Summer Salsa (Taste of Home)

Fresh Summer Salsa Recipe

This is our favorite homemade salsa recipe. It is great recipe to make if you have tons of tomatoes from your garden. 

Also, I recommend wearing gloves when you are cutting up the jalapeno pepper.

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Crisco® Olive Oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Baked tortilla chip scoops

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first 12 ingredients. Chill until serving. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 4 cups.

Menu Plan July 25, 2011 - July 31, 2011

I am only planning a one week menu plan. I have family in town so the next two menu plans will be different.

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cereal

Bagels

Lunch:

Pizza

Deli wraps/pasta salad

Mac and Cheese/fruit

PB and J

Cheese quesadillas 

Dinner:

7/25 - Taco's/Homemade Mango Salsa

7/26 - Sweet and Sour Chicken (Aimee's)/rice

7/27 - Baked Ziti/bread/salad

7/28 - Balsalmic Chicken sandwiches/fruit/pasta salad

7/29 -Out for pizza :)

7/30 - Hamburgers/hotdogs/Paula Deens mac and cheese/veg

7/31 - Lunch -Crockpot Chicken/potatoes/carrots    Dinner- meatball subs/veg/fruit

The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 large chicken

Directions

1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Enjoy!

Craft for Kids - Build Your Own Cupcake (vol25.typepad.com)

I found this on a blog today and thought it would be a fun craft to do. I added the link so you can download the pdf file. I can't wait to try this with the kids. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Lemonade (Women's Day)

I made this the other day and it was so good. Tart! So if you like it sweet you may want to add more sugar. 

 Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from about 10 lemons)
• 2 lemons

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (do not stir) until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

2. In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, cooled sugar syrup and 4 cups cold water. Taste the lemonade for tartness: If it’s too tart, add 1 to 2 cups more cold water (keep in mind that you’ll want to add ice, which will dilute the lemonade). Refrigerate until chilled.

3. Just before serving, thinly slice the lemons or cut into wedges, stir them into the lemonade and add ice.

Bunny Bread

It has become a tradition in our family that my dad and my kids make "bunny bread."  I hope this will continue over the years. So cute. 

2009

2011

Making pizza, a blast from the past.

I just found these old pics of Sienna and Eli making pizza for the first time. Wow, time goes by too quickly. This was so much fun. They had a blast making their little pizzas. I love my little cooks. :)

 Sissy perfecting her sauce technique. :)

 Eli making his little pizza. Seriously, can it get any cuter?

 Sienna could hardly wait until the pizza came out.

 Soooooooooooooo good!

Sienna waiting for me to cut it up for her. ;)

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 ripe avocado
• 1 can of corn
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

 Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro. Add corn.


In another bowl mix Honey Lime Dressing.

Honey Lime Dressing:

• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dash of cayenne pepper

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Add to corn and avocado mixture,  be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy.

Menu Plan July 6, 2011 - July 19, 2011

Breakfast:

French Toast Sticks

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/05/streusel-topped-blueberry-muffins-our.html

Bagels

Cereal

Oatmeal

Lunch:

Pepperoni Pizza Cups http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/pepperoni-pizza-cups-for-love-of.html

Mac and Cheese

Nuggets

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad (recipe to come)

Quesadillas

Deli/Tuna Sandwiches

Dinner:

6/6 - Southwestern Roasted Chicken http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/southwestern-roasted-chicken-for-love.html/ green beans/ Parmesan Roasted Potatoes http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/parmesan-roasted-potatoes-for-love-of.html

6/7 - Coconut Shrimp Curry http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/coconut-shrimp-curry-open-pantry.html/rice

6/8 - Barbecue Chicken Pizza http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/barbecue-chicken-pizza-for-love-of.html

6/9 - Paula Deen's Sloppy Joes http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/05/paula-deens-sloppy-joes.html/baked beans/broccoli

6/10 - Shredded Beef Taco's http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/shredded-beef-soft-tacos-for-love-of.html/corn avocado salad http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/grilled-corn-avocado-and-tomato-salad.html

6/11 - Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Tomatoes, Spinach and Basil http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/panko-crusted-chicken-stuffed-with.html/ rice/ salad

6/12 - Mom's Meatloaf/Paula Deen's Mac and Cheese/ green beans

6/13 - Baked Halibut with Zucchini, Dill and Feta http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/baked-halibut-topped-with-zucchini.html/rice/veg

6/14 - Leftovers

6/15 - French Dips with Attitude http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/02/french-dip-with-italian-attitude-this.html

6/16 - DATE NIGHT!

