewhat of a "guess", but I think it's pretty close...

3 pounds of 80/20 ground beef
1/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup quick oats
2 eggs
1/3 cup parmesean cheese (the kind you put over spaghetti)
2 tbsp. italian seasoning
salt to taste

Bake these in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. 

(The time is actually a TOTAL guess, but I think I had them in there about that long...  Let me know how it goes!)

Homemade Granola

I've been searching for an easy granola recipe for a while.  It seems like most of the recipes I find on the internet include various seeds, grains and nuts that remind me more of bird food than anything else.  Finally I asked a gal in my ward who I heard was "in the know" when it comes to granola.  No kidding, this stuff is basic and good.  I'm sure those of you that want to make it like bird food can, but this is a good place to start.  Warning... I'm pretty sure it's not super low fat, but it is filling and a little addicting... just sayin'.

6 C Quick Cook Oats  (Great price for this at the cannery.)


1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. sweetened coconut flakes

1 1/2 c. maple syrup or honey (I used honey and it was delicious!)

1 c. crunchy peanut butter

1/4 c. oil

In a large bowl, Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Add 1/2 t. salt (optional). Set aside.

In a medium microwavable bowl, mix the maple syrup and peanut butter, microwaving them about 1 minute to soften the consistency of the peanut butter. Stir in the oil.

Preheat oven to 300. Mix the wet into the dry ingredients. Grease 2 sheet pans. Spread evenly onto the sheet pans.

Bake 25 min. Stir. Bake 10-15 more minutes until light golden brown.

Notes:
The granola was still soft when I took it from the oven.  I wasn't sure if that was correct but when it cooled, it had more of a "granola" texture.  Also, I didn't use any coconut because I didn't have it on hand.  Instead, I used a half a cup of trail mix that had raisins, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.  If you want to use chocolate chips or something else yummy, add it after the granola is cooled.

This recipe filled 3/4 of a gallon container, and it can double easily.  When you double the recipe, it uses a number ten can of quick oats.

Enjoy it, it's good and I believe that if it doesn't actually save you money to make it - it should for sure save you additives and sugar. 

Happy Birthday Bella Baby!

So, how do you celebrate your Birthday when you are the baby of six in a busy family? 

First, sometimes you don't even celebrate your birthday ON your birthday... sometimes, you celebrate it a day early... because of concerts, or basketball playoffs, or scouts, Mutual or Activity Days or some combination of the above....

THEN, sometimes, your mom is at five different stores in a day and STILL forgets birthday candles, even when the entire day is dedicated to finding stuff for your birthday.  So you end up with two Glade candles to blow out.   I agree, pretty lame!

The fruit pizza was planned, (I promise!) we went with that instead of cake.  I think it will be Bella's tradition.  It's so pretty and pink!  :)

PS.  I am planning to have a little "playgroup" birthday party on Wednesday, but still there will be no celebrating on her actual birthday, just no time!  But isn't that picture awesome.  With that much love and adoration, do you really NEED a party on your birthday?  Didn't think so.

Two years went by so fast!  What would I do without this little girlie.  She just keeps me so busy and happy (and stressed, but that's well documented on this blog... she's getting better...)

I still remember looking at that pregnancy test and crying.  I was so naive.  I just didn't know how lucky I was!  She is such a beautiful little piece of sunshine for me.  Love you Baby Bells!

Bella's Birthday Fruit Pizza

(This recipe makes one large pizza stone sized cookie)

Two rolls sugar cookie dough 

One 8 oz. strawberry cream cheese, softened

One container cool whip

One cup sugar

Assorted fruit (I used grapes and strawberries.  I was also going to use bananas, but at the store I HAPPENED to remember bananas, they were all green.)  You can use any fruit that sounds good.

Directions:  Bake the dough into a big pizza sized cookie and cool

Beat together cream cheese, cool whip and sugar.  Spread across cooled cookie like frosting.

Thinly slice your assorted fruit and distribute across the "pizza."

Really rich and delicious!

