Ranchero Salsa

About a month ago my mother -in -law was here and made this salsa for us. It was so yummy!!! She gave me the recipe and I have made it 4 times since she left and my husband and I can't get enough of it. It gives me major heart burn (since I am pregnant) but it is so worth it. It take a litttle time because you have to charr and roast all the ingredients but it is so worth it!!

Ranchero Salsa(makes a lot so cut in half if have a small family)
8 tomatoes
4-7 jalapenos(depending on how spicy you like your salsa)
1 green chili
1 large onion
1 large bulb of garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
juice of one lime
1-2 T. of cilantro(if desired)

Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Broil until skin is black. Roast the bulb of garlic in the oven with the tomatoes. Just place the whole bulb skin and all on the rack in the oven and rotate it every few minutes or so until garlic is soft to the touch. Meanwhile, cut the stems off the jalapeno and green chili. Take the skin off the onion and charr them all on a grill or in a skillet on the stove until black on all side. Place the jalapenos, chili, onion, and garlic in a blender and blend to desired consistency. Then add the tomatoes and blend till desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, juice of lime, and cilantro and mix till combined. Serve warm or wait till cools. Serve with chips, burritos, tacos, or anything you like salsa on.

Skillet Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chilies

I found this recipe a while back over at My Kitchen Cafe. My kids love anything with pasta and cheese so I thought we give it a try. It was a nice little change!! The kids loved it!!! It was quick and easy to prepare which is an added bonus.

Skillet Chili Mac adapted from My Kitchen Cafe
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. chili powder
1/2 T. corriander
1/2 T. cumin
1 tsp salt
1 T. brown sugar
2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 cups(8 oz) elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen corn
1 (4 oz)can diced green chilies
2 T. fresh Cilantro
2 cup shredded cheese. I used sharp cheddar but use any combination you like

Brown the beef in a 12 inch skillet. When beef is almost done drain the grease. Add the onion, garlic, and spices. Cook until beef no longer pink and onion is tender. Stir in the brown sugar, tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and kepping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of cheese, frozen corn, green chilies, and cilantro. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese on top and cover and let sit until chees is melted, about 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy!!!

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

I am back!!! Sorry it has been so long. I am finally starting to feel better and getting back into the kitchen. We found out we are having another boy last week and we are so excited!!. I am halfway through the pregnancy now which is a great feeling other than gaining weight!!!(that is my least favorite part) Anyway, growing up my mom always made meatloaf and scalloped potatoes. I have to say I love both of these things. If you love scalloped potatoes you should give these a try you will not be dissappointed. The recipe comes from my mom and the only thing I changed was I added cheese to them as well.


Scalloped Potatoes (double if making for more than 5 people and put in 9x13 pan)
4 cups thinly sliced potatoes(I use my box grater to do this)
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 of an onion chopped
1-2 cups cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350. Melt the 3 T. butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper and cook over low heat until smooth and bubbly. Cook for about 1 minute so you cook out the flour taste. Whisk in the milk, turn up the heat, bring to a boil and cook while stirring until thick(about 1 minute) Making two layers. Layer the potatoes in a 9x9 or 8x8 pan then a layer of the sauce,1 cup cheese and half of the onion, and sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Repeat that layer using the rest of potatoes, sauce, onion and cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for 60 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand 5-10 minutes than enjoy.


They take a while to cook but they are well worth it believe me!!! We had mini meatloaves and fresh corn on the cob with them!!!

Baguette

I am sure many of you are wondering where on earth I have been. Well I have been no where other than my bed 24 hrs a day for the past 5-6 weeks. I am pregnant!! We are expecting our 3rd little one the end of November. I was never sick with my other two so this has been a different thing for me. I feel rotten and if I eat I feel better but nothing sounds good and I don't want to cook and I can't even stomach treats, baked goods, or candy very often and if you know me at all you know that that is what i usually want all the time. Anyway, I am still feeling yucky but decided it was time to come back and at least post a recipe I have been wanting to blog about since before I started feeling yucky. I found this recipe over at the Sister's Cafe. It is so easy and simple but so tasty!! You must try it!!! I sprinkled the Bread with my garlic seasoning mix with parmesan cheese in it after the bread came out of the oven.

