Homemade Salsa

Last week while I was grocery shopping I was in the produce section when I smelled the most wonderful smell.

Fresh cilantro!

And it gave me a hankering for homemade salsa.

Jarred salsa, refrigerated salsa just can't compare to the the taste of fresh made salsa. And it's so easy to make! I'm going to share this quick basic recipe that I used.

Homemade Salsa Recipe

3 cans diced tomatoes

1 large yellow onion chopped 

1/2 red onion chopped

1 bunch of fresh cilantro chopped

2 jalapenos seeded and chopped (add seeds or more for heat)

Pour tomatoes in their juices into a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients salt to taste, mix. Cover and put in the fridge to let the flavors all come together for a couple of hours. Enjoy!

If you prefer your salsa less chunky, you can throw everything into a blender or food processor to blend it together.

It makes a lot. So I canned some in mason jars as well. 

Teamed up with veggies or tortilla chips made this a simple snack or a side to a meal.

What's for Dinner?- Sausage and Potatoes

Some days we just need a quick and easy meal for dinner. Sometimes we just don't plan out our meals or what we had planned will take more energy than we're willing to dole out.

On Monday, we were busy. I was getting ready to leave in less than an hour, the kids were doing homework and Michael was tired from being a parent volunteer for both Sidda and MJ's classes. It makes for a busy long day.

We really didn't have a dinner planned but we needed something fast. So I opened the 'fridge and saw some smoked sausage, and DING I had an idea.

I started by washing up a chopping 4 potatoes and one onion.

Next, I heated up a little olive oil in a large skillet. After it had warmed up a couple of minutes I added the potatoes and onions. Be sure to add salt to your potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft to your preferred texture. If you let them cook a little longer at little higher heat they can get crispy.

 While the potatoes are cooking, chop your sausage into bite size pieces.

Add it to the pan and cook until heated through.

We served it up with a side of scrambled eggs for the kids and fried eggs for the adults. 

Including chopping, this meal took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. It's would also make a delicious breakfast.

So, tell me, what is your favorite go to meal when you are short on time or energy?

What's for Dinner?- Salmon, Garlic Pasta and Green Beans

 In an attempt to try new things WE ATE SALMON!  Woot!

We don't really consume a lot of fish around here.  I've only had salmon once or twice in my entire life.  So we gave it a shot.

I found a recipe through Pinterest at Running a Ragnar.

I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great!  It was flaky and delicious.  Even Sidda liked it; she is my picky eater.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place salmon skin side down.

Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Place in a cold oven set at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

MJ is checking it out. 

The results were great!  The fish flaked easily and tasted great along with the garlic pasta.

Anya will eat just about anything.

Sidda loved it!

We finished dinner off with Popsicles.  Anya stole mine.

What's for Dinner?- Taco Fajita Crockpot

Yesterday was a busy day.  There was school to teach, a house to clean, meals to make and company coming over.  That was all piled up on top of very little sleep because a certain little baby decided she didn't want to sleep, nor did she want to be awake.

I wanted something easy to throw into the crock pot that would make dinner super easy.  I looked around to see what I had on hand and just dumped it all in.

Taco Fajita Crock Pot Recipe

3 Chicken Breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen corn
1 bag diced onions and 3 peppers (frozen)
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup of water.

Just dump everything in and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Shred chicken and service over rice with shredded cheese.  You can add sour cream if you like as well.

It was delicious and baby approved!

What's for Dinner?- Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks

The other night I make some chicken drumstick goodness.

We were getting ready for the Super Bowl and we had planned on having sandwiches and chips.  A really easy night.  But Michael was in the mood for a little something more.  He wanted at least something to be hot.

So, it's Pinterest to the rescue!  I found this recipe at foodloverr.com

I changed it up a bit but the end result was marvelous!

For my seasonings I used garlic salt, cajon seasoning, oregano and pepper.  Loaded that up with some flour in a freezer bag.  I threw the drumsticks in a shook it all together.  Put some butter in a couple of 9X13 dishes and put in all in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.  I flipped them and cooked for another 30 minutes (they were really big drumsticks) and flipped one more time for 10 minutes.

The end result was delicious, moist chicken drumsticks that added just what we needed to watch some football!

What a sad blurry picture.  It was a last minute after thought to take a quick picture.

Michael approved!

What's for Dinner?- Creamy Marinara Chicken Pasta Pasta

I love when I can make a meal on a whim that feeds a large group. Our kids had friends over the other night and it added three extra mouths at the dinner table.  After searching my cabinets to try to find something yummy for all of us to eat I finally decided to try my hand at my own concoction.

I had read on other blogs on how mixing alfredo sauce and marinara makes an easy creamy sauce.  So that's when my mind started working.

First I chopped up 4 chicken breasts and sauteed it in a little oil with salt and garlic.

