Rice, Beans, & Eggs Burrito

I'm taking a risk here -- this is a simple dinner that probably isn't blog-worthy. But I know I was glad when Amy gave me this idea, so I thought someone out there might benefit. You just simmer water, butter, and Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice (beans, rice, and seasonings all conveniently mixed in one package -- directions on back of package), and wah-lah...you have beans and rice perfectly flavored for you. Then you scramble some eggs and put both in a tortilla. Add some cheese or sour cream if you want.

I'm not sure if these pictures are appetizing. I ate two burritos so they aren't looking tasty to me right now, but they were sure tasty earlier! Here's the lovely box that it all came from. You have probably been using it for years and you're wondering why I'm putting it on here making our blog embarrasing. Is it a new idea to anyone out there? One more thing...it sure would be nice to get some recipes from New Mexico (hint hint - you know who you are!)

--Marsha

Chili Verde

3 lbs pork roast
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
2 cans chilies
1 can jalapenos (or more if you like it spicy)
A little flour with water to make it thicker (I never have to make mine thicker)

Seer roast first and season with salt and pepper. Cook in crock-pot with a little bit of water to cover the bottom. When it's done shred roast and combine ingredients. Put in tortillas with cheese and if you want, cover with more chili verde and cheese. This also freezes really well.

I made this yesterday and we love it. It is one of our favorites. It makes a lot so I put it into baggies and freeze it, which makes for a really quick meal the next time!

Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Pie

1 cup sugar

3 T cornstarch

1/4 to 1/2 cup water (depends on how juicy peach are)
Mix together then Add:

2 large mashed peaches.

Cook for 5 minutes until mixture boils, or in microwave until mixture is thick stirring after every minute (this is what I do.)

Add:

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 T butter.

Cool thoroughly. Slice 3 large peaches in a cooked pie shell (or if you are lazy like me a boughten shortbread crust). Pour cooled mixture over sliced peaches. I normally let it set for a little bit and then serve with lots of whipped cream. This is one of my favorite pies.

I bought a box of peaches from somone that Grandma knew. I cut them all up and put them in the freezer for ice cream/crepes, or just peaches and cream or whatever else. I've made jam before, and I love it, but Aaron prefers strawberry. Besides, I don't have a freezer big enough to store jam. :)

Menu Planner

Katie found this awesome Menu Planner a few months ago and we both have been using it and loving it. It helps having all your meals planned out for the week and your shopping list right there. I don't need to plan a breakfast and lunch everyday so I cross those out and put salad and dessert.

I know this isn't a recipe, but I think it's helpful! I'll post a recipe soon!

Dorito Chicken

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless, chicken (can be breasts or strips) thawed

Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing

Nacho Cheese Doritos

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Crush Doritos into crumbs.(The best way I've found is to put chips in a big Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them) Pour crumbs onto a plate. Dip chicken into ranch dressing and shake off a little. Then dip chicken into crumbs, making sure to cover it completely. Put on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in oven until done. (Strips take about 15 min. and the breasts take about 30 min. ) Serve with a side of ranch or sour cream.

Cooking Hint:

Don't cook these in a glass baking dish, it doesn't work, they end up over done and black on the bottom.

Lemon Dessert

Here's a fun summery dessert that has become one of Jon's favorites. Thanks Rhonda, Deanna, and Cheryl for the recipe.

Lemon Dessert

Cook 2 packages of cook to serve Lemon Pie filling (follow directions on package) and refrigerate for later.

Crust:

1 C flour

1 C chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 C cold butter

In a bowl, combine flour and nuts. Cut in buter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Press onto the bottom of a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool.

The rest of the ingredients:

1 package 8 oz. cream cheese softened

1 C powdered sugar

16 oz. whipped topping

2 C cold milk

2 packages (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup of the whipped topping until smooth; carefully spread over crust. Spread the cooled lemon pie filling on next. In another mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low for 2 minutes; beat in vanilla. Fold in half of the leftover whipped topping. Spread over lemon layer. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the vanilla pudding layer. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Grandma's Doughnuts

I got lucky earlier this week - Grandma called to say her and Grandpa had made homemade doughnuts and wondered if I could bring the girls by to have one after picking up Erin from school. Our Grandma Clouse has been making homemade doughnuts for years. When her kids were in high school, she would make them to sell at Duncan High School football games to help the school raise money. I've never actually made the dough myself, but have helped with cutting the dough out, frying them in oil, and glazing them (a long time ago.) My specialty, though, is eating them.