Baguette
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 T. instant yeast
2 tsp. sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt

In a small bowl combine the Instant yeast with 1 cup flour and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the warm water, sugar, salt,and 1 1/2 cups flour. Mix well. Add the flour yeast mixture and mix for 2- 3 minutes. Then add the remaining flour and mix until dough becomes a soft ball dump on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Cut the dough in half and shape each half into a baguette. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. With a very sharp serrated knife gently make a slash down the length of each baguette. This will give it the authentic look.
Like So:


Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Half way throught, brush the bread with melted butter. Brittany over at My sister's Cafe said she tried olive oil also but it was less crispy and not as good as the one she put butter on so you choose. Like I said before I sprinkled the tops of mine after they cooked with parmesan garlic seasoning. We ate this bread with pasta.

I made a toasted sandwich the next day for lunch with the leftover bread and it was amazing. I just toasted it in the oven on Broil (with the meat and cheese on it) and then put avocado, tomato, and fresh lettuce or spinach on it. doesn't that look amazing!!

Apple Nut Coffee Cake

Do you want something tasty for a Saturday or Sunday breakfast? Are you tired of the same old cold cereal each morning? THen you must try this recipe out. My hubby and kids loved this!! I did as well. I found this recipe over at Recipe Shoebox and knew I had to try it out. So a few Saturdays ago we had this yummy coffee cake for breakfast. Now if you are trying to loose weight you won't by eating this cake but you must give it a try. It is a good way to use apples that are going soft or bad.

Apple Nut Coffee Cake
Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1(16 oz)container sour cream(2 cups)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs
1 T. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour(can use white whole wheat flour)
4-5 medium apples(peeled and sliced thinly)I used 3 large apples

Streusel:
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cups flour
4 T. butter

Prepare the streusel topping by combining all ingredients in a medium size bowl until the mixture forms large pieces. Set Aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 14x10 inch roasting pan or 2 8x8 inch pans.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with the 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, eggs, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat mixture at low speed until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Spread batter into the prepared pan or pans. Arrange apple slices evenly on top to the edge of the pan(s). Crumblw the streusel topping over the apple Layer. Bake at 45-50 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides of pan. Take out and let cool for 10 minutes. Then serve and enjoy.

Note: YOu can eat this without glaze but I put a milk/powdered sugar glaze with 1 tsp almond extract on top. I didn't measure the milk and powdered sugar I just eyeballed it till was the consistency I wanted.

Note: I doubled the streusel topping because I like a lot!!


So yummy!!!!

Moo Shu Noodles

In our house we love any kind of Chinese, Japanese, or Thai noodles. I made this a couple of weeks ago and my family really enjoyed these noodles. I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. She always has the greatest recipes.Go ahead and give these a try especially if you like noodles. Of course my Husband and I drizzled Siracha chili sauce over ours because we love all things spicy!!

Moo Shu Noodles adapted a little from My Kitchen Cafe

1 lb. linguini(can use regular or whole wheat)

1 T. canola oil

1 T. sesame oil

4 eggs

3 chicken breast sliced very thinly(easiest to do this when partialy frozen)

black pepper

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1-2T minced garlic

1 orange, red or yellow pepper sliced thinly

7 oz jar Hoisin sauce(found on the Asian isle of any grocery store)

7 T. soy sauce

1/2 bag coleslaw mix(found near bagged salad at walmart or you can just use a 1/2 head of cabbage and shred it yourself)

3/4 cup chicken broth

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil. When the water starts to boil, add some salt and drop in the linguini. Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain the cooked pasta and reserve. Combine the hoisin sauce and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a small skillet, scramble the eggs and cook til done. Set aside.

In a 12 inch skillet, heat the one T. sesame oil over medium heat. Season the Chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until no longer pink stirring occasionally until golden brown.

Add the T. canola oil to the skillet and add the onions, orange pepper, ginger, garlic and cook till crisp tender. Add the cabbage and stir fry till tender, about 3 minutes. When the cabbage is cooked. add the cooked eggs to veggie and chicken mixture along with the hoisin/soy sauce mixture and the chicken broth. Stir fry until fully heated through and then toss with the cooked pasta. Cook to heat through and then serve.

Cheesecake

For those of you that don't know me, CHeesecake is my all time favorite treat!!! There is simply nothing better to me than a cool creamy piece of it with some kind of fruity topping drizzled all over the top. Anyway, I saw this cheesecake recipe at Coleen's Recipes and thought I would give it a try. Man was it so good. Now I have made a lot of cheesecakes but I think this one (other than the pumpkin cheescake I have posted before) was the best I have had. My hubby even gave it the two thumbs up!!

Cheesecake
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
4 (8 oz each)pkgs of cream cheese at room temp.
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cream
4 eggs, room temp.
1 cup sour cream
1 T. vanilla
1/4 cup flour

Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into a 9 inch springform pan. Beat the cream cheese, add the sugar and mix until creamy and smooth. Beat in the cream. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating only to incoporate. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla and flour and mix till well combined. Pour over the crust. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the center is almost set. Turn off the oven and let sit in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Take out let the cheesecake come to room temp than put in th fridge overnight or for 3-4 hours until chilled. Serve with your favorite toppings or just plain.

We had ours with Lemon curd and blueberry pie filling.(i just hadn't put the blueberries on yet) So so yummy!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

If you love chicken cordon bleu and you don't have that patience to try making it you should try this casserole out. It was so yummy and easy. It would be a good meal to take to a pot luck, for sunday dinner, or to take a meal to a neighbor or friend who has had a baby. I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe. I changed a few little things but I reccomend you trying this one out. You can also make it the day before or the morning of and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole adpated from My kitchen Cafe
4 slices bread
2 T. butter,melted
3 pounds russet potatoes ( 4-5 medium potatoes)sliced thinly(i used 4 large baking potatoes)
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 -2 T minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 T. parsley
6 T. flour
1 can chicken broth
1 cup cream or milk
2 T. spicy brown mustard
2 -3 cups swiss cheese( I used 1/2 pepper jack and 1/2 sharp cheddar cheese)
2-3 large chicken breast sliced really thin(this is easy to do when chicken is partially frozen still)
9 oz Deli ham, chopped

Process the bread and 2 T. butter in food processor until coarsley ground. Set Aside Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the peeled,sliced potatoes in 6 cup water with 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until partially cooked, because the potatoes will continue to cook in the oven. Take off heat and drain the water off. Set Aside. Melt the 4 T. butter in a saucepan, add the onion, thyme, and parsley and cook until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the flour and whisk constantly until golden.(about 1 minute this helps cook out the flour taste) Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream/milk. Bring to a simmer whisking constantly until thickened.(if using milk this will take a little bit longer than if using cream) Take off heat and whisk in cheeses, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy. Toss the potatoes with half of the cheese sauce and place in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle with the ham. Lay the raw chicken over the top of the ham. Dump all the rest of the cheese sauce over the chicken evenly. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly and the chicken is cooked. Cool for ten minutes then serve.

We had ours with a green salad and homemade rolls. So yummy!!!!

Maple-Pumpkin Granola

I love granola and it is just way to expensive to buy at the store plus most of them are loaded with fat!!! I eat granola every mornig for breakfast and I like that you can make it the way you want and put in all sorts of healthy stuff for you. I found this recipe over at the Sugar Plum website. I adapted it a little bit to put what I like in it. That is another reason why I love granola you can just add what you like and make it different each time. This was really yummy and I like it even better than my other granola I have posted before!!

Maple-Pumpkin Granola adapted from Sugar Plum
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
4 T. oil
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
6 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1-2 cups nuts (i used almonds and pecans)
1 cup wheat gream
1/2 cup whole flax seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cups craisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray. In a large bowl whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon, vanilla and salt until well combined. Stir in the oats, wheat grem, flax seeds, and nuts. Spread onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 40-45 minutes(stiring occasionally) until golden brown and slightly crisp. Remove from over and stir in the raisins and craisins and let cool. Store in an air tight container. Keeps for 2-3 months with out going stale.

Chocolate Banana Bread/Muffins

I found this recipe from Coleen's Recipes. She made the bread but as I was making it I decided that I would make them muffins because my kids and hubby tend to eat things better when they are individually wrapped and you don't have to cut or whatever. YOu can just grab some and go. Anyway, I thought the recipe looked good and they turned out really well. My kids and I have been having them for a treat each day. I made them a little bit healthier and I couldn't even tell the difference and my family loved them but then again when can you go wrong when it involves chocolate.

Chocolate Banana Bread/Muffins adapted from Coleen's Recipes
1 1/2 -2 cups mashed bananas(about 4 bananas)
3 T. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
8 T. milled flax seed(can find at walmart by the flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips(Coleen used mini one but I only had regular)
1 cup pecans( I didn't add these)

Beat all of the wet ingredients and sugar together until well combined and smooth. Beat in dry ingredients just until combined then stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Bake the bread at 350 in a greased loaf pan-(60-70 min), lined muffin tin-(20 minutes), or mini loaf pans-(25-30 min.) Mine made 12 regular muffins and 6 jumbo muffins.