Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #23: Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta

I'm a huge pasta lover, but The Boy from Texas is usually lukewarm about it.  However, when I found a recipe that combines two things he loves--green chile and pepper jack cheese--I decided to give it a whirl.  Good choice.  This is one to add to your recipe box.  Not only it it tasty, but the best part??  You make it all in one bowl.  For girls like me with no dishwasher, this is a major bonus!

The Boy from Texas Rating:  4.

The Boy from Texas Comments:  I'm over this stupid ratings system.

Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T olive oil

2 C low-sodium chicken broth

1 C green chile (the actual recipe says "salsa verde" but we New Mexicans only use real green chile)

1 C heavy whipping cream

3 C uncooked penne pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

1.5 C pepper jack cheese

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Season with salt and pepper and cook in skillet with olive oil until brown.  Remove and set aside.

Add broth, green chile, cream, pasta, salt, and pepper to the skillet.  Stir to combine and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the chicken and 1 C of the cheese to the skillet.  Stir until smooth and creamy.  Top with remaining 1/2 C of the cheese.  Place in oven broiler for a couple of minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #18: Summer Grill Tacos

Ladies and gentlemen, the impossible has happened.  The Boy from Texas gave a 5/5 to a meal I prepared.  And.....it was not a beef and potato burrito.  Let us bask in this for a moment, shall we?

The Boy from Texas Rating:  5/5.

The Boy from Texas Comments:  (1) Do I HAVE to grill the corn?  (2) Can I have seconds but this time with no lettuce?  (3)  I think you can put this one in the 5/5 category.

Summer Grill Tacos
*As you will see below, there is basically no right and wrong with this...just put in whatever you like!*

Tortillas (I like corn, he likes flour)
Grilled meat (I liked pork chops, he liked chicken breast)
Grilled corn on the cob
Sliced avocado
Sliced pineapple (He didn't have any of this)
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Something green (I like cabbage, he prefers spring mix lettuce)
Chopped green chile
Salsa
Cilantro

Shuck corn and place one ear on a piece of foil.  Add butter (maybe 1/2 T for each ear), salt, and pepper.  Wrap ear in foil.  Repeat for all ears and place on the grill.

After corn has grilled for maybe 15 minutes, place chicken and/or pork chops on the grill.  The Boy from Texas actually handled this part and I think all he used was some fajita seasoning.

Once cooked, I like to put the pork chops and chicken into a food processor to shred the meat.  You can do this or not, you could easily just slice it up as well.  Unwrap the roasted corn and cut off the corn from the cobb.  Two people can probably get by with corn from one ear.

Place shredded/sliced meat onto heated tortilla.  Add corn, sliced avocado, sliced pineapple, sour cream, cheese, and something green.

You could also add salsa, green chile, or fresh cilantro if you're not pregnant and dying from heartburn over here.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #9: Apple Dumplings

A couple of weeks ago, The Boy from Texas selected a recipe from "Bring 'em On Home:  A collection of recipes from famous rodeo cowboys and their families," which we got from Cousin Whitney as a wedding gift.  He went with a recipe from Cesar de la Cruz for apple dumplings.

The Boy from Texas Rating: 4

The Boy from Texas Comments:  "These are real buttery.  You should use less butter next time."  This started a minor fight where I told him I was trying really hard and comments like that made me feel like a bad wife and he needed to be more sensitive to my feelings and they tasted fine to me.  I discovered later, that when I decided to half the recipe, I forgot to half the butter.  Man, I hate when he's right.

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith Apples
2 cans crescent rolls
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
1 can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples.  Then cut each one into 8 slices.  Roll each apple slice in crescent roll.  Place in 9x13 a greased pan.  Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir.  {I think the book left out needing sugar....so I added in about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and called it good.} Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples.  Pour Mountain Dew around edges of the pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  {We took them out about 5 minutes early because they were about to burn.}  Serve with ice cream and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #7: "Homemade" Chicken Noodle Soup

Disclaimer:  I suppose because I didn't actually hand-make the noodles or boil bones in order to create my own chicken broth, this is not technically "homemade" but it's close enough for this girl.

Last month, The Boy from Texas wasn't feeling very well, so we nixed the plan to cook fajitas and decided that I'd whip up some chicken noodle soup instead.  This is something that is quick, easy, healthy, and cures the sick (in my non-medical opinion).  I served it with equally "homemade" Jiffy cornbread, which The Boy from Texas claims is the best thing I cook.

The Boy from Texas Rating:  4.

The Boy from Texas Comments:  What?  A 4 is pretty good for chicken.

