Monday, June 21, 2010

Pizza Sauce

1 lrg Can of Tomato sauce
1 small can of Tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 TBLSP dried onion flakes

warm on stove, blend well.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Enchiladas Verde

This would also be good with some Spanish rice... I got the recipe from all recipes.
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 serrano peppers
  • 1 pound small green tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
  • 9 corn tortillas
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
  • 1/2 store-bought rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded ( I used my own chicken)
  • 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 (8 ounce) container Mexican crema, crema fresca
  • 1 cup grated cotija cheese

Directions

  1. Cover a large griddle with aluminum foil and preheat to medium-high.
  2. Cook the garlic, serrano peppers, and tomatillos on the hot griddle until toasted and blackened, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes for the garlic, 10 minutes for the peppers, and 15 minutes for the tomatillos. Remove to a bowl and allow to cool.
  3. Heat oil in a small, deep skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Using kitchen tongs, fry the tortillas individually, turning them once. They shouldn't be in the hot oil for more than 5 seconds per side. Remove excess oil with paper towels and keep warm. Remember that the hotter the oil, the less that the tortillas will absorb.
  4. Place the toasted garlic, serrano peppers, tomatillos, and the water in a blender and blend until smooth; pour into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Dissolve the chicken bouillon into the mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. The sauce shouldn't be too thick.
  5. Soak three tortillas in the sauce, one at a time, for a few seconds, fill them with shredded chicken, sprinkle the meat with some of the sauce, roll them and place them seam side down on a pasta bowl. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over them and top them with lettuce, cilantro, crema, and cotija cheese. Pour a little more sauce over the whole thing if desired. Repeat the procedure twice more. Serve immediately.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Oven Roasted Ribs

  • 6 lbs pork spareribs
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 salt

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line shallow roasting pans with heavy duty foil. Stir liquid smoke into mustard if desired. Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, ground pepper and salt in small bowl. Brush meatier side of each slab of ribs with mustard mixture. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over mustard. Place ribs in foil lined pans. Roast for 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 hours or until fork tender. (If ribs are becoming dry, cover with foil the last 30-45 minutes of roasting. Transfer ribs to serving platter. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

I got this recipe from the package of ribs I bought. It was so simple but so good! And a nice change from our crockpot BBQ sauce ribs! I halved the recipe for our little family and still had leftovers. I also didn't use liquid smoke, but I did add a dash of Worchestershire sauce.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Oven Chicken Cacciatore

  • 2 zucchini, sliced
  • 2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, halved
  • 1/2 cup olives
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs with garlic salt added
  • 2-3 chicken breasts cut in half
  • 3 cups whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked

1. Heat the oven to 400.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in 9x13 dish. In separate dish mix 1/4 cup cheese and bread crumbs. Add chicken; turn to evenly coat each piece of chicken. Place on top of vegetable mixture.
3. Bake 45 min or until chicken is done. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed. Drain pasta.
4. Top chicken with remaining cheese.

I drained my tomatoes just a bit the second time I made this so it wasn't too juicy. It is really healthy and easy to put together!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

My husband found this recipe on allrecipes.com and made it for us for Mother's Day dinner. They were very yummy, and I was impressed with how moist the pork chops stayed when cooked on the grill.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup apple juice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
6 boneless pork chops
Directions:
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt , and pepper. Bring to boil. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl, and whisk into brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick.
Brush grate lightly with oil before placing pork chops on the grill. Cook over hot coals for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Brush with sauce just before removing chops from grill. Serve with remaining sauce. *he brushed the pork chops with the the sauce both before grilling them, then again after.*

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Marintated Steak with Caramelized Onions

  • 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
  • 3 Tbsp A.1. Original Steak Sauce, divided
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1 lb)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced

1. Mix dressing, 2 Tbsp steak sauce, sugar and garlic until well blended. Pour over steak to coat both sides. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir 5 min. Cover; cook on medium-low heat 15 min or until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Heat broiler. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on rack of broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from heat 8 min on each side or until done. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 5 min, before cutting across the gain into thin slices. Stir remaining steak sauce into onions. Serve with meat.

We marinated the steak for more than an hour, and just used a plastic bag and we grilled it instead of broiling it. It was great!

Zesty Chicken and Vegetable Soup

  • 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into very thin strips
  • 1 Tbsp hot-pepper sauce
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 package (16 oz) frozen stir-fry vegetables
  • 1 cup angle hair pasta, broken into 2-inch lengths, or fine egg noodles
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced

1. Toss the chicken with the pepper sauce and set aside. Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the vegetables and pasta to the broth. Return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and green onion. Cook for 1 minute o until the chicken is no longer pink.

I didn't use as much hot sauce as it called for and it still had plenty of kick to it. I also used whatever frozen and fresh veggies I had on hand, since I didn't have "stir-fry" veggies.