Friday is for Food: Yummy Penne Chicken

It's been a while since I posted a recipe on here, so I figured it was time. This was my first Pinterest meal. I am not really on Pinterest, but I got on one day to look for hairstyle ideas for my brother's wedding and started looking at recipes instead. That's why I don't get on Pinterest! I get overwhelmed and distracted!

Anyway, the recipe calls for shrimp, but shrimp is not my favorite so I used chicken. And I also used whatever veggies I had around the kitchen. I really liked the addition of greek yogurt. It made it taste really good!

Here it is!

Chicken and Veggie Penne

What you need:

• 12 ounces whole wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 10 ounces medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 1 chicken breast)
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

How it's made:

• Cook penne according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.
• Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.
• Turn heat up to medium-high and add in shrimp. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and opaque. If you are adding cooked chicken you do not need to do this step. Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.
• Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt and pasta sauce.Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Top with parmesan cheese

Friday is for Food: Ranch Cheeseburgers

My husband could eat cheeseburgers at least once a week. He LOVES them! I love a good burger, so I don't mind meeting this food need of his either. Lately, I have been experimenting with them. I have tried a couple of different options based on burgers we have had at restaurants or ideas from friends. This one, so far, has been my favorite.

What you need:

• 1 1b. ground beef
• 1 packet of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
• 4 slices of Monterrey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese sounds good to you)
• French friend onions
• Hamburger buns

Directions:

• Mix ranch mix in with the ground beef, form into four hamburger patties
• Fold the cheese slices into the patties, reform the meat into hamburger patties (you want the cheese stuffed inside)
• Grill until they are done
• While they are grilling, butter the inside of your hamburger buns and lightly brown them in a pan
• Once the burgers are done, top with french fried onions and your desired condiments. We put barbeque sauce on ours to give them some added flavor.

Enjoy!

Friday is for Food: Grilled Chicken with Tomatoes

This is a variation of a meal I had at a restaurant a few weeks ago. Daniel likes to describe it as an "explosion of flavors in his mouth." That's what he says when he really like something! It is simple, fast, and you don't have to use your oven. These are all wins for me considering that it has been over 100 degrees nearly every day for the last two weeks. So here it is. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Tomatoes

What you need:

-2 chicken breasts
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (or diced fresh tomatoes if you want)
- Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian marinade/dressing
- 2 slices of Monterrey Jack Cheese
- 1 avocado, sliced

Directions:

- Marinade chicken in the dressing for a few hours or overnight
- Heat grill to medium high heat and grill the chicken until done
- Towards the end of the grilling, add the cheese so it melts
- Remove chicken from grill, top with tomatoes and avocado

And there it is. So simple, yet so delicious! We had ours with bread and a vegetable, but you could do anything for a side, really.

Happy Friday!

Friday is for Food: Black Bean Enchiladas

This recipe is an adaptation of another enchilada recipe I really like. Daniel's brother and sister-in-law came to stay with us last weekend, and since my sister-in-law is a vegetarian I wanted to make something that we would all enjoy. Since I was making the beef enchiladas, I decided to try the same thing with the black beans, and it worked! I LOVE black beans, so I will definitely be trying this again.

What you need:

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (I use the organic ones from Kroger)
1 can of diced green chile's
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
Salsa (I almost always have this salsa on hand)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
Italian dressing
8 corn tortillas

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375

Heat black beans, onion, green peppers, green chile's, and 1/2 cup of salsa (or enough to moisten the beans) in a large skillet. Once the vegetables are softened add 1 cup of cheese. Once the cheese is melted remove from heat.

Brush the corn tortillas with a little Italian dressing, cover with wax paper, and microwave for 30 seconds. Scoop the bean mixture into the tortilla and roll in a 9x13 baking dish. Complete the tortillas. Top with enough salsa to cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 2-3 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Friday is for Food and Fotos

Last week we were in Dallas for Daniel's job. While we were there we also got to experience all of the culinary awesomeness that is in Dallas. We ate a lot of good, good food. In-n-Out Burger has added locations in the DFW area, and while we had seen it on our recent travels there, we had yet to try it. It was my first experience with In-n-Out, and I was not disappointed. But I'm easily pleased by a hamburger, so I might be an easy critic! Here are some pics to document our dining experience. As you can see, I could not wait to try my burger!