While the chicken was going I boiled some pasta.

After the chicken was cooked through and the noodles were drained I added two cans diced tomatoes, one package frozen spinach, thawed, 1 jar alfredo sauce and 1 jar marinara all into a 9X13 dish that was lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  I cooked it in an oven on 350 until bubbly, about 45 minutes.

I then served it up and topped with a little shredded cheese.

And you know it's good when the baby gobbles it all down and asks for more. 

It was a hit and left tons of left overs even though we were feeding 8.  The leftovers were awesome as well.

Recipe

1 lb pasta

4 chicken breasts, chopped

garlic and salt

1 package frozen spinach

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 jar marinara sauce

shredded cheese, as desired.

What's for Dinner?- Chicken and Chorizo Soup (in the slow cooker)

I don't know if you know this... but it has been super cold outside the last few days.  Brrrrr...  And when it gets cold it soup time.  My favorite kind of soup to make is Chicken and Chorizo soup.  To me this soup is somewhere between a soup, a chili and a stew depending on how I make it.

I first found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it was pretty good.  I don't think I've ever made it exactly as it says because I like to mix things up a bit.  But here is how I like to make my soup.

Chicken and Chorizo Soup (in the slow cooker)

1 chopped onion

1 lb chorizo (we used deer chorizo)

1-2 lbs chicken (depends how much I want to use)

1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire

galic salt to taste

chili powder to taste

cumin to taste 

(I use quite a bit of the seasonings.  I like my food to have some flavor)

minced garlic

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

1 can black beans, rinsed (optional, I only add this sometimes)

2-3 cups of water or chicken broth (depending on how soupy you want it.)

1/2-1 cup of milk or cream (depending on how creamy you want it)

sour cream and shredded cheese to serve with.

I chopped up my onion.  I love onions.  They bring such goodness and flavor to other foods!

Throw the chorizo and onions in a pan and cook together until the chorizo is brown and the onions are soft. I added a pinch of salt while sauteing.  Drain.

Add chicken to the crock pot.  As you can see mine was still very much frozen.  It went in fine and tasted great when it cooked.

Add on the garlic salt and garlic and seasonings.

Add in corn, tomatoes, beans, chorizo, water/ broth (I typically use water with bullion cubes) and milk.  Cook of low for 8 hours or more.  Shred your chicken and stir.

I almost forgot to get a picture of the soup!  This isn't the best picture.  This is Michael's bowl and it was halfway gone.  Oops.  Top with sour cream and shredded cheese and enjoy.  We usually have cheese quesadillas on the side.  Yum!

I had friends over to share in our soup and this batch fed 5 adults, 5 kids and a baby with a little left over.  It makes a ton.  It also makes great leftovers.

What's for Dinner?: Veggie Pizza My Way

One of my favorite things to do with Sidda is to make homemade pizza.  She loves helping with sauce and the toppings.  I love making a delicious pizza crust that my whole family likes.

We always make 3 pizzas whenever we have pizza night.  A cheese for Sidda and Anya, a pepperoni for MJ and a third one for Michael and me that's not so basic.  Lately, we have been making veggie pizza.  This is more than your average peppers, mushrooms and onions pizza.  It's so much for and I love it!

I put a little oil in a pan and saute some stir-fry frozen veggies.  In the bag there are green beans, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, celery and red peppers.  Then I added some frozen pearl onions (these are super tasty!).  And finally I added some spinach.  I let it saute until the veggies were crisp.

On the pizza crust I put some marinara sauce, then the sauteed veggies followed by some pizza cheese.  We put the veggies under the cheese because it helps keep them from following off while eating it.  Put in a 500 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.  This time we added a couple of pepperonis to the tops too.

Don't let the picture deceive you.  The veggies are under the cheese!

What's for Dinner?- Mini Pizza on Bagels

Well, it's more of a what's for lunch than what for dinner post.  But it's ok.  It's food and it's good.  Michael and I had some meatball subs the other night and had some leftover marinara sauce that I wanted to use up before it wen to waste.  I also had on hand some mini bagels and pizza cheese.  So mini pizzas it is!  Yay!  They were super easy to put together and went over great with the kids and the husband too.

Just split the bagels on a baking sheet, through on some sauce and cheese.  Heat in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes- until the cheese has melted and the bagels toasted.  Enjoy!

What's for Dinner?- Roast Chicken

Last night I made roast chicken.  Out of a whole chicken!  And not to brag or anything but it turned out awesome!

I usually just throw a whole chicken in my crock pot to make shredded chicken to freeze.  That way I always have some ready to put in casseroles or enchiladas or whatever.  But this time I wanted to do something else.  You know actually cook it to eat right away, not to save for later.

