Matt's Salsa

 From Sisters who love to cook

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
1 can (28 Ounce) Stewed Tomatoes (Remove Juice)
1 can (14 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
1 can (7 Ounce) Diced Green Chili's
1 Onion, chopped
1 Lime, juiced into a cup
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1-3 Jalapenos, seeded and sliced (3 for hot)

2 teaspoons Sugar

2 teaspoons Salt

3/4 teaspoons Ground Cumin

½ cups Cilantro (add more to taste)

In a large food processor, combine all ingredients and grind to your preferred consistency.

(For a small food processor, this may be done in batches mixing tomatoes and drier ingredients)

Makes a big batch.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Serve with tortilla chips or use as a dipping sauce.

Menu 6/20/11

Monday: Perfect Hamburgers

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner... yummmm

Wednesday: Slow-cooker Lasagna

Thursday:Restaurant style carne asada soft tacos

Friday: Sour cream noodle bake with chicken

Saturday: Sam's club tilapia

Sunday: Rosemary ranch chicken kabobs

Meatball Sliders

This dish is a great recipe to make double the meat part so you can freeze it. Then for those nights that you just don't have time to cook, all you have to do is pull out some of the already cooked meatballs, thaw them, then you have half the work already done.

This recipe was adapted from Annie's eats: Mini Meatball sliders with basil pesto

Meatball Sliders

yields 20 sliders

For the sauce:

2 jars spaghetti sauce (approximately 56 oz)

   Optional: If your spaghetti sauce is on the *plain* side you will want to spruce it up with some onion, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and some sugar.

Water

For the meatballs:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

1lb. ground beef pr ground turkey

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried basil

For the pesto:

1 jar of Classico-Traditional Basil Pesto

or Annies's eats recipe for pesto

For the sliders:

24 dinner rolls

Olive oil spray

12 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

1)To make meatballs, combine 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and milk in a medium bowl and let rest 10 min. Then add remaining breadcrumbs, ground meat, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil into bowl. Roll meatballs into 1 1/4 in diameter. 

2) Bake meatballs at 375 degrees for 25min or until cooked through. 

3) In a large deep saute pan, saute onion and garlic in butter or live oil until onions are translucent. Add in spices.Pour in jar sauce and add water to thin down sauce to your liking. Bring to a boil then simmer.

4) Add meatballs to sauce and let simmer 30 min.
    *If making enough to freeze some for later then this is where you will remove that amount and let cool down on jelly roll pan and then freeze.

5) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To assemble sliders, lay rolls open and spray lightly with olive oil. Bake in oven for 5 min or until lightly toasted. Slice a cooked meatball in half and lay both halves down on bottom roll.  Spoon small amount of sauce over meatballs. Top with cheese. (leave the top of the roll off) Bake another 5 min. Then spoon pesto on top of cheese and some spaghetti sauce. Top with top of roll. 

Ginger Beef Stir-Fry

This is a very easy dish that has great flavor and doesn't taste like it is missing something authentic. I like making this dish with whatever veggies I have on hand. Just because you don't have carrots or peppers doesn't mean you can't make this dish. I just can't wait for my garden to bloom so I can just walk outside and get whatever I need! Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do.

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

From: Annie's-eats

1 tsp. cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
3 tbsp. plum sauce
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp. vegetable
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1½ cups small broccoli florets
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
4 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp. salted peanuts, chopped (optional)
Rice, for serving
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water; whisk until smooth.  Stir in the plum sauce, ginger, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.  Set aside. (Ginger- I use veggie peeler to remove the skin then a microplane to shave/grate it) 
2) In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the steak strips until no longer pink.  Remove to a plate and set aside, draining the excess fat from the skillet if necessary.  Add the oil to the pan and heat through. 
3) Add the red pepper, broccoli and carrot pieces to the skillet and stir fry until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. 
4) Mix in the green onion and garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Return the steak pieces to the pan.  
5) Add the sauce to the pan, stirring well to coat everything.  Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes more.  Stir in the peanuts.

Menu 6/13/11

Monday: Ginger beef stir-fry

Tuesday: Mini meatball sliders with basil pesto

Wednesday: Korean bbq beef

Thursday: Mexi-chicken campanelle

Friday:Grilled chicken with Filipino bbq sauce.

Saturday:Chicken rollatini with-prosciutto

Sunday: Turkey burgers

Flour Tortillas

Once you see how easy and how much better these tortillas are, you will probably never go back to store bought. If you don't have much time, I like the recipe from Our Best Bites- Flour Tortillas. But if you do have a little bit of time then definitely try Fine cooking-handmade flour tortillas. They really are about the same ingredients and time except the fine cooking ones you have to let the dough rest for 30min-2 hours.

