My mom's macaroni salad

 I do not like mayo. It is horrible to me, and therefore, I NEVER eat any type of store bought salad. No macaroni salad, no potato salad. Nothing. 

This distresses me, because I am a pasta lover. However, lucky for me I have a mom who managed to change my feelings for mayo into a love hate relationship by making her AMAZING macaroni salad. It was one of the first things I made her teach me how to cook before I moved out at 18. I make it for potlucks, superbowl parties, fourth of july and in todays case, because it was all I had left in my cupboards! 

Even if you aren't a fan of macaroni salad, I urge you to try this recipe out, and let me know if you're a fan because of it!

 You'll need: 

1 package of ditalini pasta

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of mayo ( you can add more if you prefer, this is just my preference.) 

4 TBSP Dill relish

3 hard boiled eggs

2 TBSP mustard

a pinch of salt

First, boil your pasta, then drain out the water. Place into a mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients. CUT UP YOUR EGGS :) then mix all together, let chill in the freezer ( preferably overnight or for at least 4 hours) and it's really that simple! Happy eating! 

Fajitas and homemade tortillas!

Shredded beef, Poblano chili, sweet potato and lime-marinated red onion fajitas with homemade tortillas

This recipe  was one I found through a friends blog, and it looked so pretty I just couldn’t resist. The lime marinated red onion is FANTASTIC, DON’T SKIP IT!

I also decided to  make my own tortillas, since I’m super snobby about them ( I hate store bought ones) and my favorite tortillaria was closed. If you have a little time, this a perfect dinner for everyone in the family!

Tortillas:

You’ll need:

 4 cups All Purpose flour

2 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Tbsp margarine ( or lard, or shortening)

¼ Tsp Salt

1 ½-2 cups Water

Whisk together all dry ingredients. Then place margarine in bowl and mix together with fingers ( the batter will resemble corn meal, slightly). Then add water, and work the dough until it comes together ( I started mixing with a spoon, and when it was a little thicker kneaded it with my hands).  Roll into tiny ball sized pieces ( however big you want your tortillas). Roll with a rolling pin, then place in a greased pan on medium high heat. Cook on each side until bubbly. Viola! Your own tortillas!

Now, on to the fajitas. I made adjustments from the recipe on my friends site, to tailor to my families tastes.

You’ll need:

Feeds 4-6

1 large red onion, cut in half and sliced into paper thin half-moon slices

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (should take about 3 limes)

2 good sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks

1 package shredded beef ( or really any meat you prefer!)

3 fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded and roasted*, and sliced into thin strips

Queso Fresco cheese

Salt

First, slice your red onion in half, and then cut into little half moons. Place in a bowl, and pour lime juice over them ( you want it to cover the onions). Then add in salt. Let this marinade while you make the rest of the recipe.

Cut each pepper in half and remove stems and seeds. Place on a baking sheet, cut side down, and place under broiler until skin is bubbly/blistered and black. Remove from oven and place pepper halves in plastic bag. Let sit in steam for about 20 minutes. Peel skin from peppers and slice into thin strips.

Place sweet potato sticks and about 1/4 cup of water into a microwave safe dish with a lid. Microwave, covered, on high power for 6 minutes or until tender. (This was what the original recipe said to do and it’s an AWESOME time saving tip!!!) Also, I used 1 potato instead of 2, but it’s really preference.

For the meat, place into a skillet on medium/high heat. I used garlic salt, paprika and taco seasoning on ours, and it turned out great. Cook through.

Now, place onions and peppers along with the marinade from the onions in with the meat and stir together. I did this to soften the onions, because I didn’t want them to be too cruncy.

Time to make your fajitas, layer on your meat, peppers and onion as well as your sweet potatoes. Crumble the queso fresco over it ( this will crumble in your fingers, YUMMY and EASY!)

Now you’re ready to eat, enjoy!

Banana Coconut Muffins

 I am so proud of these muffins!

I am not a baker by any means, I don't do too well with baking it never seems to turn out right. I got this recipe off a friend of a friends blog, and it was simple, quick ( LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM BEGINNING TO EATING!)  and YUMMY! Everyone in my house ate them as soon as they came out, guess I should have doubled the recipe ;) 

What you'll need: 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (should be right about 3/4 cup)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut plus more for tops of muffins

*I added milk to the batter, so that it would be smooth. I don't have a measurement for it I just used my eye. 