So here is what I did.  I put my oven on 375 and while it was preheating I mixed some butter with parsley, salt and pepper.  I put some of it under the skin on top over the breasts, and then poured the rest on top over all the skin.  Then I put it in the oven for 40 minutes.  After it beeped I turned up the oven to 450 and let it cook for another 30 minutes.  And it was beautiful!  It smelled so good and made a wonderful dinner!

Freezer Burritos

I love burritos.  No one in my family loves burritos as much as I do.  So I almost never make them for dinner.  But there is a way for me to be able to dine on burrito awesomeness homemade freezer burritos.  

I just grabbed some ingredients that I had on hand:

1 lb ground beef

1 onion chopped

1 burrito seasoning packet

1 can re fried beans

1 can of corn drained

shredded cheese

tortillas

Brown the meat

Oops, I almost forgot about my onion!  I usually add it at the same time as the meat.

drain meat and add corn and refried beans and seasoning packet with water.

Mix it all together and let simmer

Put it on to tortillas, add cheese and fold it up

It's Yummy!

Wrap each burrito in plastic wrap and put in a bag with the date marked.  Put in freezer when cool.

Now I ended up making 8 huge burritos.  You can make smaller ones.  You can add or omit ingredients as desired.  You can store in the freezer for up to 6 months.  I actually made these about a month ago.  I had one for lunch today and it reminded me to write it up!  I microwave mine for abput 3 minutes.  It makes sure that it is heated all the way through which could probably be done at 2 minutes but I love my food HOT.  My husband says that I like it to be on fire.  I just like my hots hot and my colds cold.  Not so much for the in the middle.

What's for Dinner? Roast Beef Sandwiches

I haven't made roast beef for sandwiches in forever!  But I knew that last night I needed something easy to make that I wouldn't have to worry about.  I knew that we wouldn't be home until after 6pm because Sidda was in her first school play last night!  It was so much fun to watch and I loved every  moment of it!

So back to dinner, roast beef.  This is something I make in the crock pot, and its made similar to how you would make a pot roast, but I don't really like pot roast in the crock pot.  I personally cannot stand mushy carrots and the potatoes never seem to come out quite right.  But the meat cooking by itself always turns out great!

In the pot I put 2 cans of cream of mushroom, a 2.5lb beef round and topped it off with onion dip mix.  Make sure to turn the round to coat in the cream of mushroom.  Then cover, set to low and cook for 8-10 hours.

When it's done all you will need to do is shred to beef with two forks, and stir in the gravy that the soup created.  The beef will soak it right up.

Then you put the roast beef on a bun and enjoy!  Put any fixins on that you might like.  Tastes great and super easy!

Banana Bread with Kisses

My bananas were ready to make some banana bread, and I was in the mood to make it a little differently.  This time I took my basic banana bread recipe and added some Hershey Kisses that I had on hand.  After it cooked I got it out of the oven and after it had cooled enough to eat my family devoured it so quickly I did not get a picture of the inside with the melted kisses.  But believe me, it was good!  

What's for Dinner?- Pork Chops, Couscous and Broccoli

So tonight for dinner I made pork chops, broccoli and Parmesan couscous.  I would have to say that this dinner was a hit.

The pork chop was pan seared and only seasoned with Season All at Michael's request.  The couscous came from a box, but was good anyway and the kids gobbled it up.  The broccoli was the best broccoli that I've ever had.  The kids actually ate it and Michael enjoyed it.  I personally don't like broccoli that much but I received in my Bountiful Basket this week and I didn't want it to go to waste.  I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It's not very hard to make but does take a little effort, but it's worth it.  It is delicious.

All in all, dinner tonight was good, and now I know how I will cook my broccoli if I receive it again instead of letting it go bad in the fridge before throwing it away like I have in the past.

What's for Dinner?- Meatloaf

Now I know that somehow meatloaf in general has got a bad rap, but I do have to say that mine is delicious!  It's so good even Sidda will eat it (she is my picky eater).  My secret is in the sauce that you put on top.  It's a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar that really  makes it stand out.  Michael loves it when I make meatloaf; it's one of those meals the whole family gets excited about. It's ok to be jealous of my meatloaf.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

Sometimes I impress myself... I know, I know, I impress you so much of the time that you are surprised that I am really am as awesome as I am.

But today I decided to experiment a little. A few months ago I learned how to make the most basic of bagel, which made me so excited, because I love bagels but I never buy them because I am cheap and pretty much only can buy what I need. Also, whenever I tend to buy them, we never eat them but whenever I make them, it's almost impossible to keep them in the house. So today, I expanded. I tried my hand at cinnamon raisin bagels.

I took my basic bagel recipe, added raisins, cinnamon, some brown sugar and a little extra flour to my mixture before raising the dough. They turned out pretty good for my first shot. I tried one after it cooled from the oven with a little butter and I loved it. I can't wait to try one toasted.