And because I never can get enough of mexican/Tex-Mex, the first thing I made when we got back Saturday was this amazing Pioneer Woman recipe. I actually thought about it the entire drive back. It was as good as my daydreams imagined! I had some leftover shredded beef in the freezer, so this all worked out nicely. It is worth your time if you are into this sort of thing (i.e. the goodness of mexican food!).

Happy Friday!

Friday is for Food: Pesto Chicken Pasta

I had this at a friend's house when Daniel was out of town a few months ago. And I have been DYING to make it ever since! She didn't have a written recipe for it, which is kind of nice and freeing. I sort of made up the name of this recipe based on what is in it. It is just so good! If you like veggies, pasta, and pesto, you will like this. If not, you can just skip making this meal all together because that's all that is in it! Here it is:

What you need:

- 1 box of penne pasta (I used whole wheat penne pasta because that's what I had, but anything similar will do)
- Fresh vegetables cut up into small pieces (Again, I just used what was on sale at Kroger this week, so I used 1/2 of an onion, 1/2 of a green pepper, 1 yellow squash, and a few chopped mushrooms)
- 1 jar of pesto
- 1 teaspoon of garlic

How to make it:

- Boil pasta in chicken broth according to instructions (this gives it good flavor)
- Reserve about 1 cup of chicken broth when the pasta is done
- While pasta is cooking, cook the vegetables in a little olive oil just until heated through
- Once pasta and vegetables are done, mix them all together and add pesto. Add enough chicken broth just to give it the right consistency. You don't want it watery, it just loosens the pesto a bit.

Serve warm (or cold) with french bread. Enjoy!

Friday is for Food: Grilled Dijon Chicken

It's grilling season around here. Well, actually it was such a warm winter that it never stopped being grilling season. Earlier this week I made this chicken and we really liked it. I can't remember where I got the recipe, but I'm pretty sure I adapted it from something I read on a website a few years ago. So here it is!


Dijon Mustard Grilled Chicken

What you need:
- ½ cup of Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- Dash of garlic powder
- 2 chicken breasts

How it’s made:
- Mix the marinade ingredients together
- Place chicken in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over the chicken
- Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. I did it in the morning and left it there all day
- Grill chicken for about 7-10 minutes on each side and enjoy!

I served it with a vegetable and some french bread I had leftover. It went nicely together.

Happy Friday!

Friday is for Food: Red Beans and Rice

I'm doing Community Bible Study this year and every month at our monthly group luncheons we exchange recipes with one another. It is so fun! Last month I was given (and tasted) this recipe and it is so good! I tried it myself this week and Daniel loved it. Always a plus. So here it is.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:
1 pound small, dried red beans, rinsed and sorted
3 tablespoons of bacon grease (I didn't have any so I used olive oil)
1/4 to 1 cup of chopped ham (If you have any. Again, I didn't have any of this and it tasted fine)
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cups celery, chopped
3/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried parsley and used less)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme)
1 pound of smoked sausage cut in 1 inch pieces
1 pound of ham hocks (I didn't know what this was and didn't have time to look for it, so I didn't use it and it tasted fine)
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped
10 cups of chicken stock or water
4 cups of cooked rice (I used brown rice because I like it. But any rice would be fine)

Directions
-Soak beans covered in water in pot (8 hours or overnight). Drain and set aside
-In a large pot, heat the bacon grease (or oil) over medium high heat
-Add ham, onions, celery, and bell peppers
-Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring until veggies are soft
-Add bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage and ham hocks. Cook for 5 minutes
-Add garlic, beans, and stock or water. Bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and starting to thicken. About 2 hours. (If beans become too thick and dry, add more water about 1/4 cup at a time).
-Remove from heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot.
-Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy - 15-30 minutes.
-Remove frm heat and remove bay leaves
-Serve over fresh rice. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. I don't think it needed more salt (and I love me some salt), but it's up to you.

