Mexican Meal

German pancakes

falafel balls and mac n cheese

So today I craved mac-n-cheese and falafel balls, so here is what we had...


Mac-n-cheese
Annie's shells and cheddar mixed with 1/2 sharp cheddar cheese.

YUM!

Falafel Balls

Bought a premade mix from the grocery, all I had to do was add water. I fried 10 and saved 10 for another day.
Combine mix with water and let sit for a good 15 minutes.

Fry each side 3 minutes or til crispy

Will fry up the rest another day and make pitas

Falafel balls and dip

Finished product:) YUM! I even like the combination




Dip:-an experiment that turned out great!

1 cup Sour Cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic (i used minced garlic from the bottle)
3/4 tsp dill

you should alternate ingredients to your taste. I didn't have yogurt or cucumbers, otherwise I would have used those. I'm sure fresh dil would have been better, but I didn't have any.

Leftover Breakfast Burrito

So we had bbq chicken salad leftovers, and we are trying to throw away any food, so I tried making a leftover egg burrito..it turned out really yummy!


Tortilla
egg
black beans
sour cream
salsa
pinto beans
green onions

Mix any combo and enjoy! YUMMY!!!

Fried Asparagus

We were in charge of bringing rolls, veggies and a pie for Thanksgiving. I started out wanting to bring carrots that I learned how to make at Williams and Sonoma, but then I had a craving for asparagus. On a road trip someone made us grilled asparagus with a yummy sauce. So I tried making the sauce but didn't have the proportions right, so then I remembered TGIF had crispy bean appetizers, so I decided I should try crispy asparagus. I found a recipe online, but it didn't work out how it said it should, so I made up my own. THEY WERE YUMMY! The kids loved them, and Evan who doesn't like asparagus loved them too! I will definitely make them again.


Ingredients:
1-2 cups Progresso bread crumbs (i combined the herb and parmesan flavored crumbs)
1-2 lbs asparagus
2 eggs
1-2 cups water
1 cup flour
big bowl of water with lots of ice cubes for blanching
Oil for frying in a large soup pot


Blanch Asparagus.
Snap off the end of the asparagus-the natural break- and boil asapragus for 2 minutes. Immediately take them out of the water, drain them and put them in a big bowl of water and lots of ice(an ice bath).

Dry asparagus and roll them in flour. Set aside.

Heat:
oil in soup pot to a nice frying temperature, not too hot. I think I kept mine on a 4-5. Only about an inch of oil. (the soup pot is to protect you from splattering oil)

Mix:
2 eggs and bread crumbs, add water until a good batter is formed. Not to thick, and not to runny, you will find the perfect combo once you try battering the asparagus.

Roll:
Roll asparagus in batter coating as much as you can and fry about 6 pieces at a time until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite sauce or by themselves. If you have to make ahead of time, just broil to become crispy again before serving.

Balsamic Chicken, Roasted Asparagus and Red and Green Spinach Garden Salad

The rice wasn't done when I took the picture, oh well:)

BALSAMIC VINEGAR CHICKEN

1/2 onion chopped
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 chicken breasts chopped
1/2 c. Balsamic Vinegar

Cook chicken in olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the vinegar reduces to what you want.
Serves 3-4. I serve it on a bed of wild rice.

WILD RICE

cook according to your brand's package, I like tossing in a little butter for flavor

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Prep asparagus by snapping off the ends-it's natural split- and line them on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on asparagus, sprinkle course salt and pepper to taste. Toss asparagus and cook in an oven on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you use the thinner asparagus it might only need 15-20, depending on tenderness desired. Evan likes them over cooked and crispy.

RED AND GREEN SPINACH GARDEN SALAD

Mix in a bowl:
Spinach-cleaned
cherry tomatoes
(roughly chopped for the following)
red bell peppers
green bell peppers
cucumbers
slivered almonds-if you have them

Dress with your favorite dressing

BBQ Chicken Salad

The result...


Ok, I made it and it was YUMMY!!!! although I didn't have cilantro, and added ranch, sour cream and leftover peppers, and made our own tortilla strips by frying flour tortillas in a fry pan with little oil, they were out of it at the store. I also used cherry tomatoes cut in half, and only used green leaf lettuce. I also cooked the 3 breasts of chicken in a crockpot mixed with bbq sauce for 4 hours after church and then shredded it and poured more bbq sauce from the pot on it:) SO YUMMY!

A recipe from Sisters' Cafe that I am going to try out..yum! They have the best recipes ever!! Take a look!




BBQ Chicken Salad(picture from original blog)
I love this salad! Talk about easy, fresh tasting, and delicious. It really hit the spot with my family last night. You can make it super fast if you bake the tortilla strips and cook the chicken early in the afternoon. Then all you have to do when you're ready to eat is chop some veggies, open a few cans and toss together a delicious salad! (I had to laugh when I saw this picture... where is the chicken?! The main ingredient is hidden beneath the cheese and tortilla strips but it's there, I promise!)
Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad
submitted by Brittany
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Haas avocados, diced
shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar
crispy tortilla strips
Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you! I like quite a bit since I love the smoky flavor of BBQ sauce in a salad. Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy!
*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges. (Thanks Mel for teaching me how to make these...they add a wonderful crunch to a salad!)

25 days to Christmas craft

http://bluecricketdesign.blogspot.com/2009/11/25-days-of-christmas-count-down.html

Doughnuts

I tried these, not my favorite recipe, but here are the goods:

I found this recipe on http://bluecricketdesign.blogspot.com/ I can't wait to make these on New Years Eve and start a yearly tradition:) Post and pictures from original blog

Easy Peasy Cake Donuts!!

Cake Donuts:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 quart oil for frying
• optional - powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar mixture

Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add melted butter. Stir in milk and egg. With floured hands, lightly knead 'till dough becomes smooth.

Heat Oil in pan! Oil should be approximately 2/3" deep.

Roll dough onto a floured area making it 1/4" thick!



Cut dough with Donut Cutter! This is my favorite part! Be sure to dip cutter into flour to make sure it won't stick!



When Oil is approximately 375 degrees, carefully add your doughnuts. Bake on each side for about 1- 2 minutes or until golden brown!

Remove from oil and let cool on paper towels.



Toss in Cinnamon Sugar and eat 4 or 5...whatever you can handle! I can eat 4! ( I've fully given into the idea that winter eating should be different and totally acceptable!)

Simple Tomato Sauce

My sis in law introduced me to this recipe and it started my love of fresh basil!!! It is off of Food Network. This is so healthy and yummy and feels good in my tummy!

YUMMY!!

Simple Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

hr min

Cook Time:

1 hr 20 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Directions

In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

I found this recipe online and added to it. I wanted to eat a creamy soup with corn and broccoli. I absolutely love this soup!!!!

Yield 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons margarine/butter
1 onion, finely diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced-OR 3-4 cupsfrozen diced potatoes
3/4 cup chopped/shredded celery
2 cups sliced/shredded carrots
3 cups of finely chopped broccoli
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth or water
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup cornstarch
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender.
Add carrots, broccoli and celery and cook for 10 minutes or until carrots become a little tender. Add water or broth, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
Add milk and parsley and heat just to boiling.
In a separate bowl stir cornstarch into cold water. When completely dissolved add to hot soup, stir and serve.

Optional:
Top with Sour Cream and Cheese