"Homemade" Chicken Noodle Soup

2 boxes of reduced sodium Swanson chicken broth

Carrots (I buy the ones already cut in "chips" and use half of the small bag)

6 stalks of celery

Parsley

Minced garlic (just a smidge....like maybe 8 of the little pieces)

Pepper

Season salt

Bay leaf

Rotisserie chicken

Egg noodles

Bring chicken broth, carrots and celery to a boil.  Add in all of the spices to taste.  Let boil for about 20 minutes.  Remove all of the meat from the chicken and dump that in the pot.  Allow to boil for another 15 minutes or so.  Add in egg noodles and allow to boil for about 10 minutes.  Viola.



Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #6: Glazed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

Y'all.  This is a Pinterest win if I've ever seen one.  I saw this recipe and thought it sounded really good, so I printed it off of Lovely Little Kitchen and away we went.  It was quick, easy, and seriously so good!  I would have given it a 5, but you know, I'm not the one scoring here.  The Boy from Texas informed me he will probably never give a 5 because nothing is perfect.  Kinda wanted to kick him in the shins and tell him to fake it and make me feel like a gourmet chef, but I reserved that desire.  Anyway, on with it.

The Boy from Texas Rating:  4

The Boy from Texas Comments:  (1) We're not having those apple dumplings I asked for? (2) Are you sure you know what you're doing?  This looks complicated.  (3) Hey, this stuff is good!

Sidenote....The Best Man from our wedding spent the night at our house last week.  He rated this bread a 5.  Just for the record.

Glazed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

For the bread:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 cup applesauce

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze:

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease two loaf pans. {I used Pam....is there a difference?  Apparently not, because my loaves slid right out of the pan.}

In a large bowl, mix by hand flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla, then stir into dry ingredients by hand until just combined.

Divide batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool.  {I removed mine from the pans and set them on this cake server thing I got for a wedding present.}

Whisk together the powdered sugar and applesauce for the glaze.

When the bread has cooled for a bit, remove from the pan onto a cooling rack and spoon the glaze over the top. Allow the glaze to set before slicing.  {That stuff is pretty runny and will make a big mess if you're not careful.}

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #5: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Well, I kinda blew the prep for this one.  My intent was to make this recipe by Super Mom.  I whipped out all of my materials at 6:00 pm, only to realize I was supposed to start 6 hours before dinner time so that it could cook all day.  New wife fail.

So, I improvised.   I wound up using sauce from a jar and baking the meatballs in the oven.  Still turned out pretty good, but if you're paying attention, I'd follow Super Mom's recipe above!  If you're behind on life and don't pay attention like me, the recipe below will work.

The Boy from Texas Rating: 3.5 (3 for the spaghetti, 4 for the meatballs)

The Boy from Texas Comments: (1) It's spaghetti, what do you want from me?  (2) Do NOT pour that sauce over the leftover meatballs and let it sit all day.  I will NOT eat that for dinner tomorrow night.  (3)  I'd like this better if you covered it with Mexican cheese, because that would taste more like a burrito.  {You can't make this stuff up...}

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. pork sausage (I use Medium)
2 eggs
1 3/4 C. breadcrumbs (I use Italian)
1 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
1.5 T. dried parsley
2/4 t. garlic salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
Jar of spaghetti sauce (I like Prego Traditional Heart Smart)
Spaghetti noodles

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking pan with Pam.

Combine first 8 ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Prepare small meatballs--approximately golf ball size  (I  had about 30 of them).  Place in baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes.

While meatballs are baking, cook spaghetti noodles and heat spaghetti sauce on the stove.  When meatballs are cooked, toss them with the sauce.  Serve over noodles.  Sprinkle parmesean cheese over the top.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #4: Tex-Mex Chicken Fiesta

The Boy from Texas has been talking about a chicken, cheese, and rice recipe that his mom makes for a couple of weeks.  My mother in law was so kind as to share her recipe and I whipped this baby up on Sunday night.  It's super quick, easy, and it was really good.  To me, it tastes like Spanish rice with chicken and cheese.  All good things.  Anyway, here we go with the fourth recipe in our little series.

The Boy from Texas Rating:  4 stars.

The Boy from Texas Comments:  (1) *I suggested maybe we could add some vegetable...like spinach or broccoli.*  "Don't you dare add any vegetables this.  If you do that, I won't eat it."  {This is likely a foreshadowing of an argument I will have with a kid one day...}  (2) I mean, it's really healthy, except for the cheese.  (3) You could wrap this in a tortilla and really have something.  {This is just a standard comment with every meal I make apparently.}

Tex-Mex Chicken Fiesta

 

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10.75 oz)

3/4 cup cold water

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cups Minute Rice

2 cups chopped cooked chicken  {I just bought chicken breast, chopped it up, and cooked it with some garlic salt and pepper.}

Diced green chile  {As I mentioned before, I don't really measure how much, I just eyeball green chile.  It's in my genes.  I counted tonight though, and I diced up 4 chiles.  My mother in law uses a small can of green chile.}

2 cups shredded mixed cheese (cheddar and Monterrey jack)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Mix together soup, water, chili powder, cumin in large sauce pan.  Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

 

Add all remaining ingredients except 1 cup of cheese.