Enjoy! It's a little involved but so worth it! I served it with some garlic bread.

Friday is for Food: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Spicy Chicken and Arugula Sandwich
from Cooking Light (I changed it a bit)

Ingredients:
2 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon of fajita seasoning
1/4 cup light mayo
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon of grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (9 oz.) round loaf focaccia, halved horizontally (I used ciabatta rolls instead)
1 medium ripe tomato, sliced thinly
Sliced red onion (if you like red onion)
1 1/2 cups of trimmed arugula (I used spring lettuce and spinach mix, so you can use any green that you want)

Directions:
Heat grill
Place plastic wrap over chicken; pound each piece to a 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with fajita seasoning. Add chicken to grill.

While chicken is cooking, combine mayo, cilantro, rind, and juice; spread evenly over cut bread. Arrange chicken on the bottom half of bread; top with arugula (or lettuce), tomato, and onion. Cover with top half of the bread.

Serve with Paula Deen's sweet potato fries and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Friday is for Food: Butternut Squash Soup

I wasn't sure I would be able to get away with making this one. When I told Daniel about it, he didn't think it sounded very appetizing. Thankfully, he is willing to try new things. I read a few food blogs, and one of them is Pink Parsley. She always has really tasty sounding recipes and I've always enjoyed the ones I've made from her website. This recipe for Curried Butternut Squash Soup was no different. It was SO YUMMY! Daniel even liked it! It was smooth, warm, and even a little spicy. The flavors were all really good together.

So here is the recipe! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather
Serves 4 to 6

2 Tbs unsalted butter or olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cubed
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup milk (low fat or fat-free is fine)
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional) --I used the heavy cream
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream or Greek yogurt, for garnish (I didn't use this, but I'm sure it would be really good!)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add the squash potato, ginger, cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the stock, milk, cream, honey, and paprika and bring the soup to a boil. Decrease the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

*** Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add black pepper to taste. If the soup seems too thick, add more milk or chicken stock. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on top. (I accidentally omitted this section because my printer didn't print it. It ended up tasting fine without blending it. Even though it was a little chunky, the vegetables were really soft.)

I made some homemade bread and it complemented it nicely.

Friday is for Food: Orange Teriyaki Salmon

My sister-in-law sent me this recipe about a month ago and we recently tried it. I've said before that I have had an aversion to fish for almost all of my life, but since Daniel likes it (and it's good for us) I try to include fish recipes into our menu every once in a while. We really liked this recipe! I hope you do too!

Orange Teriyaki Salmon
Recipe by Becca Smith for Ourbestbites.com
*This makes quite a bit of marinade. You could definitely get away with a little more fish in there, or even half the recipe for smaller portions.

about 2 pounds salmon; one large filet or 2 smaller ones
3/4 C orange marmalade
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 C orange juice
3 Tbs bottled teriyaki sauce
6 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs worshershire sauce
2 Tbs vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/8 tsp ground red pepper, or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
several cracks black pepper
2 Tbs chopped dry onion, or 1/4 C minced fresh onion
3 Tbs dry parsley or about 1/2 C fresh

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Layer a piece of heavy duty foil over a large baking sheet Lay on one more sheet in the opposite direction, leaving about 8″ of overhang on all sides.

Place marmalade and butter in a small microwave safe bowl and heat for about 30 seconds, or until butter is melted. Whisk until smooth. Combine this mixture with all ingredients (except fish) in a bowl and stir until smooth. Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry. Place skin side down on baking sheet. Pour marinade over fish.

Starting from one end, gather the foil overhang together and roll them together to seal a tent-like pouch. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Fish should be opaque and flake easily with a fork. Test fish and return pan to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes if necessary. Serve salmon with sauce spooned over top.