Preheat your oven to 375. 

You'll place all ingredients into a mixing bowl, and blend until you have a nice batter, you don't want it to be too thick or too watery so BE CAREFUL when adding the milk. Place into muffin tin, and put coconut shreds on top of batter. Cook for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and coconut is nice and toasty! 

Enjoy!

Original recipe: agirlandhermixerjune.wordpress.com 

Adjustments by me. 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It's raining here in Southern CA, and that means it's time for some delicious cold weather food. Tonight I made Chicken noodle soup, and corn bread. The corn bread was from a bag, I have to confess. However, the soup was 100% from scratch. Here's my super easy, and super delicious recipe. 

You'll Need: 

1 large chicken breast

4 sticks of celery

2-3 carrots

2 1/2 cans of Chicken broth

2 Chicken boulon cubes

2 Cups of water

2 Bay leaves

2 Tsp Oregano

2 Tsp Parsley

2 TBSP Garlic

Salt & pepper to taste

1 Package of egg noodles 

Okay, now you're ready to start. The first thing you will need to do is brown your chicken in a pan. Once the chicken is browned, cut into small chunks. Chicken DOES NOT need to be cooked all the way through, you will be putting it in the crock pot anyway! 

Next, dice up your carrots and celery. Then, place chicken and veggies into your crock pot. Add the chicken broth, boulon cubes, water, and all spices into crock pot. Cook on high setting for 1 hour. After that hour pour in your noodles and cook until al dente. * Note * I put the noodles in for the full hour and they were too soft. 

Now ENJOY YOUR SOUP, and stay warm out there! 

Dijon Brussel Sprouts

 I know what you're thinking, YUCK. I thought the SAME THING. But I had never tried brussel sprouts, so I figured I'd give it a go. These were simple to make, and tasted pretty good. However, they do not save well, so if you are making them plan to eat them right after. 

What you need: 

Fresh Brusel Sprouts

Olive Oil

Salt

Dijon mustard- 1 or 2 tbs, depending on your preference. I like 2. 

First thing you need to do is cut the sprouts in half, and remove any loose leaves. 

Next, in a glass baking dish, place the sprouts with the cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Baking on 350 degrees until slightly brown. 

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Once you pull them out of the oven, place in a bowl and mix with mustard. 

There you have it, a new take on a not so favorite veggie that can make you change your mind! 

Mexican style kick butt breakfast!

Shrimp, fried egg, jalapeno cheese grits and black beans 

I got this recipe from Haylie on www.realgirlskitchen.com and it was fantastic, albeit hard work to time everything just right. But the hubby and I loved it, there was enough grits left over to save for breakfast the next day ( or lunch!) and it was very filling. Unfortunantely my pictures didn't turn out very pretty for this meal. Therefore, I am posting the recipe, and if you wanna see the pictures, head on over to Real Girls Kitchen ( WHICH IS A FANTASTIC BLOG!) and peek at her great pictures. http://realgirlskitchen.com/2011/09/06/the-breakfast-to-kick-all-other-breakfasts-ass/

What you need:

Shrimp,de-vained and peeled

cilantro

yellow grits (not instant!)

heavy cream (small carton, we just need a splash)

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped jalapeno, I used fresh but you can always use the jar kind

butter

organic low sodium black beans

a mexican seasoning (or make your own! cumin, paprika onion, garlic, salt, cilantro, red pepper, coriander, oregano)

eggs 

salt & pepper

salsa

How to:

Grits:

Boil 3 cups of water, stir in 1 cup of grits, whisk till smooth, reduce heat to low

Stir often while you prepare the rest of the meal. if you need more water, add 1/4 a cup at a time. YOU WILL NEED MORE WATER! 

These will take about 45 minutes to soften

Then add, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno, 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 handful of cheddar, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tsp of black pepper, stir, cover and let simmer

Black beans:

Pour can in small pot, heat on medium, add mexican seasoning and fresh cilantro 

Shrimp:

Season with your mexican blend, fresh cilantro, salt & pepper, grill on grill pan till they are pink and browned.