SWEET ROLL DOUGH

(used for doughnuts and cinnamon rolls - tripled recipe)

1 1/2 C warm water

6 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

4 1/2 C warm milk

1 1/2 C soft shortening

1 1/2 C sugar

5 tsp salt

6 eggs

Approximately 16 C flour

Sprinkle yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside to rise.

Heat milk until quite warm. Add shortening, sugar, and salt. Add eggs. Mix in about 10 cups flour. Mix until smooth. Add yeast and 6 more cups flour. Dough should be slightly sticky. Place in large greased pan and let rise twice.

For doughnuts: Roll out approximately 1/3 of dough and cut with doughnut cutter, 1/2 inch thick. Put on wax paper lined cookie sheet and let rise until doubled. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Immediately dip in glaze. Grandma dips the doughnut in glaze, then hangs it on a skewer or a long knitting needle which is sitting on top of a bowl to let the extra glaze drip off.

Glaze

3 2-lb. bags powdered sugar

enough boiling water to make a thin icing

3 Tbsp vanilla

Glaze should be the right consistency to stick on a hot doughnut, but not too heavy. You might have to try a few and add more powdered sugar or boiling water until you get it right.

*When you're done, call me (when your kitchen is cleaned up) and I'll come help you eat them

Grilled Pizza

I am visiting my parents for a couple of days while Steve and our two oldest boys are on a camping/packing trip. I'm telling you it's always royal treatment when we come to visit! My mom and dad put on the feast. Tonight they grilled pizzas and made Shara's Brickle Fickle ice cream. (The ice cream was heaven, by the way, and I tried to take a picture for Shara, but my pictures didn't do it justice.)

So here's the pizza steps.

1. Make the dough. We used my mom's standard pizza recipe which has always been my favorite. When it is done rising and ready, divide into 6 balls.

Pizza Crust
Nyla Payne

2 C. flour

2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. oil

1 C. water
½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. yeast

Mix yeast and sugar with water. Add other ingredients. Knead 5 minutes. Rise for 15-
30 minutes. Roll out, press into greased pizza pan stretching to fit the pan. (Optional: sprinkle greased pan with corn meal). Add toppings, and then bake at 425˚ for 15-20 minutes.

2. Press balls into rounds about one inch thick on an oiled counter, flip and coat both sides with a little oil so it won't stick to the grill

3. Place on grill and and cook one side on low or it will be doughy. Turn and as the other side is cooking, add toppings.

My parents have it down to a science. My mom makes the dough and as my dad is heating up the grill, she is patting the dough out. Then they take a pan with all the toppings out to the grill and they both put the toppings on quickly. Tonight we used Hunt's tomato sauce that has basil, garlic, and oregano already in it. Mozarella cheese, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms and sauteed onions and bell pepper.

These are so delicious. My mom used whole wheat flour for the dough and it was great.

Crepes With Fruit and Whipped Creme

We had these this morning for breakfast. Yum, Yum. The kids snacked on the leftover crepes all day, just plain. I used fresh peaches, but you can use frozen fruit, too. Some people fill them with eggs, sausage, etc. I've never tried that, but it sounds good.

Crepes
by Amy

2 C. flour

4 eggs
1 C. milk

4 Tbsp. sugar
1 C. water

½ tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt, butter, and vanilla; beat with mixer until smooth. Batter will be runny. Heat a lightly oiled round pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop batter onto the pan, using approximately ¼ C. for small pan, ½ C. for bigger pan. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter evenly coats the surface of the pan. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is lightly browned. Loosen with spatula, flip and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned on other side. Serve hot with fruit and whipped cream. Can serve with anything you wish. Leftovers may be frozen with waxed paper in between each crepe.

Chicken Tacos -- So Easy!

(Hey - who is sloppy enough to use paper plates on a blog post??? Oh yeah, me!)

Alright, I know this picture is going to be BLAH compared to Katie's pork chops. Those looked great!

