Fresh Pesto with Tomatoes and a Poached Egg...summer is almost here!!

California really is a beautiful place to live, and while Fall is ultimately my favorite season because of its beauty and colors. Spring and Summer are a close second and third because of the wonderful foods that explode out of these seasons!! There is nothing like gardening and growing your own fresh herbs and vegetables. Or eating farm fresh eggs.

This morning I made a wonderful homemade pesto with fresh organic basil I picked up from the farmers market, garlic, tomatoes and farm fresh eggs!! I love egg with fresh pesto and that moment when you dig your fork and knife into that yolk and it oozes out and the pesto and yolk meet each other for the first time.....mmmmm!! Then throw fresh sweet vine ripened tomatoes into the mix and your taste buds will certainly be doing a happy waddlelyatcha and doodley do!!

Enjoy your day!!

Marshmallow Fondant....so easy a caveman can do it...

I made these two cakes back on January 31st for my oldest son and my grandma. They share that day as their birthday!! This is approximately the fourth time Ive used this fondant recipe and it seems to get easier and easier every time.

So obviously I made the blue one for my son and the purple one for my grandma. I love the way blue and brown goes together!! I put the link for the website that has the recipe for the fondant....its got a lot of ingredients....lol!! Don't be 'scerd' if I can do it....so can you!! You will be amazed at the things you can do with fondant!!

Caribbean Spicy Sausage and Sweet Potato Chowder

Ok first off I must say, I only subscribe to 2 magazines!! Cooking Light and Food Network....and I love them both!! So anyways every month I get my magazines in the mail and I sit down and go through all the recipes and cut out the ones I am pretty sure I will use. When I was going through Cooking Lights Jan/Feb issue I came across this little gem!!

This soup......or chowder as they call it has an absolutely lovely flavor to it. It is packed with healthy things and even looks beautiful. I made a few changes to adapt to what I had on hand. It came out so good and even my teenage boys loved it. That is a hard enough task to accomplish!!

Caribbean Spicy Sausage and Sweet Potato Chowder

2 tsp olive oil

3 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, grated on micro plane

2 tsp peeled fresh ginger, grated on micro plane

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground curry

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbls brown sugar (I used agave, because I don't use sugar)

4 cups chicken broth

2 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup frozen corn

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 packages Turkey Italian Sausage, chopped

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes until cooked almost completely. Add next next 6 ingredients through ginger. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients through cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth and agave or sugar. Add thyme and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in tomatoes and corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cilantro and stir. Discard bay leaves. Yield six servings

Mole Chili......an invention.....I think???

Ok....I could be mistaken....but I think I came up with something today. If there are recipes out there Ive never heard of them......but......I really haven't checked either. Ok....ok....maybe its because I want to take credit for the creation of Mole Chili and possibly because of my fear of rejection....but that is a whole other topic of discussion!!

Anyways back to the subject......Mole Chili......so I was talking with a co-worker today and she mentioned that her husband won a chili cook off at a local casino here in my town not too long ago. That got me thinking.....it's cold out side and chili sounds soooooo good and it screams warm comfort food. But I have never been able to make a chili that blows my hair back....until today!!

AND.....the best part is I did it with things that I had in the pantry and fridge!! Granted not everyone probably has a tub of homemade salsa from last Thursdays Christmas party......but....well that is not for me to worry about now!! ;)

Ok ok I'll shut up now and tell you the recipe!! Oh...by the way, instead of serving this with corn bread (which you can totally do) I served it with corn tortilla quesadillas which was super yummy to dunk in my chili!!

Mole Chile

2 cans of your favorite beans, drained (I used white)

1 lb ground beef, or any other ground meat you'd like

2 chipotle peppers chopped until pretty much mush

1 large onion, diced

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash of cloves

5 gloves garlic, grated on micro plane

2 Tbls Mole paste (I used the jarred kind)

2 cups homemade salsa (tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapenos, salt and lime)

1 small can tomato sauce

1 -2 tsp salt depending on taste

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 Tbls chili powder

1 heaping Tbls agave nectar (or 1 Tbls sugar)

Saute ground beef and onion until cooked thoroughly, then add all the other ingredients and simmer for about a half an hour or more. Top with cheese and sour cream and serve with corn bread or quesadillas like I did!!

Paella......I cant believe I did it and it was good too!!