Grill instructions: Preheat gas grill to 325. Place foil pouch on upper rack if you have one, or on indirect heat on the main rack. Follow the same baking instructions as if it were in the oven.
Fish can also be cooked in a foil tent over a camp fire. Season the fish as desired (you can also add a couple of tablespoons of water to help it steam in the hot fire) and close up your foil tent. Nestle your foil pouch into the glowing embers where the heat isn’t as intense as the flames. Cooking time may vary depending on the size and variety of fish, so check it after 10 minutes. If it’s not done, check at 2-3 minute intervals after that.

Enjoy!!!

Friday is for Food: Baked Potato Soup

I haven't posted a recipe in a while primarily because I haven't been cooking as much since we've been out of town a lot recently. But when we were with some friends and family a couple of weeks ago they mentioned that they actually used some of the recipes I have posted! It gave me new inspiration to keep sharing thoughts from my little kitchen.

I found this recipe on my blog friend's blog. It is amazing! I actually made it a few weeks ago when we had a cold front come through. And by cold front I mean it was in the 70's. I know for some of you readers out there it is soup weather already. But for us Arkansas folk it's still in the mid to upper 80's. Maybe I will start blasting the air conditioner just so I can make soup! It's October and I feel like I should be making soup and fall-like meals. Oh well.

So here is the yummy baked potato soup recipe. I could eat it all of the time. It's that good. But I think anything that includes bacon and cheese is good.

Baked Potato Soup by Chelsea Bass

What you need:

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
3 large potatoes, baked, peeled, and cubed
1 cup half-and-half

How It's Done:

Begin by baking potatoes. While in the oven, cook bacon, chop onion, and mince garlic. Saute the onion and garlic in bacon grease or butter/margarine until soft. Add in chopped bacon, flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add chicken broth.

Bring to boil. Boil and stir for two minutes and then reduce heat. Add half-and-half.

Once the potatoes are done, peel and dice them and add to the mixture. Heat thouroughly, but do not boil.

Serve with a spoonful of shredded cheddar cheese and a piece of warm bread.

Enjoy! Happy Friday!

Friday is for Food: Chicken Chimichangas

I absolutely love.love.love Mexican food. I could eat it every week (or day) and not get tired of it. In fact, I have. In college I worked at a Mexican restaurant and every time I worked (which was almost every day) I got an employee meal. I don't remember a single instance where I was sick of eating mexican food. So when I plan our meals out for the week I have to work hard at not overloading our menu with mexican food. I had never made chimichangas before this week, so I was nervous and excited to try it. But this recipe is amazing! I got it from my dear friend, Laura. Daniel even talked about it all night after dinner! So here goes:

Chicken Chimichangas

For the filling I used a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, but only part of the recipe since it came from her White Chicken Enchiladas.

Ingredients:

Cooking oil (enough to fill 1 to 2 inches in skillet)
Large flour tortillas (I used five)
2-1/2 cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced (I bought them already diced)
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (I only used 1/4 cup)
Salsa
White queso

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Spoon chicken mixture into each flour tortilla. Roll the full tortilla like a burrito and place seam up in the oil. Fry on both sides until browned. Top with white queso and salsa.

We ate ours with chips and salsa because it was really filling.

Enjoy!

Friday is for Food: Meatless Manicotti

With all of the travel we did during the month of July I didn't get the chance to try out many new recipes. August has been much more laid back. I try to incorporate some meatless meals into our menu primarily for budget reasons. Meat is expensive sometimes! Not all of my meatless meal attempts turn out tasting very well. But this one surprised both Daniel and me. I only made half of the recipe and it fed us for two and a half meals (two dinners and a lunch).

Here is the whole recipe:


Manicotti Made Easy

2 cups of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese (divided)
1 (16 oz.) carton of low-fat cottage cheese
1 (10 oz.) package of spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry (I sauteed fresh spinach, fresh mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil instead because that's what I had. And I don't like frozen spinach for some reason)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I just used the cheap stuff from the store because it's what I had)
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 manicotti shells
1 (26 oz.) jar of tomato basil pasta sauce (I just used the tomato sauce I had in my pantry)


Directions
Preheat oven to 375
Combine 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, and all ingredients through black pepper in a medium bowl. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of mixture into uncooked manicotti shells. Pour half of tomato sauce into 9 x 13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer. Top with remaining tomato sauce. Pour 1/2 cup of water into dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until shells are tender. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Enjoy!