 

Spoon mixture into 10 x 6 baking dish.  {I sprayed mine with Pam.  Habit.}

 

Top with remaining cheese.

 

Bake for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

 

Serve with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro if desired.

 



Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #3: Mom's Green Chile Chicken Enchilladas

Another recipe has been successfully attempted.  This wife thing is not so bad.  Far less chaotic than the single thing where I was constantly having kitchen fires break out and such.  For our third recipe, The Boy from Texas selected one of my personal favorites, my mom's green chile chicken enchiladas.  I bet we ate these once a week growing up (it was also the only time we ever ate chicken for dinner).  They are easy, fast, and really good!

The Boy from Texas Rating:  4 stars.

The Boy from Texas Comments:  (1)  You are really good at making these.  Must be your Mexican ancestry coming out.; (2)  I'm half tempted to give this a 5.;  (3)  I'll have seconds, but make it with more meat, less sauce this go 'round.

Sue’s Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

1 can Cream of Mushroom/Cream of Chicken Soup (you could use either or, I use the one that's already mixed)
1 large can chicken {My mom uses light and dark meat combined, I use only white meat.  You could also do this with chicken breast or a rotisserie chicken if you wanted to avoid meat in a can.}
1 can Chicken Broth
Chopped Green Chile {Now, let's all take notes.  The best green chile is that which was roasted, peeled and frozen.  If you aren't from New Mexico and don't have that, your next best bet is to buy Bueno frozen green chile at the grocery store in a little tub.  If you don't have that, you can use canned green chile if you must.  But for the love of all things New Mexican,  if you can't get one of these three options, skip the recipe.  Oh, and green chile is not a bell pepper!}
Grated Cheese
Corn tortillas 
Vegetable oil 

In large pan, whisk Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, and Chicken Broth together. Add desired amount of chopped green chile {really just depends on how hot your chile is and how hot you like enchiladas....you'll have to play that by ear.} Stir well.

Drain the canned chicken and add it to the pan. Heat mixture. If it seems too thick, add a little of the broth you have drained off of the canned chicken or add a little water.  {When I cooked this, it was actually a bit too soupy, so looking back I might have added only 1/2 a can of the broth and see what happened.}

Once the mixture is hot, fry tortillas to freshen them, and stack tortilla, mixture, grated cheese and repeat. {I eat two layers--meaning two tortillas.  The Boy from Texas ate 4, just to give you a serving size idea.}

Warm to melt cheese in either microwave or oven.  {Stick the plate in the oven on broil.  It's so much better!} 

Trim with lettuce and tomato.

**UPDATE:  I made these again with a couple modifications and The Boy from Texas likes them better....so much so that he actually gave them a 5!  Here are the changes:  (1) use only 1/2 can of chicken broth; (2) rather than stacking, roll the enchiladas with a little bit of shredded cheese inside them then top with sauce.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #2: Beefed-Up Biscuit Casserole

The Boy from Texas' first recipe selection from our collection of cookbooks was from the New Mexico Cowbelles Enchanted Eating cookbook.  I would highly, highly recommend this cookbook to anyone that likes beef.  The recipes are easy to prepare, the ingredients are not crazy, and the food is good!

He chose to try out the Beefed-Up Biscuit Casserole.


The Boy from Texas Rating:  3 stars.

The Boy from Texas Comments:  (1)  It's missing potatoes.  (2) You could mash it all up and wrap it in a tortilla. {Seriously, this burrito thing is a problem.}  (3) I'd eat this once a week.

Beefed-Up Biscuit Casserole

1 pound ground beef 

1/2 C chopped onion {You know I don't like onion so I left this out}

1/4 C chopped green pepper

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 (8 oz) can refrigerated biscuits

1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 C sour cream or 1 can cream of mushroom soup {I used sour cream}

1 egg, slightly beaten

Brown meat, onion and green pepper, drain.  Stir in tomato sauce, chile powder and garlic salt.  Simmer while preparing dough.  Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits.  Pull apart each biscuit in 2 layers.  Press 10 biscuit layers over bottom of ungreased 9 inch square baking pan.  Combine 1/2 C cheese (save the rest for the topping), sour cream (or cream of mushroom soup) and egg.  Mix well.  remove meat mixture from heat; stir in sour cream/cream of mushroom mixture; spoon over dough.  Arrange remaining biscuit layers on top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.  Serves 5-6 people.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #1: Beef (or Chicken) Stew

So.....it turns out to be a lot of work cooking dinner every night.  The Boy from Texas, much to my dismay, isn't really on board with my practice of eating Wheat Thins and calling it good.  The first week of this little experience, we had burritos four days in a row, at his request.  It was then I decided we had to expand his palate.  Man cannot live on burrito alone.