Um hello....Paella!! I did it!! Yeah me!! It was super fly good!! I got myself a Paella pan today with my gift card from my bro and his wife. So I thought I'd give'r a try.....and it totally worked. I got online and checked out a bunch of different recipes and kinda combined them into one. I will definitely make it again and this is definitely something you can make for a crowd cause I got alot of stinkin leftovers!! Might not of been the best idea to make for just me and the kids....lol....oh well too late now!!

1 lb Sausage or Chorizo

3 Boneless skinless Chicken breast, cubed

1 lb Shrimp

1 lb Scallops

1 lb of another seafood, I used calamari rings but you can use whatever you want ie: clams or mussels

4 cups rice

6-8 cups water or broth

1/2 tsp saffron

salt, pepper, paprika and oregano to taste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 large onion diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, diced

5 cloves garlic, crushed

Sprinkle raw chicken with paprika, oregano, salt and pepper to taste and drop in paella pan that has olive oil in it. Cook 1o minutes. Remove from pan and add sausage ( which should be precooked) cook for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Add onion, cilantro and garlic with more olive oil and fry for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and fry until caramelized. Add rice and fry for about 7 minutes. Add water/broth, salt (about 2 tsp) saffron and simmer for 10 minutes. Check to see if you need to add more water and cook for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add seafood and cook for another 10 minutes adding more water as necessary. Serve with fresh lime wedges!!

Hawiian Themed Cake with Marshmellow Fondant

This was my first try with MM fondant.....I wouldnt have been able to do it without the help of my fabulous friend Annie!! She was a lifesaver, she stayed until midnight last night to help finish this cake!! I owe her big!!

This cake was made for my work for our last day of school and graduation party!! It came out great!! The bottom layer was pina colada cake with pina colada filling. The top layer was chocolate with a creamy chocolate filling.

Crabby Cakes with White Wine Butter Sauce

I love crab!! So naturally I love crab cakes!! I made these precious little ones the other night and I have to say....they were deeeeeee-licious!! My only complaint...I got full!! So here is my take on crab cakes, I came up with this recipe from several crab cake recipes that I have seen and added all the flavors that I love!!

1 lb crab meat, make sure you run your fingers through it to make sure there is no shells!!
2 Tbls mayo
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbls garlic, grated on microplane
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbls Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp hot sauce
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbls yellow mustard
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbls chopped parsley

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. When well mixed grab out a golf ball sized portion and shape into the crab cake. Now in a frying heat 1 Tbls butter and 1 Tbls olive oil. When that is heated add 3 crab cakes to the pan and brown on both sides.

White Wine Butter Sauce

Melt 2 sticks butter, just until melted but still creamy
1/4 cup good quality white wine
2 garlic cloves, grated

Serve with crab cakes.

Dessert Pizza

Sugar cookies + marshmallow fluff and cream cheese + strawberries and chocolate = A good thing!!

sugar cookie dough (packaged, refrigerated or homemade if you have like a zillion years to wait for a delicious dessert!!)

1/2 pkg cream cheese

equal amount marshmallow fluff

approx 15 strawberries sliced in half

1/2 cup milk chocolate, white chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips....or all three or a combo of 2....whatever floats your boat!!

Now....spread cookie dough out on cookie sheet to form as close to a circle as possible. Or whatever shape you want....heck if you feel like shaping like your dog Spot...go for it!! Bake according to package directions....well kinda....I had to bake mine longer cause it was like a giant cookie. While that is baking, mix marshmallow fluff and cream cheese in a separate bowl. Now cut the green leafy thingy off the strawberry and cut it in half. (After you wash them of course!!) By this time your ginormous master piece of a cookie should be done. Let it cool for a couple of minutes......if you can stand the wait!!

Spread the fluff mixture over the entire surface of the cookie, strategically place strawberries forming a circle, being careful to measure with a ruler........NO WAY....JUST KIDDING....just put the strawberries on the cookie!! If your feeling adventurous form a pattern!! Lastly stick the chocolate chips in a ziploc baggie in the micro for like 30 seconds. Take bag out of micro and massage it to mix chocolate. Snip a small corner off the bag and drizzle chocolate all over cookie and strawberries.

Cut using a pizza knife and serve. Now enjoy the silence while the kids are quietly eating!!