Friday is for Food: Grilled Baby Back Ribs

I've never made ribs before, so I was really nervous to try them. But my husband loves ribs. So when I found them on sale at the store I snatched them up and decided to put my fears to rest. How hard can it be? Well, not too hard at all actually. We are house/dog sitting this week and the house we are staying in has a grill. This is a very welcome treat for little apartment dwellers like us. So I saved the ribs for this week. I looked around on the internet and in my cookbooks for the different ways ribs can be made. After gathering some information I decided to be brave and create my own recipe taking a little bit from each recipe I read. And much to my surprise it actually turned out pretty well. So for all you ribs lovers out there, this one's for you.

Grilled Baby Back Ribs

What you need:

-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
-1/2 cup of brown sugar (add a little more for consistency if needed)
-1/4 cup of ketchup
-Dash of red wine vinegar
-2 tablespoons of steaksauce
-1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
-dash of paprika and cayenne pepper
-Full rack of baby back ribs

How It's Made:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In a small bowl mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Add more brown sugar if the sauce is too runny.
-Cut ribs in half (along the bone) and lay meaty side up in a 9x13 pan
-Pour 3/4 of the sauce over the ribs. Flip the ribs over and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
-Bake for 1 hour
-Preheat outdoor grill to and set at medium-high heat
-Remove cooked ribs from the oven (the meat should be pulling away from the bone) and place on the grill.
-Cook for 10-15 minutes, adding the remaining sauce at the end.

Happy Friday!

Friday is for Food: Chicken and Tomato Alfredo

Word of caution: if you are looking for a meal that is low fat/low calorie, this is not the meal for you. But if you want a little guilty pleasure of yummy goodness, this is definitely the meal for you! Anyway, I made this meal for dinner on Wednesday and we loved it. The meal comes from the Better Homes & Gardens Bridal Edition Cookbook. I made some variations and I'm glad I did.

So here goes...

What you need:
-8 ounces dried fettuccine
-2 tablespoons butter
-1 cup whipping cream
-1/2 teaspoon of salt (I used Kosher salt)
-1/8 teaspoon black pepper
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 cooked chicken breast (I grilled ours on an indoor grill)
-1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (the recipe calls for dried tomatoes in oil, but it was way more expensive than the can of tomatoes)
-1 small container of fresh mushrooms, sliced and sauteed (we just had these in the fridge, so I thought it would add some flavor)

How to make it:
-Grill chicken on an indoor or outdoor grill, cut into small pieces, set aside
-Cook pasta according to package instructions
-In a large saucepan melt butter
-Add cream, salt, pepper. Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Boil gently for 3-5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken
-Add tomatoes, mushrooms, and chicken to the sauce
-Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss to combine

Serve immediately and enjoy creamy, buttery goodness!

Friday is for Food: Shrimp Tacos

I have only recently started making seafood related meals. For most of my life I have had an aversion to all things seafood, especially fish. Shrimp sort of freaked me out too, but I would occasionally eat them if I was forced, I mean encouraged to. Daniel really enjoys seafood and has helped me to branch out and try new things, which I have to admit has been a really good thing for me. I never realized how many things I would like. I've really been missing out!

Last week, my friend Laura told me about these shrimp tacos that she had at her sister's house. They sounded delicious, so I tried them this week. They were amazing! So if you like shrimp and Mexican food, here is a super easy and yummy recipe.

Shrimp Tacos

What you need:
-Half a bag of medium size cooked shrimp (I think if I had bought large shrimp I would need less, so it's worth a try)
-1 ripe avocado
-1 lime
-some sliced red onion or cilantro (I don't like cilantro and I had red onion, so I substituted)
-Mission Homestyle Flour Tortillas (the best!)
-1 chili in adobo sauce, chopped
-1/4 cup of sour cream

How to make:
-Thaw shrimp according to instructions, heat for a few minutes in a skillet with a little oil and juice from the lime (I also added a little Kosher salt and cajun seasoning for flavor)
-Cut up the avocado, set aside
-Cut up the chili and mix in with sour cream
-Heat tortillas in microwave until warm
-Serve shrimp, avocado, sour cream mixture, and onions in warmed tortillas
Makes 4 tacos

Enjoy!!