Sticker Shock (And a Taco Salad Recipe)

So I went to Walmart today to pick up a few ingredients I needed to make this yummy taco salad meat sauce that I'm getting ready to share, and I had a big surprise.

I needed foil, and the big box that I would normally get, are you ready?  $7.67...  Are you serious?  What is tin foil made of anyway!?  Derek said we must carry weapons grade foil at our Walmart.  Guess so....

But I digress!

Here is the Taco Salad Recipe:

2 large cans of Ranch Style Beans
(I bought a number 10 can of beans.  Once again, sticker shock.  Last time I bought those beans, they were just over a dollar a can.  This time they were closer to two.  So I decided I'd get a number ten can, pay just over four dollars and have double the beans.  I froze the rest.  Once again, I'm sidetracked...)
1 can Rotel, I use mild
1/1/2 pounds ground beef, browned.  For this recipe,  I just cover the meat with water, add garlic powder, salt and one medium onion chopped.  Then let it simmer away for about an hour.   You could just brown the meat, but it is really tasty this way.  I just add in the whole pot of beef/water after it's cooked.
One packet of Ranch Dressing
Two cloves of garlic, minced

Combine all of these ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for about four hours.

This stuff is awesome.  We usually use it for taco salad.  Have it over lettuce with cheese, sour cream, green onion, corn chips, avocado.  Just delicious!

BBQ Pork

OK, an experiment that turned out YUMMY!  Lot of flavor and easy.

7 to 8 pound bone in pork sirloin roast.  (They usually sell this cut boneless, if you use a boneless pork loin, you may need to add some liquid to keep the meat tender.)

1 can diet coke
1/2 to 3/4 C sugar
1 to 1/2 tbsp. rock salt
1/2 C liquid smoke

That's it.  Leave it in the crockpot until it's tender.  I shedded the meat with the juice, because there wasn't much left after the roast was done.  We just used Baby Ray's BBQ sauce on it and served it with rolls and cole slaw.  So Good!

A Christmas Miracle

That's what it will take for me to get all of the little projects done that I'm thinking I want to do.

Just sayin'

Okay,

I pulled out Grandma's "Peanut Butter Ball" recipe today because my goal is to get them done this week. We were blessed to live close to the Anderson Grandparents most of my childhood.  Grandma made these cookies every year and they were my absolute favorite! I feel close to Grandma when I make them - I feel like I'm passing on a family tradition by making these for family and friends.  Love you Grandma!

So here's the recipe, from Grandma A.

Peanut Butter Balls:

2 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs (or 18 double whole graham crackers)
1 pound box powder sugar (4 cups)

Stir together with:

1 12 oz. jar crunchy peanut butter (equals 1 C plus 2 tbsp.)
2 sticks melted margarine or butter

Mix together all of the ingredients and shape into balls.

In a double broiler, melt 1/2 cake of parrafin wax (Usually found with canning items)
with 12 oz. butterscotch chips or chocholate chips.

Dip peanut butter balls in mixture and place on wax paper to dry.

Makes 6 1/2 to 10 dozen, depending on the size of the cookies.

Pass them on and spread a little bit of Christmas Cheer!  :)

Teriyaki Chicken

I tried another new recipe tonight, and I really liked it so I want to save it in my "Blog Cookbook."

3 pounds chicken thighs (bone in)

Marinate this chicken in:
3/4 C soy sauce
3/4 C sugar
2 garlic cloves
1/4 C oil

Marinate chicken for three hours to overnight.
Bake chicken in a 350 degree oven for about one hour, turning the chicken halfway through cooking time.

It was really easy, and really good!

PS.  I am sure that you could make this with chicken breast also and it would be very tasty!  I think if I did it with chicken breast, I would grill instead of bake.

"Thanksgiving Style" Roasted Chicken Legs

I made some chicken legs for Activity Days tonight.  We did a "Gratitude Dinner" for Thanksgiving.  Our new leader had the great idea of having chicken legs instead of roasting a turkey or chicken.  It was a fabulous idea, and the chicken turned out YUMMY! 