And so, a new blog series was born.  Lucky for us, we got several recipe books for wedding gifts.  The Boy from Texas will be choosing at least one new recipe each week, which I will be preparing and then blogging about.  He will be in charge of the ratings system.....1 to 5 stars.  At the end of the year, he will be selecting his top three recipes.

We kicked things off with my mom's recipe for Stew.  You can actually make this with either beef or chicken, but because we are from cattle country, of course we went with beef.

Boy From Texas Score:  4 Stars.

Boy From Texas Comments:  Double up the meat.

Sue’s Soup Recipe

*My mom wrote this, my comments in orange.*

Cut beef (or chicken) into small pieces or buy it in small pieces. 

Put a little Crisco Oil in pan and brown the beef (or chicken). 

Add Salt, Pepper, a little garlic salt, and a little minced onion to meat while it is browning.  {I didn't use minced onion...who has that?}

When meat is browned, add 4 cans of Chicken Broth and 3 cans of water. Add 2 small cans of  V-8 Juice. (I use the small individual juice cans).  Add cut up potatoes to the meat and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let potatoes cook about 1 hour. 

Sprinkle in a little minced onion, basil, tarragon, parsley, and a bay leaf. (If you don’t have all of these, use what you have. You can add any other spice that you decide you like in it.) Use things like basil and tarragon sparingly. They are strong spices).  {I used garlic powder, bay leaf, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.  They were all in the spice rack we got for our wedding present.}

About the time the potatoes are almost done, Add celery, squash, corn (I buy 1 ear of corn and cut corn off of cob), green beans, carrots, and any other fresh vegetable you want to add. {I used zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, celery, cauliflower, green beans, and cabbage--all fresh.  One thing, if you use cabbage, put it in during about the last 20 minutes or it will over cook.}

Cover and let simmer about an hour. 

Taste the broth. According to taste, you might want to add another can of chicken broth.  If you add more broth, make sure you have 1 can less of water than broth you add.  According to taste, if you want it more “tomatoey” add another small can V-8. According to taste, add salt and pepper if needed. 

Let simmer until ready to eat. Use small burner when simmering and keep heat as low as you can so you don’t burn the bottom of the pan of soup. 

Note:  Sometimes, I buy frozen noodles and defrost them and add when I have about an hour left to simmer. You kind of have to watch them to be sure they don’t absorb too much of the broth or you might have to add more broth. Don’t add too many noodles because they expand in the pan.  Sometimes, I do not add the frozen noodles. 

{I served this with cornbread--made from scratch if that means out of a Jiffy box--and sliced pepper jack and cheddar cheese}.

Cooking Up a Storm (Part 2)

Today we'll continue on with the recipe sharing we started on Monday.  How impressed are you guys with me?  I'm trying to expand the ol' recipe repertoire so that I don't run out of recipes the first week I'm a wife.

Actually, on a side note, once we are Mr. and Mrs., we're going to each pick out one new recipe a week out of all the cookbooks we've received for wedding gifts!  Very excited about that.  I'll keep you posted.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli.  This recipe was excellent.  Absolutely excellent.  It's going to remain a mainstay.  I made a couple changes....I used fresh broccoli instead of frozen and I added some carrots.  Oh, and I used garlic powder instead of real garlic because I'm lazy.  Serve it over rice (I use brown) and enjoy!

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocci Soup.  This is another in the win column.  It was easy to make and allows you to include a lot of fresh veggies.

Snickerdoodle Apple Cobbler.  This is a super easy dessert that The Boy from Texas absolutely loves.  It's almost like cheating because it is super tasty, looks fancy, but is SO easy!  Serve with ice cream for sure.  We like Blue Bell.

Lasagna Dip.  This is a great appetizer and think it would be awesome to take to a Super Bowl type-party.  I used beef instead of turkey (duh!) and it was really tasty!

Cooking Up a Storm (Part 1)

I've been cooking up a storm lately.  Up a storm.  Seriously, I think maybe I'm "nesting" since I'm only 46 days away from marrying The Boy from Texas?  I'm not sure, but I thought it might be fun to share a few recipes with you all this week!

Blueberry Scones  This is hands down the best new recipe I've made in a while.  I don't think of myself as much of a scone eater, but The Boy from Texas loves them.  I know, it's weird.  Here's this total rough and tough country guy ordering a scone like he's off to tea with the Queen.  But he likes them and I like him, so I gave them a whirl. These were also the very first recipe made using my new Kitchenaid mixer.  They were SO good!  I'm a huge, huge fan.  Use fresh fruit.  I used blueberries, but may try strawberries next time.

Crockpot Chicken Alfredo  I love anything that can be cooked in a crock pot.  I also love chicken alfredo.  This ended up being pretty good....I'm not going to say great, but pretty good.  I added broccoli to the recipe to try and give it some sort of health value.  Tip----add the broccoli about an hour before you are ready to eat.  I added it too early and it was really mushy.