We had chips and queso for a side. But rice or a vegetable would work well too.

Friday is for Food: 20 Minute Skillet Salmon

I should start by saying that I've never really liked fish. I only recently started eating salmon because I know it is good for me and my husband really likes it. So I've started experimenting with salmon recipes in order to boost our healthy eating and to get myself over the whole "I don't like fish" phobia.

All that to say, this is a really easy and non-fishy recipe for salmon. I loved it! I got the recipe from Kraft Foods, but I added a few things because I read reviews that said it was a little bland. I'm glad I did.

I don't have a picture because the one I took of it didn't turn out to well. And I made too much sauce so when I put it on the fish it didn't look so pretty. So you will just have to imagine what it looked like.

Here goes (my adapted version):

What you need:

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1/2 cup fat free milk (I used low fat plain yogurt instead and added a dash of milk)
• 1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
• 1 cup chopped cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon of dill
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• dash of garlic powder
• dash of ground mustard

How to make it:

• Heat large skillet, melt tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat. Add fish, cook 5 minutes on each side (I cooked 5 minutes and then baked for 10 minutes). Remove and keep warm.
• Add milk, cream cheese, and yogurt to skillet, stir until cream cheese is melted and well-blended.
• Stir in cucumbers, garlic, and spices.
• Return fish to skillet. Cook until heated through.
• Serve fish with sauce on top.

Add a baked sweet potato and some steamed broccoli and then you are in "super food" heaven!

Enjoy!

Friday is For Food: Easy Beef Enchiladas

To say that I love Mexican food is an understatement. If I could eat it every day I would. I. Love. It! So I am always looking for new Mexican food recipes. Kraft has a really easy and yummy beef enchilada recipe that I tried out last year and plan on trying out again this month.

Beef Enchiladas

What you need:

• 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef (I don't use extra lean unless it's on sale)
• 1/2 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped red peppers
• 2 cups of salsa divided (to make it extra yummy, use The Pioneer Woman's salsa)
• 1 cup Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided (store brand is fine)
• 2 tablespoons Italian dressing
• 8 six inch corn tortillas (I think flour would be easier, but I haven't tried them yet)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

How to make it:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees
• Brown meat with peppers in large nonstick skillet. Stir in 1 cup of salsa; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Spread 1/4 cup of remaining salsa onto bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Brush dressing lightly over both sides of tortillas.
• Stack 4 tortillas; wrapped in wax paper. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, or until warmed.
• Spoon 1/3 cup of meat mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up
• Place, seam sides down, over salsa in dish. Repeat.
• Top with remaining salsa. Cover.
• Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes or until melted. Top with cilantro.

Enjoy!

Friday is for Food: Pork Chops and Potatoes

I know. It sounds really basic. But it actually is pretty flavorful. It's simple (although it takes a little bit of time to cook) and it includes pretty basic ingredients. A friend of mine made a cookbook for me before I got married. It includes recipes that don't take a lot of time or elaborate ingredients. Both great things when you are working full time and your husband is finishing seminary. So here is the Friday recipe for your taste buds enjoyment!

Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of butter, divided (It took me forever to figure out what this meant)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth (I just make my own using bouillon cubes. It's cheaper and easier.)
• 6 pork chops
• 6 thinly sliced potatoes
• 1 dash paprika (This is serious. I put way more than a dash and it burned our mouths!)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and flour. Pour in the chicken broth, cook, and stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In skillet brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon of butter. Grease cooking dish with remaining tablespoons of butter and layer potatoes. Pour mixture over potatoes and place browned chops on top. Sprinkle paprika on top.
• Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

I cut this recipe in half because we wouldn't be able to eat that much with just the two of us. Daniel thought it would be really plain, but he actually liked it too.

Happy Friday!