I cant even tell you how good this was!! Big hit with the kids!! They think I'm some sort of super mom.....but it's only cause they don't know how easy it was!! ;o)

Carne Asada Arroz y Frijoles con Guacamole

Have you ever gone to a Mexican restaurant with the anticipation of having a great, authentic meal and left....hugely disappointed, unsatisfied and barely full cause the food wasn't even good enough to stuff yourself?? Yeah well that happened to me recently and I swore I was gonna come home and duplicate the meal and it was gonna knock my families socks off!!

I still think it's sad though that I had to be the one to do it!! I'm just some mixture of Italian and Portuguese among other things!! ;o) Oh well....I got the job done!!

This dinner came out just divine!!! It was by far the best guacamole and carne asada I have ever made!! I love it when that happens!! And well...beans and rice....I can do in my sleep.

Carne Asada

carne asada meat (they usually sell it sliced like that at the grocery store)

1 lg lemon, zested and juiced

2 limes, zested and juiced

1 Tbls chili powder

3 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic, mashed into paste

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp black pepper

3 Tbls oil, I used canola

Put meat and all ingredients in a large ziploc or large bowl or plastic container and mix until all meat is coated!! Refrigerate at least several hours or preferably overnight. Cook either on the bbq or in a frying pan or on a griddle.

Guacamole

2 avocado's

1 small tomato chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, made into paste

small handful cilantro chopped

salt to taste

1/2 lime juiced

(I also added about 2 Tbls of the green tomatillo salsa that I posted a few days ago. You can do that too, or add chopped jalapeno or leave it out. Whatever you like!)

Mix all ingredients, I don't like to completely mash my avocado's I like it kind of chunky. But you can do what you like!!

Make mexican rice.....I think the key to rice is frying it before you cook it!! Just fry it with oil and tomato for about 7-10 min, then add your liquid and salt.

Boil your pintos with an onion cut in half, 3 cloves of garlic, a jalapeno, and salt until beans are cooked. Approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I usually reserve about a cup of whole beans then throw the rest in the food processor. Then mix them all together. Then in a frying pan I heat some oil and add 1/2 of a very thinly sliced onion. Brown the onion, then add the beans and fry.

I served this meal with corn tortillas....of course!!

Fabulous Fish Tacos

I love fish taco's!!! I was bored....and when I'm bored....I cook or bake!! So I whipped up some fish taco's for dinner tonight. Freshly fried corn tortilla's, homemade mango salsa, homemade spicy green salsa, cod with garlic and butter, lettuce and sour cream lime sauce! How much better does it get?

Fish
1 lb cod or any white fish (or shrimp....mmmm)
Cook or bake how ever you'd like.

Tortilla's
Fry corn tortilla's however you like them....extra crispy or soft and bendy...that's how I like them. I season them with season salt, it's my favorite! ;o)

Tomatillo Salsa
10-12 tomatillo's
1/2 med onion
1 jalepeno
3 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lime
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
handful of cilantro
Boil tomatillo's, onion and garlic for approx 15 minutes. Strain out tomatillo's, onion and garlic reserving the liquid. Put that and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor. Pour as much of the reserved liquid to make the consistency of the salsa as thick or runny as you like it. Salt to taste.

Sour Cream Lime Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of one lime
1 tsp agave or sugar
Stir well.

Mango Salsa
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 of a mango, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped finely
Mix all of the ingredients, and salt to taste.

Don't forget to chopped lettuce, assemble the taco's and EAT THEM!!

My first....and VERY successful attempt at Chile Rellenos

OMG!!!! These came out sssssssssssoooooooooo good!! I have NEVER made them before, but LOVE Chile Rellenos so much. So I just thought....I can do this!! And I did!! =)

I am so happy!! I will be making these again!! It was over all pretty easy, didnt take more than an hour. The only bad thing was that by the time I was done frying them all I had eaten 3 and I was full so I didnt get to sit down and enjoy them!! ;o)

1 lg can green chiles

monterey jack cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup flour + 1 Tbls

6-8 eggs separated

1 tsp season salt

oil or shortening to fry

Take the green chiles out of the can and place them on paper towels to dry them. Dust them with the 1/4 or 1/2 cup of flour (however much is needed to dust them completely). Cut thick slices (1/2") of monterey jack cheese, then cut the slice in 3 long strips. Cut as many as needed for your chiles (1 per chile). You can use toothpicks to hold the chile and the cheese together. It's ok if the chile rips, cause the egg is gonna act like a nice comfy blankie to hold it all together!