Brown Sugar Baked Peaches  This was super easy and really tasty.  I made some for The Boy from Texas and he greatly approved.  We didn't add ice cream, but the bottom line is that ice cream makes anything better, so go for it.  One note....don't make extra because the peaches do not re-heat well.

Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffins  I struggle with knowing what to eat for breakfast.  First off, I don't like to get out of bed early enough to cook anything.   Second off, I have a pretty sensitive stomach so I need something that's not too crazy.  Lastly, I'm trying to really up the number of veggies in my diet.  Enter these muffins.  They turned out really, really good and I'd highly recommend them!

Cooking with Kimberly Lesson 3: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Two New Mexico girls live together in a house.  You know that green chile is a a staple in our diet.  A few weeks ago, New Roomie made a delicious green chile enchilada dish that I thoroughly enjoyed (even though we got into a super hot batch of chile and almost burned our mouths off).  It is particularly intriguing because I'd never had enchiladas with beans in them and it was a nice twist!

Make this dish ASAP.  You'll thank us (mostly her) later.  Now, on to Cooking with Kimberly.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

1 can refried beans
2 large chicken breasts
water, salt
1 clove garlic
2 T butter
16 oz can tomato
8 oz can tomato sauce
Chopped green chile (She usually uses 4-6)
Corn tortillas
Shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Simmer chicken in boiling water until tender.  Sprinkle with salt and cut into strips.  In sauce-pan, cook butter, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chile, and spices.  Bring to a boil, then simmer.  Spread beans on tortillas.  Dip the tortillas in the sauce.  Add chicken and cheese, roll and place seam down in a baking dish.  Pour remaining sauce over and sprinkle with cheese.  Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Cooking with Kimberly Lesson 2: Steak Parmesean

Remember how we started this series where New Roomie was gonna teach us how to cook?  Yea, I don't blame you for forgetting.  Because it's been forever since the first one.  Apparently New Roomie was too busy being generally awesome to help us out (or maybe I just forgot and it's all my fault).

Either way, we are back today with the second installment of Cooking with Kimberly.

Being that we are two ranch girls who live together, anything with beef in it is a welcome dish in this house.  The first time that New Roomie made this dish, I seriously wanted to eat the entire pan in one sitting.  Amazingly good, and super easy!

Steak Parmesan

1/4 C. margarine

1 can evaporated milk

Shredded Parmesan cheese

1/3 C flour

1 tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

8 thin round steaks

8 oz can of tomato sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Place butter in small baking dish and melt in the oven.  In a small bowl, pour 1/2 C milk.  on wax paper, mix flour, chese, salt and pepper.  Dip meat in milk and then in flour mixture.  Arrange crossiwse in baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Combine 1/3 C milk and 1/2 C cheese.  Pour tomato sauce over meat and spoon cheese/milk mixture over sauce.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve alone or over pasta.

Gran's Peach Cobbler Recipe

Last weekend, The Boy from Texas and I were at my parents' house for the weekend and I decided to whip my dad up a peach cobbler using Gran's recipe.  Is there anything in the world better than a recipe on an index card in your grandma's handwriting?  I think not. 

So I followed her directions and had to make some guesses due to the fact that she didn't include everything on the card.  Apparently she thought that future generations would know what temperature and how long to cook something without her telling them.  God bless her, she didn't anticipate me being the future generation!

But in the end it all worked out pretty well and we dined on this as the finished product.  I think that Gran would have been proud!

Gran's Peach Cobbler Recipe

1C sugar
1C flour
1 T baking powder
Salt  (How much?  Gran didn't tell us...I just shook a bit in my hand and called it good.)
3/4 C milk

Sift dry ingredients and stir in milk to make the dough mixture.

1/2 stick butter

In a casserole dish or pan (I used a glass 9x9 dish), put in the butter and melt.  Pour dough mixture in dish on top of melted butter. 

Peaches (I used a bag of frozen peaches and supplemented with two real peaches sliced up.  You can also use one large can of peach pie filling, but the frozen and/or real are better!)
1T flour
3/4C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar

 Mix the 1T flour and 3/4C sugar with the fruit.  Pour fruit mixture on top of the dough in the dish.  Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the fruit mixture.

Bake.  No one knows how long or at what temperature.  Just go until the crust is golden brown and no longer doughy.  I felt like it took a long time.....maybe 30 minutes?  I baked it on 350 because that's the oven default so I was hoping that meant something.  Who knows.

Enjoy!

Green Chile Pork Tacos

Recently I've been sort of living on this new recipe I invented for green chile pork tacos.  Since it's not every day this girl invents a recipe (I'm much more of an every day catch the oven on fire kind of gal), I figured I needed to share.