6/17 - Chicken Enchiladas/Mexican Rice/corn

6/18 - Hudson's Baked Tilapia http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/03/hudsons-baked-tilapia.html

6/19 - Rigatoni pasta with meatballs/salad/bread

Barbecue Chicken Pizza (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• Corn meal
• 1 pizza dough
• 1 container of pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese (not pictured)
• Leftover roasted chicken
• Barbecue sauce
• Red onions, sliced thinly
• Low fat feta cheese
• Tomato, diced
• Green onions, sliced (not pictured)

Remove the dough from the bag and let it sit on a floured counter for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a pizza tray with cooking spray and a bit of corn meal sprinkled all over the top of the tray.

Place the leftover chicken on a cutting board and drizzle with barbecue sauce; chop the chicken and mix well with the barbecue sauce so it's evenly coated on the chicken.

Flatten the pizza dough onto the prepared pizza tray. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the top of the dough then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top the cheese with the barbecue chicken, red onions, and feta cheese.

Place into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Top the pizza with diced tomato and green onions. Enjoy.

Baked Halibut Topped with Zucchini, Tomato, Dill, and Feta (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs of halibut, cut into three portions
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 1/4 small sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3-4 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 4 tbsp feta cheese
• Sea salt and freshly cracked lemon pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion to the hot skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes then add the zucchini, cook for an additional 2 minutes; add the minced garlic and sauté, stirring constantly for 45 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool.

Gently mix the tomato, 3 tablespoons of feta cheese, and fresh dill in a small bowl. Add the zucchini mixture and mix. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked lemon pepper, to taste.

Cut the halibut into three pieces then season with sea salt and freshly cracked lemon pepper on both sides. Place the halibut in the baking dish then spoon the tomato mixture over the top of each piece of fish. Sprinkle the last tablespoon of feta cheese equally over the fish.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Shredded Beef Soft Tacos (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

Shredded Beef:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 lb lean chuck roast (trim most of the outside fat off)
• Cumin, to taste
• Chili powder, to taste
• Paprika, to taste
• Oregano, to taste
• Coriander, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 2 cups of beef broth (plus more if needed)
• 1 7 oz can of whole green chiles
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, de-veined, and chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Trim the outside fat off of the chuck roast. Season the chuck roast evenly with cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, coriander, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper on both sides of the roast. Place them beef in the hot Dutch oven for 2-3 minutes on each side to sear the meat. Add the beef broth, whole green chiles, jalapeno, cilantro, and minced garlic. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place into the oven for 2-3 hours making sure to check each hour to make sure you don't need to add more broth. The beef is done when the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Carefully, remove any fat that you see in the beef then shred the beef using a fork.

Other Ingredients:

• Small flour tortillas
• Refried beans, warmed
• Lettuce, shredded
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Grape tomatoes, halved
• Green onions
• Cilantro
• Roasted tomato salsa
• Guacamole

Heat the refried beans. Place the tortillas in a damp cloth and microwave for 20 seconds to warm up. Spread a bit of refried beans down the center of the tortilla then add some shredded beef followed by lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Serve with salsa and guacamole. Enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp Curry (The Open Pantry)