Put all the egg whites in your handy dandy Kitchen Aide mixer and put the whip attachment on it on med high and just walk away! But make sure you walk back when stiff peaks have formed! ;o)

Beat the yolks with the 1 Tbls of flour and the 1 tsp of season salt. Once your egg whites have formed stiff peaks FOLD did I mention you should FOLD.....not stir.......fold in the yolk mixture until well mixed. Now you just dip your chile with the cheese inside into the egg batter and drop it into your preheated oil. When they are golden brown on both sides (you'll have to flip them once) then they are done!!

I served mine with El Pato salsa de jalepeno. You can find it in a can in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. Did I mention how good they were??

My take on a Chicken Corn Soup....mmmmm!!

Ok the first thing I would like to say is.....this is a basic recipe of NOT exact measurements!! I make this stuff up as I go depending on what sounds good!! So I'm gonna give it my best shot trying to remember everything I put in there!! Good luck and may the force be with you.

On a side note....even my kids liked this soup!! That's always a bonus!! ;o)

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped(depending on how many you are feeding)

1 container chicken broth

3/4 cup salsa (I used homemade that I had already)

2 cans corn

1 cup heavy cream, milk or sour cream

1/2 onion diced

1 can diced green chile's

1 cup grated cheese of your choice (cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack)

cilantro

corn tortillas fried until crispy, then broken into pieces

Just cook the chicken and shred or chopped it. In a saucepan cook onions until translucent, I think I threw in a little butter! Add chicken broth, and corn. Now use your fabulous immulsion blender and blend it up a little. Next add in all the rest of the ingredients except the tortillas and cilantro. When cheese is melted serve. Top with broken tortillas and cilantro!! Yummy!!

Christmas Eve Seafood Lasagana...mmmmm

Is it just me, or is seafood a beautiful thing?? I love it all. I have never made a seafood lasagana before, and actually I dont recall ever tasting one before. But I would have to say for a first try, it was very successful!! I used shrimp, crab meat and small scallops!! It was super easy to throw together too and a big hit amoungst family members. Even my hubby, who doesnt love pasta thought it was good!!

1/2 lb lasagna noodles

1 1/2 jars alfredo sauce

3 cups grated mozzerella or any cheese you like

1/2 lb real crab meat, shredded

1 lb small scallops, cooked

1/2 lb small shrimp, cooked

1 small container of ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt & pepper

parmesean cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. In a small bowl combine three seafoods, salt and pepper to taste. In another small bowl mix ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 cup parmesean cheese. In a 13 x 9 baking dish which you have sprayed with cooking spray, begin layering. First drizzle a little bit of alfredo sauce (right out of the jar) to coat the bottom of the dish. Layer approx. 3 lasagna noodles, drop some ricotta mixture and spread on noodles, sprinkle 1/3 of the seafood mixture, then drizzle sauce from the jar and finally a thin layer of cheese. Repeat all steps until you reach the top of the baking dish. Topping with cheese. Bake in a 350 oven for approx 45 minutes to 1 hour.

My take on Peppermint Bark

Ok this one ended up looking kinda funny......but it tastes awesome!!!!!!

All I did was melt milk chocolate and semi sweet chocolate together in a 'double boiler' until melted then spread it on a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Then I melted the white chocolate over the double boiler. While it was melting I added about a half a teaspoon of peppermint extract and one tablespoon of milk. When the milk chocolate is set up enough spread the white chocolate over it. Break up some candy canes and sprinkle evenly over the white chocolate. Put in the frig until set up and then break into random size pieces.

That's it!! It is that easy!!

Let the baking begin....

Am I the only one who gets completely excited around the holidays when its time to decide what to bake?? I spend so much time looking through recipes and adding some in then taking some out, and adding some in....and....well you get the idea. It has to be just perfect!! I am always excited to try things I havent tried before, but have the few 'must makes' every year!!

Well it is finally time to begin the process and get ready to give my friends and family the treats they deserve for puttin' up with me all year round!!

Here is the first....

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

All I did for these is make the Nestle Toll House recipe except I added (which is key for flavor!!) 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and some freshly grated nutmeg. It makes ALL the difference!!!

Leftovers Anyone?? Turkey Salad Sandwiches & Dinner Rolls

Here is one of my favorite turkey leftover recipes!! I LOVE a good chicken salad so why not substitute leftover turkey!! If you notice, there is also a dinner roll in the picture. I got that recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks website....and oooohhhh man are those rolls good. I will but the recipe up so you can try them out!!