Pork chops (I prefer the boneless ones because I'm lazy and they are less work.)
Roberts Reserve Hatch Green Chile Honey Glaze (I buy it at HEB, not sure where else you can get it.  You can probably just make your own.)
Ear of corn
Butter
Pepper
Garlic powder
Avocado
Lime juice
Paprika
Red pepper flakes
Something green (lettuce, cabbage, spinach, etc.)
Shredded cheese
Corn tortillas

Pork Chops:  Marinade the pork chops in the glaze.  I don't know how much, enough to cover them up.  Cook the pork chops on the grill (I cooked them on foil rather than right on the rack because the honey will make a big ol' mess). After cooked, I put the pork chops in the food processor and grind them up.  This just makes them more like shredded pork...so good.

Corn:  Shuck the corn and place the ear on a piece of foil.  Smear on a little butter, pepper, and garlic powder.  Roll up the corn in the foil and grill it as well.

Guacamole: I use one avocado, some lime juice, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and just a few red pepper flakes.  Smash it up, mix it all together, and you're done.

Now just build your tacos:  tortillas, pork, corn, cheese, guacamole, green stuff.  I really like cabbage---it isn't slimy like lettuce and I think it tastes summery. 

Viola.  Bon appetite.  You're welcome.

Ode to HEB (and a recipe)

There are a few things I don't really like about living here.  Mostly the whole 9 hours from The Boy from Texas thing.  And lack of green chile.  And humidity.  There are a few things I really like.  My job.  My house.  My roommate.  The plants in my hard that are not trying to freaking die on me.

But I've got to admit that my favorite thing about this place.....a grocery store.  Enter HEB.

Y'all.  I'm serious here.  It's the mecca of all good things about a grocery store.  Wide aisles.  Clean.  Fresh produce.  Good deli.  Free samples.  A homemade tortilla station (which also always has free samples).  Lots of checkers.  I've never liked grocery shopping, but HEB has changed all of that.  I'm not sure what I'll do if I ever leave and have to go back to regular grocery stores!

So there I was last night munching on my tortilla sample while perusing around the store, when the sample guy had a jalapeno popper dip to try.  I like jalapeno poppers, so of course I said yes.  Y'all.  Holy moly.  I bought the ingredients right away and whipped up half a batch last night.  Here's the recipe.

Jalapeno Popper Dip
Prep Time:  5 minutes
Cook Time:  20 minutes
Serves:  A crowd

2 pkg softened cream cheese
3 oz. real bacon bits
1/2 C Roberts Reserve Jalapeno Pepper Dip (not really sure what to do if your store doesn't have this...)
1/4 C mayo
3 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 C French fried onions

1.  Preheat oven to 375.
2.  Mix cream cheese, bacon, jalapeno dip, mayo, and cheese together.
3.  Spread the mixture into a casserole dish.
4.  Top with the French fried onions, cover with foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
5.  Serve with chips and crackers.

Cooking With Kimberly Lesson 1: Banana Cream Pie

Well today I am excited to start off a new little series on this blog called Cooking with Kimberly.  You all know Kimberly as "New Roomie."  What you might not know is that she's an excellent cook and her recipes are generally not super complicated and really good!  (She's also getting a masters in engineering, is quite adorable, and completely single.....so boys, pay attention!)

For my big 30th birthday, she made me the best banana cream pie--complete with real bananas and homemade pudding.  Did you know that you could make pudding from scratch?  It doesn't just come from a box?  Seriously, this is awesome.  Since I needed pictures for this blog (read:  I wanted to eat another pie), she whipped another one this weekend and I've been a happy camper ever sense! 

So, without further adieu, here is our first recipe from Cooking with Kimberly.

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients 
¾ cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 bananas sliced
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tablespoons butter
1¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 pie crust, baked

Directions
1. Slice bananas and place on bottom of cooled pie crust.  (You can also use a store-bought crust if you're not quite ready to tackle homemade pudding and pie crust all in one scoop here!) 
2. Beat the 3 egg yolks and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until bubbly. Keep stirring until mixture begins to thicken and then remove from burner. Note: You have to keep stirring constantly! This is key to making the pudding. (I watched her do this and she had everything measured out and sitting right next to the stove so she never had to turn around or go get something else, which allowed her to keep stirring.)
4. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Place back over burner and cook for another minute. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
5. Pour pudding mixture over the sliced bananas into the pie.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool in fridge for an hour
7. Add whip cream on top for best flavor.

Photos

Step 1

Step 5
 

Step 7

Thoughts from an Outsider.....Being Domestic (and 7 recipes!)

Y'all.  I've been getting my domestic on.  I mean, seriously, I've been cooking up a storm.  (No oven fires, for those of you smart alecs who were wondering).  I think that it's a trifold combination of things causing this:  The Holidays, The Boy from Texas, and needing any distraction from studying for the bar exam!  It's been a while since I've done a Thoughts from an Outsider post, so I figured that this would be a good time to get back on that theme.  I'll share a few thoughts first, and then report on all the recipes I've cooked lately.