Here is the recipe:

Chicken legs  I bought them at Safeway, so they were a good quality.  I think that helped! (I made literally ten pounds of chicken legs - great sale at 88 cents per pound.)

Take the skin off the chicken if you want.  For the most part, the skin cooked down and peeled back on this chicken, but I think if you wanted to go through the trouble it would be just as good because I added "fat" in the marinade and during cook time. 

Sprinkle chicken liberally with Adobo Seasoning.  I am sure that this can be found in Utah, you may have to hunt a little but it should be in your "Mexican" or "Latin" food isle.  If you don't have this, I'd use Jane's Crazy Salt or Seasoning Salt.  Rub the seasoning into the chicken.

Place chicken in plastic bags.  I put approximately 5 pounds of chicken in each bag.
Marinade: Per bag of chicken
Pour 1/4 C vegertable oil
1/4 C soy sauce
1/2 C mesquite marinade
Let the chicken marinate for a least one hour, longer if you can.

(I am using both marinade and marinate to describe what I did here.  I'm not sure which is grammatically correct so please reserve judgement.)

Line baking sheets with foil.  There's no reason to make your clean up time any more difficult than necessary.  Place chicken on the baking sheet, then take a half stick of margarine and dot it "here and there" around the chicken.  Yes, go ahead and add it!  I think that kept the chicken tender and juicy.

Roast chicken in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half.  (You probably don't need to cook it that long if you're not making TONS of chicken, so check it.  You don't want your chicken to dry out!)  About halfway through cooking time, turn the chicken so that both sides carmelize and get that yummy brown outside.

When you pull the chicken out of the oven, sprinkle both the chicken and the cooking juice with some garlic powder and garlic salt to taste.  Surprisingly, I'm going to say use caution adding the salt.  Both the Adobo and soy sauce will add the salt taste to it, but being me I thought it needed a tad bit more so I added garlic salt.

It was no accident there were three specialty salts sitting on my stove a few days ago.  Now, there is only one jar of mixed up specialty salts.  Sigh.... all I could salvage.

I made this chicken early in the day and then placed in in the crockpot on warm.  I poured the cooking juice over the top of it to keep the chicken from drying out.  My Activity Day Girls and my own kids LOVED this chicken.   I don't normally make "chicken with bones", but I think I'm going to start.  This was cheap and good.

Beef "Stoup"

I made a "stoup" tonight.  (Rachel Ray calls a mix between soup and stew, "stoup.")  I wasn't sure if I wanted to write down the ingredients because I didn't know if it was that good, but my family loved it and ate almost the entire pot.  So, I guess I'll go ahead and save it here in case I decide to make it again someday.  Maybe you all can try it too and let me know what you think.

Start by making a "roux"
1 1/4 C margarine
1 1/4 C water
Combine in the bottom of heavy dutch oven
Stir in two cups of water and mix with whisk.
Slowly continue to add about six additional cups of water and whisk continually so that you don't have any lumps.

Add:
2 cans beef broth
1 can Campbells french onion soup
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 bag of frozen vegetables.  I added a bag of broccoli, cauliflower and peppers in a cheese sauce.  It added extra flavor to the soup.

We had london broil for Sunday dinner, and it was delicious.  I added about 1 1/2 pounds of leftover beef cut into cubes.  If you have leftover steak or roast, I'd add it as is, but if you are using raw beef, brown it in some oil and season it before you add it to the stoup mixture.

Season with:
1 envelope beef stew seasoning
1 tsp. dried rosemary
garlic powder and garlic salt to taste

I brought the stoup up to a boil, then let it simmer for over an hour.  Total cooking time was about an hour and a half.  I'm thinking the crockpot would do a great job on this recipe so I'll use it next time.

I only have about a three to four month window when it is truly chilly enough at night to make soup.  We'll see what else I can come up with this winter!  :)

Simple, Delicious Tuna by Michael (Borrowman that is)

While Mike was here he made some tuna salad that for some reason was like, the best thing I'd ever tasted.  He said that there wasn't any special seasoning in it, but I'm still not sure I buy it...  :)

Here what he told me he put in it.  (With no exact amounts, it's to taste).

Tuna (drained very well)
Regular Mayo
Celery cut into half inch pieces.  A little bigger than normal, but SOOOO good.
Avacado, also cut into half inch cubes
Red onion, chopped slightly smaller
Green onion, chopped into 1/4 inch rounds
Season with salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Refridgerate before eating  (That's my idea, it was a perfect cold temperature when I found it in Mom's fridge.)

I had this for lunch and dinner.  Sorry if anyone else wanted leftovers!  I know that this is so simple, and many of you may already make tuna fish perfectly, however, this was just yummy.  I usually cut my veggies into tiny pieces.  No more!  The bigger pieces made it perfection.

Love you Mike!

Quiche

I made this tonight and I need to clarify one instruction.

I finally came up with a Quiche recipe that is the correct consistency for our family to enjoy it.  I've been experimenting now and again with different recipes and now I believe this is the ratio of fat to eggs that makes the best texture for our family.  I've learned that to make any egg dish requires a certain amount of fat to prevent the eggs from being runny.  I've made a few quiches now without enough of one or so ingredients that keeps the eggs from setting the way our family likes it.  This ratio of mayo and cheese to eggs makes it perfect for us.  (The cheese is actually pretty important, I've tried with only a cup of cheese and it doesn't set up correctly.)

Combine the following ingredients in a mixer:
1/2 C Milk
1/2 C Mayonaise
4 large eggs or 5 medium eggs
Seasonings, I usually use regular salt and pepper.  I will occasionally add 1 tsp. dried dill

Into the pie crust add:

1 1/2 C Cheese  Any kind of cheese.  Our family always has co-jack on hand so that's usually what we use, but mild cheddar is really tasty also.

The rest is up to you!
We love to add:
Steamed Asparagus
Steamed Spinach
Ham cubes
Sauteed onion and green pepper to the adult quiche.

Mom also loves it when I add cream cheese.  I cut a block in half and then break pieces of it off around the inside of the crust so every piece has a bite of cream cheese.  It changes the texture just a little.  Mom loves it, Derek doesn't.  You do what you want  :)

Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients in the pie crust

Bake at about 375 until set.   About 35-45 minutes.

Green chili, green onion and monterey jack cheese in your quiche is awesome also.  If you don't live close enough to Casa Palomino to get a perfect Chili Relleno, this has some great flavors.

Yummy Veggie Sandwiches

I was in charge of Book Club today, which is turning out to be a little less about reading and a little more about socializing.  It is pretty fun.  We tried to do a serious book this month and we enjoyed reading, but no one actually finished the book...  We will try next month.  (We picked a much easier read for September, awesome  :)  )

Anyhow, since our Book Club is more about gathering and eating as opposed to reading, I (OK, really Derek made them but I told him what to do...)  made some delicious sandwiches that I wanted to share with you all.  Just in case you're in charge of some "ladies lunch" soon...

Cucumber and Veggie Cream Cheese Sandwiches:

Peel and cut a cucumber in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds with a spoon.  Thinly slice and lay on a plate covered with paper towel.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and let them sit for about an hour.

Meanwhile, combine in the food processor:

One brick of softened cream cheese  (you know the best kind)
One stalk celery  (trimmed on both ends)
About one third yellow onion
About one third green pepper
One good size clove of garlic
Season with Jane's Crazy Salt to taste

Spread two slices of bread VERY LIGHTLY with mayonaise.  Then add the cream cheese spread and cucumbers.  If you want to be fancy, remove the crust and cut into triangles.  If it's for you, skip the mayo and eat up!  (The mayo is important to use as glue if you are bringing these on a tray...)

Tomato Avacado Delicious Sandwiches...

Slice tomato and place on a plate lined with paper towel.  Lightly salt and let drain for about an hour.

Spread the outside of your bread with pesto.  (I keep a jar of prepared basil pesto in my fridge.  It's really good when you add a spoonful to pasta salad.)
Place the bread, pesto side down in a skillet, toast.
Add drained tomato and sliced avacado to the sandwich.  Season with salt and pepper.
If you are taking these to a party, lightly spread either mayo or butter on the inside of the bread before adding tomato and avacado.

Derek made mom one of the tomato avacado sandwiches for lunch today.  Mom added some of the veggie cream cheese to her sandwich and LOVED it! 

My kids ate the rest of the sandwiches when they got home from school.  These were SO YUMMY and a good way to eat your veggies. 

Love you all!

Homemade, Delicious, Even If You Don't Like Alfredo You'll LIke This Alfredo Fettucine Alfredo

I had to include the information in the title because actually, if this hadn't been served to me at a lunch I would've never tried it.  I just tweaked this recipe a little.  It is rich, delicious and NOT Weight Watchers friendly.  Make it for a Sunday dinner, but whatever you do, just make it the way I say, EXACTLY!  Don't cheat yourself and attempt it low fat, you'll be ripping yourself off.  It's an occasional,  day you're not dieting treat.  (Great for a day you're having a pity party and need some comfort food...)

It's simple and only a few ingredients long...
This is what I use to make enough for my whole family and they eat plates of it (it's that rich):

16 oz. Philly Cream Cheese  (two boxes)  I've been around the block a few times in my life with cream cheese.  Trust me, Philly is the way you need to go for this.
1 1/2 C shredded parmesean cheese
1 C butter
1 C milk
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Start with butter and cream cheese in sauce pan on low heat, let it soften  Add milk and parm.  When all of the cheeses are melted, add the fresh garlic cloves.  Low and slow is the key to this recipe. 

Optional Chicken Tenders

Heat equal parts olive oil and butter in a skillet (I won't tell you how much, I'll leave that up to you, but remember that you're making decadent alfredo sauce, okay?  Now you can decide...)
Add chicken tenderloins
Lightly sprinke with garlic salt  (Lightly!)
Add 1/2 to 3/4 C Bottled Italian Dressing
Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning
I can't give you specific instructions on cooking chicken.  I have mixed results.  I do find that covering the chicken for part of the time helps it stay somewhat tender.  Also for this kind of recipe, cooking it on a lower hear helps because the chicken doesn't need to brown.

Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.    (Serve the green salad if only on principle, unless you count Italian Seasoning as your vegetable.... )

I guarantee you that even if you don't like alfredo sauce, you'll like this!

Love you all

French Dip

So I melded a few recipes together and came up with this recipe for French Dip.  It was awesome!!  I've been trying to blog all of my "experiments" in cooking here, so that I don't forget them.  It's been working out well for me.  I've been referencing my "blog"  cookbook.  Anyway, here is the recipe...

I used a giant roast, nearly a ten pound boneless top sirloin roast.  You could adjust the seasoning to taste for a smaller cut.
1 envelope dried italian dressing
1 envelope dried ranch dressing
1 can beef broth
3/4 C soy sauce
2 tbsp. liquid smoke
some garlic salt to taste

Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot and cook for a loooooong time.  I shred the meat and serve on french rolls with provolone cheese.  Serve the juice on the side to dip your sandwich in.  YUMMY!!!

Chili Recipe

I've had a great summer so far.  Resting, relaxing and catching up on life.  I made some chili today.  I was really easy and very tasty, so I thought I'd write it down here on my blog.

Easy Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 packet chlli seasons
1 can Ranch Pinto Beans  (Ranch brand)
1 can Hunts Fire Roasted Tomato with Garlic  (I pureed it before I put it in)
2 small cans tomato sauce

Brown the ground beef, season with seasoned salt and garlic salt
Drain the beef and pour into crock pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low about three or four hours.  It is so good using the preseasoned beans and tomatos.  Enjoy!!