Another good thing you can make with your leftovers is Potato Soup out of the mashed potatoes!

Turkey/Chicken Salad

3-4 cups cooked turkey/chicken
1 cup chopped cashews
2 stalks celery chopped
3 green onions chopped
1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of fresh grated nutmeg
dash of salt

Mix everything together and serve on your favorite bread or over greens or avocado.

Here is the link to thepioneerwomancooks.com it will take you directly to the dinner rolls....which I highly recommend making. I made them on Wednesday and just refrigerated the dough until Friday, which is when I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family, and they worked out perfectly!!!

Enjoy and happy eating!!


http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/pw_dinner_rolls_-_no_kneading_required/

Sunday Morning Sausage Breakfast Burritos

Look at all these beautiful breakfast burritos. I made 60 of them this past Saturday. Once a month we serve them in our church cafe. You want to talk about pressure....try cooking for 60!! I've got it down to a science now!! It only takes about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish!! I will give you the estimated recipe for a few less!! ;o)

1 pound of ground breakfast sausage
1 pound of hashbrowns (not the shredded kind)
15 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or pepper jack or combo of your favorites
Approx 15-20 flour tortillas

Cook ground sausage thoroughly, also cook the hashbrowns with the onion in a seperate pan until golden brown.



Add all spices to eggs, add milk and beat until well beaten.

Add eggs and hashbrowns to the sausage and cook until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

Melt cheese on top and it should look a little something like above!! Can you say.....yummy??

Ripe off a bunch of foils and lightly heat the tortillas to make it easier to roll. Add a spoon full of egg mixture into a tortilla and roll like a burrito, with one end open.

Now dont you just wanna pick one up and take a bite?? I like to serve them with fresh homemade salsa!! Maybe I will post that recipe someday soon!!

Cheesy Rice Casserole

This rice dish is a huge hit around my house!! Everyone loves it and it can feed a ton of people or you can have leftovers the next day for lunch!! It is so easy and you can change it up to add whatever you like in it. I make mine with ground beef, but you can certainly use ground turkey, chicken or even sausage. Or if you don't like meat just use veggies!!

1 lb ground beef

2 cups long grain rice

1/2 cup chopped red and green bell pepper

1/2 of a medium sized onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 14.5 oz can broth (beef, chicken or veggie)

2 cups water

3-4 dashes hot sauce (I like Franks)

1 1/2 cups cheese (Cheddar, jack, colby, pepper jack or any kind you like)

1 small can green chile's (optional)

juice of 1/2 of a lime

1-1 1/2 tsp salt to flavor

Here are all the things I used in mine today. Fresh tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, onions, cilantro, green chile's, lime juice, rice and cheese!! You'll want to chop up your veggies and cilantro before you start cooking!!

Brown you ground beef.

Just like that...now add in the veggies...except the cilantro!!

Now add the rice and 'fry' it all together for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.

It should look like this.

Now add all the liquids, including the water, broth and hot sauce. Then add the cilantro. Cover and let it come up to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let cook for 20-25 minutes until rice is completely cooked. Now spread cheese over the top and let melt for about 5 minutes.

Doesn't that look good!!! Serve to all your hungry people waiting for a delicious meal!

You can garnish with cilantro, avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, or anything else you feel like throwing on there!!

Peanut Butter Squares

I love these!! There is no baking required!! Bring these somewhere and people will think you are a magician in the kitchen and they wont even know how easy it was to make them!!

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 c peanut butter

1 c butter melted

2 cups peanut butter chips

2 3/4 c powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the 9x13 inch pan. Melt peanut butter chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Spread melted peanut butter chips over the crumb crust. Chill for about 15 minutes, then cut into bars before completely set, then chill until set.

These are so simple to make and yet soo good!! I don't know about you all, but a lot of times around the holidays when we go to family's house they have these "sweet potato" dishes that are whipped with 10 pounds of butter, 5 pounds of brown sugar and piled high with marshmallow's. Then it seems like what was once this beautiful and tasty, good for you vegetable is now candy. I don't want to eat that!!

So I came up with this tonight.

2 good sized sweet potatoes sliced in half long ways

olive oil

kosher salt to taste

1 tsp of brown sugar

Drizzle olive oil over sweet potatoes and lightly sprinkle with salt. Then place face down on a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees. Bake for about 45 until tender and browned. Flip them over and sprinkle (very lightly) with the brown sugar. Serve warm. They are delicious!!