This recipe is from http://theopenpantry.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Shrimp, shelled, cleaned and tails removed
1/2 cup Red or Green Belle pepper, diced
1 cup Red Onion, diced
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Oil
1 can Coconut milk
1-2 tsp Curry Powder
1/4 cup Fischer Wieser-Mango Ginger Habanero Sauce
Garlic Chili Paste, optional- (add if you want more heat!!!)
1/2 tsp dried Basil or 1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, or Wasabi Soy Dipping Sauce, to taste
1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch, optional . . . add if you want a thicker sauce
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add the green pepper to the onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder and basil to the onion and peppers and cook for one minute.
2. Slowly stir in the coconut milk, mango habanero sauce or hot sauce, and soy sauce. Bring coconut milk to a simmer and add the shrimp. Cook until shrimp begin to turn pink. Whisk in the cornstarch and allow to thicken for another minute or two, taste and season if needed. Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!

Southwestern Roasted Chicken (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 4-5 lb free range chicken
• Onion powder
• Chili powder
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Oregano
• Cumin
• Garlic powder
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, quartered
• 1 lime
• 6 cloves of garlic
• Handful of fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Clean chicken and pat dry. Squeeze half the lime juice on the outside of the bird and the other half inside the cavity. Sprinkle all of the seasonings evenly over the entire bird. I season the back first then flip it over and season the breast side. Place onion and garlic inside the cavity along with the cilantro and used lime halves.

Place chicken on a roasting tray in a tinfoil lined baking dish. Place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Roast uncovered for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or until the meat thermometer reads 180 degrees. I start basting my bird after 2 hours and repeat every 1/2 an hour after that. My chicken turns out sticky and slightly crispy. If you want crispy skin then don't baste for the last hour and turn the heat up to 350 degrees for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven and let the bird rest for AT LEAST 10 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size cubes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
• Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into bite size cubes and place in the baking dish. Melt butter in the microwave and pour over the potatoes along with the olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add more sugar or cinnamon if desired. Toss to coat evenly.

Bake in the oven for 60 minutes. Stir the sweet potatoes once or twice during roasting. Enjoy.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 9-10 small baby Dutch yellow potatoes
• 3-4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a large pot of water and boil the potatoes for 4-5 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Once cooled, slice into quarters and combine with olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper as well as the Parmesan. Mix thoroughly and place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.

Place into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and taste, re season with sea salt, cracked pepper, or garlic powder if needed. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy.

Turkey, Swiss and Vegetable Sandwich (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of good whole wheat bread
• 3 thick slices of roasted turkey breast
• Roma tomato slices
• Cucumber slices
• Avocado slices
• Handful of sprouts
• Handful of baby spinach leaves
• Thin slices of red onion
• 1 piece of low fat Swiss cheese
• Low fat mayonnaise
• Deli mustard (optional)
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Add the mayonnaise and mustard to the slices of bread. Add the turkey, spinach, tomato, sprouts, cucumber, red onion, Swiss cheese and avocado. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pizza Cups (For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 tube of refrigerator biscuits (I used reduced fat Grands)
• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese, diced or shredded
• Turkey pepperoni slices
• Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• Dried Basil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Cut each biscuit in half then press the dough into of the bottom and sides of the muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining dough. Spoon sauce into each cup. Place some diced (or shredded) mozzarella cheese into the cups followed by a few slices of pepperoni. 

Finally add a bit more mozzarella if desired then sprinkle the tops with Parmesan cheese and dried oregano.

Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Basil ( For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• Small handful of baby spinach, chopped
• Small handful of grape tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds if possible)
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Dash of oregano
• 2 chicken breasts
• Italian seasoned panko crumbs
• 2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Rinse the chicken breasts then cut a long horizontal slit along the center of the thin long edge of the chicken breast, nearly through to the other side. Fill the cavity of the chicken breast with the ricotta mixture. Season each side of the chicken with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Carefully dip the chicken breasts in the panko crumbs until both sides are evenly covered. Close the slit together with toothpicks (or if you are like me and realize that you don't have toothpicks, simply break some kebab sticks in half and use them).

Heat the olive oil in an OVEN PROOF skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, flip the chicken over and place the skillet into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy.