Lovin on Shrimp!

I found a killer deal on raw, frozen shrimp at Target a few weeks back. I needed a fast dinner one night, so I pulled out a bag and thawed them in cold water. I didn't have a recipe in mind, and I didn't have a lot of time...so I winged it!

The key players- Olive Oil, Cajun Seasoning, Garlic Salt and a fresh Lemon.

I combined about 2 TBS each of olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Add 1 tsp of Cajun seasoning (or more to taste) and 1/2 tsp of Garlic salt. Toss raw shrimp in this marinade.

I grilled my shrimp on my stove-top grill pan until cooked through...about 5 minutes.

Served with garlic cheese bread, roasted asparagus, and lemon wedges. It was divine and so simple!!

Who knew I would love Chili as a "grown-up"?

Growing up, I hated chili. No beans please!! Well, now that I am "grown up", I LOVE chili! Or, I love my chili :) I actually love most chili now, as long it doesn't involve kidney or lima beans!

For my chili you will need: 2 cans of Chili Beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, 1 can tomato paste, 1 onion, LOTS of garlic, 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef, 1 large can of tomato juice and to season (garlic salt, black pepper, Italian Seasoning, Chili powder and Cumin).

I start by browning my ground beef. As soon as it is mostly cooked, add one diced onion and several cloves of minced or grated garlic. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat.

I added a few over-ripe tomatoes from my garlic last time I made this. Add one can of tomato paste and cook one minute.

Stir in beans, tomato juice and canned tomatoes. I just keep seasoning to taste, but always start with 3 tsp of cumin, 5 tsp of dark chili powder, 2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of Italian seasoning and 2 tsp of garlic salt. Sorry- no idea how much I add after that, just depends on my taste that day :) Cook for as long as possible on low heat...a minimum of 2 hours. I usually aim for 5-6 hours. Stir frequently!

Top with shredded cheddar and enjoy! It's even better the next day :)

I love trying new things!

It's time for Hatch Chilies! Don't know what a Hatch Chile is....it's a unique pepper grown in New Mexico and it is just starting to be available around here. I noticed about a month ago that my local Hy-Vee was celebrating the Hatch Chile Festival. I decided to buy and roast a few pounds of these special chilies to see what all the fuss was about! Of course, I thought it would be a good idea to add them to my Chicken Tortilla Soup :)

In some areas of the country- you can buy fresh roasted hatch chilies at the grocery store. I roasted my own. I simply placed the rack in my oven on the highest level, threw the chilies on a cookie sheet and turned on the broiler.

Turn them a couple of times until they are black on all sides.

Toss them into a ziploc bag or a glass bowl with plastic wrap on top and let them steam until cool enough to handle. This makes the skins easier to remove.

After my last mishap with peppers, I decided not to take any chances and I wore gloves. The skins peel right off!

And- knowing now what I didn't know then...these peppers are HOT! I would cut off the stems and remove the seeds before roasting next time. Not to mention how irritating those little seeds are to remove after the pepper is soft :)

For my Chicken Tortilla Soup....you need 6 cups of chicken broth, one onion, 4 cloves of garlic, one can of diced tomatoes, one can of black beans, chili powder, garlic salt, cumin and CHICKEN!

Begin by tossing an onion and some finely minced garlic into the stock pot. I don't use oil, just 1/4 cup of the chicken broth to soften these.

And the chilies....normally I used 2- 4 oz cans of diced green chilies. I only needed 2 TBS of the Hatch Chilies and it was spicy enough!

Rinse the black beans and dump into the pot. Add the tomatoes and the rest of your chicken broth. I season mine to taste with cumin, chili powder and garlic salt. Sorry- I never measure. My chicken is usually shredded and frozen, so I add it once the broth is hot. Cook about 20 minutes over medium heat.

We like to eat ours with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips on top. This is a GREAT use for those crumbs at the bottom of the bag. I save them in ziplocs all winter to top all our favorite soups. 

***I froze the rest of the roasted chilies for use in various dishes over the Fall/Winter***

I love how easy this is to make...and eat :)

If you haven't done it yet...make Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa! This tastes just like the salsa at my favorite Mexican Restaurants, and it only takes 5 minutes to make. Did I mention it makes a TON?!

For this recipe, you will need:

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice- I use 2-15 0z cans

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies) Mild, Original or Hot...depending on how spicy you like it

¼ cups Chopped Onion ( My hubby loves onion, so I use a whole small onion)

1 clove Garlic, Minced (I love garlic- I use two!)

1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin

¼ teaspoons Sugar¼ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin

½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!) We basically use the whole bunch!

½ whole Lime Juice

Ok- so after making this recipe a few times...I got brave and added a second jalapeno this time! I also had super small cloves of garlic...so I threw in 5 :)

Put everything but the cilantro into the bowl of the food processor and pulse a couple of times.

Add in as much Cilantro as you like...I told you we use the whole bunch! Pulse until combined. It's done!

This makes about 6 cups of Salsa...which is great news, because we can't stop eating it.

Awesome with tortilla chips, in your favorite tacos, stirred into soup...the possibilities are endless. I love a fresh from the garden salsa too- but for cost and effort, this is delicious, cheap and simple!

Trying to love Curry...

I have only had limited exposure to Indian food...and I've never cooked with many of the flavors in traditional Indian cooking. I decided to start off easy, with a recipe using Curry- that wasn't too off the charts. I chose to make Curried Honey Mustard Chicken. 

For this recipe you need : Dijon Mustard, Honey, Curry Powder, Butter, Cayenne Pepper and Chicken.

Mix the mustard, honey, curry, melted butter and cayenne in a baking dish.

Add in chicken and allow to marinade in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.

To go with my chicken, I cooked button mushrooms and green peppers in my new T-Fal skillet. It is AMAZING! I don't even need butter or oil!

I also made a family favorite...Farmers Market Potatoes sliced super thin, drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Baked in a 450 degree oven until crisp! I pre-heat my cookie sheet to get the bottoms super crisp! They take about 20 minutes, flipping once.

I cooked my chicken while my potatoes were roasting. Cover with foil for the first 10 minutes and then remove foil for the next 10-15 minutes. Time will vary based on the thickness of the chicken.

Stir fry of veggies took about 10 minutes. During this time, I accidentally touched my face after chopping a few peppers from my garden... that I didn't think were hot. Oops- BIG MISTAKE!

The finished product. The chicken was super moist, but the recipe uses way too much butter. It was an easy introduction to Curry, but I'm not so sure I enjoyed it with all the honey. On to my next Curry experiment :)

We love it spicy!!

On a recent visit home to see my parents, we went out for dinner. I had a seared Tuna Steak with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. They were amazing. I knew it was something I could re-create, and I did!! I used this Wasabi Mashed Potato recipe, but used Fat Free Chicken Broth instead of Milk and Butter.

You begin by roasting Garlic. I only did half a head of Garlic, as I was only making half a recipe. Place in aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Throw in the oven while you make the rest of the recipe. (I did mine for 30 min at 400 degrees and it was perfect).

Next wash and peel your potatoes. I used four medium sized potatoes (made 3 servings).

Cut into small chunks and toss into a pot of cold water.

Boil until the potatoes are soft- about 15 minutes if they are cubed.

While the potatoes cook- prepare the remaining ingredients. I used powdered Wasabi, so I had to add a little water to make a paste. I used a little more than the recipe called for, because we love it spicy!


Drain potatoes. Add in roasted Garlic and Wasabi. Instead of adding Butter and Milk, I added enough Fat Free Chicken Broth until the potatoes were creamy. I always make my potatoes this way- and I don't miss the fat! Season with Salt to taste.


A little tip...I served these with fish. I like to sear my fish on the stove and finish in the oven. I've had way too many burns because I grab a hot pan handle. Instead I wrap the handle in foil. It doesn't get as hot, and it looks funny so I think twice before I grab it.

Creamy and delicious!!

I've already made these twice. Once with salmon and the second time with Tuna steaks. The Tuna steaks were even better because I made a marinade with Orange Juice, Soy Sauce, Ginger and Garlic, and these flavors went so beautifully with the Wasabi. I highly recommend trying these with your favorite fish, chicken or steak. Delicious!!!

The appetizer I love to make for a crowd!

When I have to take an appetizer or picnic snack for a larger group, my go-to is Tortilla Roll-ups. I don't really follow a recipe any more, but this is similar to what my mom always made. It starts with 1 block of cream cheese, 1 (8 oz) container of sour cream, 4 green onions, 1 (4 oz) can of green chilies, 1 (8 oz) bag of cheddar, 4 oz of black olives (chopped), and 1 tsp of Lawry's seasoning salt with 8 burrito size, flour tortillas.


Once upon a time, I used to buy the little can of chopped black olives. One day I realized, that 4 oz can of pre-chopped olives cost more than the large can of whole olives. I own a food processor, why throw away the money! So, now I buy the large can of olives and throw about half the can in the food processor (or my mini-chopster) and pulse until chopped.

Mix 8 oz of cream cheese (I use low-fat) and 8 oz of sour cream (I use lite) until smooth.

Chop 3-4 green onions, whites and tops and throw in the bowl.

Add in olives, Lawry's, cheddar and chilies. Stir and spread by large spoonful onto each tortilla. Spread until it evenly covers the tortilla.

Roll up each tortilla and scrape any excess off so the outside of the tortilla doesn't get soggy when wrapped.

Wrap each log in a piece of waxed paper. I've found that plastic wrap and foil both make the tortillas soggy. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or over-night.

Depending on how much filling you like in your tortillas, this will make 6-8 logs. Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight.

Slice the ends off each log (reserve) and slice remaining tortilla into about 1 inch rounds.

Serve roll-ups with your favorite salsa or picante sauce for dipping.

And we like to save the ends to snack on before we go to the party. It's hard to wait that long!