This is such a simple dinner idea - perfect for a day when you want to relax and not slave away in the kitchen. I've always seen the packets of chicken taco seasoning at the store, but never used them until today. I got the idea from Real Mom Kitchen and it was perfect for Sunday. I threw two things in the crockpot before church and then just had to do the toppings right before dinner.

Throw in the crockpot:

1 lb. chicken

1 packet Chicken Taco Seasoning

Cook 1 hr. on high, rest of the day on low. The end.

So then Jon had to show me up by making it fancier - he threw some tortillas into my non-stick pan, sprinkled salt on them, and cooked them until they were crunchy (no oil or cooking spray.) He also put cheese on the pan and fried it to the OUTSIDE of the tortilla making the cheese crispy, too.

Next time we'll need some guacamole and pico de gallo! Have a great new week everyone.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Jed prepared and grilled these last night. They were delicious!

Pork Chops (We used boneless since they seem to be a bit thicker, better for slicing)

Provolone

Prosciutto

Pepperoni

(Amounts depend on how much you want to stuff inside.)

Slice the Pork Chop through the middle not quite all the way through. In the middle, layer provolone, prosciutto, and pepperoni. Close and season on both sides. We used Salt, Pepper & Season Salt. Grill until cooked all the way through. Yummy!

Brickle Fickle Ice Cream

Okay, for those of you that have an ice cream maker, this one is delicioso! I got an ice cream maker when I graduated college and I love it. Don't ask me why it is called Brickle Fickle, it's basically Butter Finger, and I don't have a picture, because I made it about 2 weeks ago. So, instead a picture of my ice cream maker, my mom, and me!

Brickle Fickle Ice Cream

1 pint heavy cream

1 can evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 quart whole milk

1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding

3/4 cup sugar

4 tsp vanilla

3 butterfingers crushed (it's easier to due if you put them in the fridge first)

Mix ingredients together in ice cream maker. Freeze accordingly. Add butterfinger before ice cream is done and continue freezing until done. This is the best consistency in homeade ice cream that I have made. So yum!

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops

Marsha and I made these a couple of months ago when she was visiting. I made them again for dinner tonight. They were great both times. This picture is actually from when Marsha was here in June.

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
by Amy

½ C. packed brown sugar

½ C. Italian salad dressing
¼ C. pineapple juice

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
6 pork chops

1 Can sliced pineapple, drained

In a 2 Cup measuring cup, combine the brown sugar, salad dressing, pineapple juice and soy sauce. Pour 2/3 cup into a large re-sealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate chops for at least 3 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for basting pork chops and pineapple. Drain and discard marinade from pork. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 8 minutes on each side. Place pineapple slices on grill. Baste pork and pineapple with reserved marinade. Grill 5-8 minutes longer or until meat juices run clear. Place a pineapple slice on each chop if desired.

Yummy Yummy Oatmeal Pancakes By Amy

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. She made them for us and they were so good I copied the recipe and have made them lots of times now. I have made them for Marsha, Cam, Jen, and my parents and they all loved them. (Yes, that's a large chunk of butter, but oh, well. I guess we love butter!)

I like this recipe because first it tastes great, but also because you can make a lot of mix and store it and use it later and quickly whip up a batch of pancakes.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Mix:

4 C. Old Fashioned Oats

2 C. all purpose flour

2 C. whole wheat flour

1 C. packed brown sugar

1 C. instant dry milk

3 Tbsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. cinnamon 5 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cream of tartar

Mix all ingredients and store in air tight container or Ziploc bag in the freezer. Makes about 10 C. of pancake mix.

Pancakes:Beat 2 eggs, mix in 1/3 C. oil. Add 2 C. pancake mix and 1 C. water. Pour onto griddle and cook. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Onion Rings

I'm not starting off with a healthy recipe -- sorry! In June I went to visit Amy and we had fun trying new recipes. This is one we found from The Pioneer Woman. These Onion Rings were delicious (of course they were - they were fried in oil.) Her picture actually looks better than ours, and I guess they are actually called Onion Straws. Here's the recipe. --Marsha

Pioneer Woman’s Onion Straws

1 large onion

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 scant tablespoon salt

Lots of black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Canola Oil

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk for at least one hour. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, shake off excess flour, and drop into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Repeat until onions are gone.