Thought #1:  Any recipe that calls for more than 10 ingredients or requires me to use something that I've either never heard of or can't pronounce is not happening in my kitchen.  Sorry Charlie.

Thought #2:  I hate washing dishes.  I really do.  Which means that any recipe in which I can get away with using less than 3 pans is one that I like.  The recipes in which I can get away with just one pan is even better!

Thought #3:  Bachelors are really appreciative of a home cooked meal.  The boy from Texas made me feel like my simple little recipes were something that Emeril came up with and slaved over all day himself!

Recipe #1:  Pumpkin Crunch Cake

 

Well, it was time for me to spend my first holiday with The Boy from Texas' family.  I'm a nice country girl and knew that meant that I had prepare something to bring.  Enter Super Mom's suggestion of Pumpkin Crunch Cake.  Not only was it super easy, it's also super good.  The Boy from Texas' sister said it was like pumpkin pie on the bottom and pecan pie on the top.  His grandpa ate 2 helpings.  When we got ready to leave, his sister ran over to the kitchen to get more before we took it away.  I was quite pleased.  (And for the record, we left the remainder of the cake with her...I don't need that thing sitting around!)  To see the recipe, click here.

 

Recipe #2:  Beef, Bean, and Green Chile Burritos

Next, I made a big batch of burritos.  These are super easy, really good, and you can just keep them in the freezer and pop them out anytime you want to eat one.  Oh, and you only dirty ONE PAN!  The Boy from Texas claims they are so good he could eat the whole freezer bag full (goodness I love that guy!) 

Here's our first recipe:

1 pound of ground beef
2 potatoes
Green chile (I prefer fresh roasted, but if you don't live in New Mexico, you can probably still buy frozen Bueno brand in a little tub in your freezer aisle)
1 can of Bush's pinto beans
1 bag of shredded cheese (any kind will do)
10 tortillas
Foil

Brown ground beef in a skillet.  Drain off the excess fat and leave the ground beef in the skillet.  At the same time you are cooking the beef, cut up two potatoes (I leave them unpeeled) and boil them in a small pot of water until they are soft.  Drain the potatoes and add them to the ground beef.  Mash up the potatoes a bit.  Add in green chile (I'm from New Mexico, so I figure the more the better, but you can add as much as you like).  Drain the can of Bush's pinto beans so that you remove the excess liquid in the can.  Pour the beans into the skillet.  Mix all of these ingredients.  Now warm up the tortillas in the microwave (you don't want to leave them for too long...maybe 20 seconds or so) just to soften them up.  Tear off 10 burrito-sized strips of foil.  Place tortilla on foil.  Add cheese (as much as you like).  Add mixture from skillet (as much as you want to fit in your burrito).  Roll it up, wrap it in the foil, and you're done! 

Recipe #3:  Green Chile Roll Ups

 

These are not a meal, just an appetizer, but we have them every year at our Family Thanksgiving and they are always a hit.  Plus, no shocker here, they're really easy!

 

1 block of cream cheese (I use reduced fat)

1/4C green chile

12 slices of thin sliced deli ham (give or take here)

6 or so flour tortillas

 

Soften the cream cheese either in the microwave or by letting it sit out for a while.  Add in green chile and mix well.  Place mixture in refrigerator to let harden.  I left it about 30 minutes.  Spread mixture on tortilla and lay two slices of ham on top of the mixture for each tortilla.  Roll the tortilla up like you would a newspaper.  Slice the tortillas into small pieces--about 1 inch thick.  All done!  (Since I feel like that explanation was kinda iffy, click here to see a photo of what you're looking for.)

Recipe #4:  Pot Roast (with New Roomie's secret ingredient!)

 

I do love me a good pot roast.  A couple of weeks ago, New Roomie made one that may have been the best roast I ever tasted in my life.  So I cornered her and made her tell me the secret.  And, so, in turn, I made one for The Boy from Texas (and may have acted like it was totally my special recipe that made it so good....)  It's seriously the easiest thing...throw a bunch of stuff in a crock pot in the morning, come home in the evening to a house smelling amazing and dinner ready to eat!

 

1 roast (you probably want rump or chuck roast)

1 packet powered pot roast seasoning

2C water

2C celery

2C carrots

2 potatoes

2 green chile (optional if you're not a New Mexican)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (the secret ingredient!)

 

Put roast in crock pot.  Mix the powdered pot roast seasoning as directed on the package and pour it over roast.  Add water.  (You have to kinda eyeball this to be sure there is enough in your crock pot so that the roast doesn't go dry...)  Add in chunked up celery, carrots and potatoes.  Chop green chile and add that to the crock pot.  Add in can of soup and mix with water.  (This secret ingredient will make the gravy super creamy and delicious.  Thank New Roomie.)  Cook on low for 8 hours.

 

Recipe #5:  Shepherd's Pie

 

This is yet another recipe ala New Roomie.  (This girl is getting her masters in engineering and can cook like this.  She's still single.  Boys....get it in gear!)  I had never had Shepherd's Pie before, but being a lover of all things Irish, I was excited to try it.  Y'all.  It was seriously SO dang good!  It's all good things piled on top of each other in one pan.  It reminded me of Joey and the trifle on Friends. 



 



Anyway, on to the recipe!

1 pound of ground beef
1 packet of powdered brown gravy mix
1 can of green beans
4 or 5 potatoes
1/2C shredded cheddar cheese (you can use more of this if you like...however much you fancy!)

Brown ground beef in skillet.  Drain off the excess fat.  Prepare packet of gravy mix as directed and add to the skillet.  While this is cooking, boil potatoes in water, drain when soft, and mash them up.  In baking dish (I actually don't know the best size for this...you want something pretty deep, so maybe the square one?), place ground beef/gravy mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Place can of green beans (drained) on top of ground beef layer.  Add mashed potato layer on top of the green beans.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake in oven until cheese is melted and layers are warm (maybe about 20 minutes or so).  Done!

Recipe #6:  New Mexico Style Cornbread Muffins

I actually don't know the real name for these.  There was a restaurant in the same building as my old law firm and they used to make these on Wednesday mornings.  Seriously, to.die.for.  So delicious.  And, as you've come to expect from me, really easy!

1/2 roll of Jimmy Dean sausage (I use reduced fat, but any kind will work)
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3C milk
1C shredded cheddar cheese
1/3C diced green chile (same as above, I use fresh, but frozen will be just fine and you can add more or less to your tastes)

Brown sausage and drain off excess grease.  Prepare cornbread mix as directed on box.  Add in the sausage, cheese, and green chile.  Mix well.  Put the mixture in muffin pans (I like the Texas sized pans so they're big but any size will do).  Bake as directed on cornbread box (15-20 minutes).  Easy, yet yummy breakfast!

Recipe #7:  ND Friend's Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I have saved the best for last.  ND Friend is the sweetest person on the face of the earth.  She's always showing up with a little bag of the most amazing chocolate chip cookies for someone!  They are seriously SO freaking delicious, there are just not even words.  I begged her for the recipe and today I'm sharing it with you!

 

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 sticks butter

2 eggs

1 Tbs. vanilla (I always use extra)

3C flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 bag white chocolate chips

1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix white sugar, brown sugar and butter together.  Add two lightly beaten eggs and the vanilla. 

 

In separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda.

 

Combine two mixtures together.  Add white and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

 

Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes!

30 by 30: Month 12

This is it, kids.  Over the last year, I've worked on my list and reported to you each month on my progress.  Today I'll be sharing the last monthly progress report and next week I will recap the entire 30 by 30 list and let you know what still remains (and how I plan to keep moving forward).

But, for starters, here goes the report for October!

1.  Cook 10 new recipes (24/10 completed).

I think that of all of the recipes I've made during the last year, this one is my favorite.  I found it on Pinterest (where else) and it's made with all fresh ingredients, which I like.  If you want to eat some awesome broccoli cheddar soup, check out the recipe here.

8.  Send a little gift to my friends once a month (12/12 completed).

This month, I had a house full of people come visit me.....and they included three of the cutest little boys in the world.  I decided we needed to have some goodies to give to them, so I put together a bag of fun stuff while they were at my house...balloons, silly string, balls, lots of candy....and some bags for the road when they left (books, snacks, suckers, more balls).  I don't believe in seeing a kid and not giving them some sort of present.  Bribery to like me?  Perhaps.  Oh, and I failed to take any pictures, but to see the fun that was had, check out Super Mom's blog here.


21.  Try a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

I had heard about the PSL for years....I have some friends who act like a little kid on Christmas morning when they come out each fall.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all (unless I'm in Europe), but I broke my rule to try the PSL.  And it just so happened that I did this with ND Friend, maybe the biggest coffee lover that I know, showing me the ropes. 

What did I think,  you ask?  Eh...I wasn't a huge fan.  The pumpkin flavor was good, but there must be a crap ton of sugar and caffeine in there because I felt all jumpy and jittery for a couple of hours after drinking it.  So while I'm glad I can cross this one off the list, I won't be a regular in the Starbucks line anytime soon.


29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (12/12 completed).

I realized I forgot to report for the last month (a simple bouquet of colored daisies...purple, orange, green).  This month I mixed things up a bit and bought....tulip bulbs!  I've had "grow my own tulips" on my bucket list for years and I'm now starting that process.  I planted them in two big pots on my front porch and intend to get some planted in the flowerbed in my front yard soon!