Beef Taquitos

We like mexican in this house. This recipe can be made for a main dish or cut up for an appetizer. Also, it just so happens to be one of my LEFTOVER MAKEOVERS. I will make a chuck roast in the slow-cooker and use the meat for pot roast one night, french dip sandwiches another, and/or beef taquitos/burritos. You can also make these and freeze some for a snack or such later.

Beef Taquitos
adapted fromOur Best Bites- Baked beef taquitos

3 cups cooked beef roast
4 oz green chilies
1/2 tsp minced adobo chili (from adobo sauce can) RINSE SEEDS OFF and USE GLOVES!
3 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
zest from one lime
1 Tbsp lime juice
12 oz queso fresco cheese

20-6" white corn tortillas or soft flour tortillas
Olive oil cooking spray
Kosher salt

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2) Combine in a medium bowl, meat, adobo chili, adobo sauce, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, chili powder, zest, and juice and mix well.
3) Microwave 10 tortillas wrapped in damped paper towel for 1 minute to soften.
4) Crumble 1 Tbsp of queso fresco cheese down middle of 1 tortilla. Then add 2 Tbsp meat mixture. Then roll up and place seam side down on a lightly sprayed baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5) Lightly spray tops of taquitos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
6) Bake for 20 min or until edges are golden.

* If you want to freeze some of these, you will make them all the way up until the baking part and then freeze them. When baking them from frozen, make sure you write on the freezer bag "bake at 425, for 30 min." These can be baked right from freezer without thawing first. Or you can just freeze the meat mixture into a freezer bag. Make sure you write on he bag what it is though.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

 Pulled pork is one of my favorite meals that I can make one day and make it into something else the next.  I cook the pork in the slow cooker, shred it, then split it up into freezer bags in dinner serving sizes. Another thing I like about this is, out of a 2.5 lb pork tenderloin I get 3 dinners out of it. Plus if I can keep an eye out for when it goes on sale, it makes for a super cheap dinner.

Here is the recipe:
Root Beer Pulled Pork sandwiches 
from The girl who ate everything

1 (2lb) Pork Tenderloin
1- 12 oz can Root Beer
1 bottle BBQ Sauce

Directions:
1) Put pork tenderloin in slow cooker.
2) Pour root beer all over and cover with a lid. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.
3) Once cooked, drain and remove root beer from slow cooker. Shred pork and separate into meal size portions (2/3). Place 1/3 back into slow cooker on warm and pour in bbq sauce. Heat for 20-30 min.

* Ideas on how to use pulled pork:
   fajitas
   pot pie
   nachos
   cuban sandwich
   chili

Meat Pies

The meat mixture in these pies have endless possibilities. The seasoning is just WOW.SO.GOOD.

Adapted Natchitoches meat pies- From Our Best Bites.

Meat Pies
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
5 mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2+ tsp. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Tabasco sauce to taste
2 cans beef broth
Puff Pastry, Thawed or pie crust dough
Egg wash- 1 egg and 1/4 cup water whisked 




Directions:
1) In a large skillet, brown ground beef and ground pork, breaking the meat into small pieces. When it’s about halfway cooked, drain excess fat (if necessary) and then add green and red peppers, mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent. 
2) Add 2 tsp. Tony’s and 1/4 tsp. Tabasco. 
3) Add beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with additional Tony’s and Tabasco if necessary, keeping in mind that the seasonings will mellow in the pie. 
*You can refrigerate this mixture for 3-4 days before baking the pies.
4) Take puff pastry and lay out on a lightly floured surface. You can make these into any size you want. I made One BIG one for two of us to share and a few smaller ones. Place meat mixture into middle of puff pastry, leaving a 1/2inch border. Fold over puff pastry and crimp edges with fork or twist edges shut. Brush with an egg wash.
5) Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min or until golden on top.

Nick's Grilled Chicken

It is summer time! I love grilling for many reasons:

• If you do it right, very few dishes to clean.
• Doesn't heat up the house.
• Isn't a heavy meal so it is nice and lite.
• Brings happy memories of summer time fun and relaxing.

Nick's Grilled Chicken

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian (Paul Newman's)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Onion powder

1) Pound chicken breast to be 1/4 in thick.
2) Combine all the ingredients into quart size zip-block bag.
3) Marinate 1hr or more.
4) Turn grill onto high heat and spray grates with olive oil.
5) Once the grill is at 400 degrees put chicken on and turn down heat to medium high.
6) After 5 min flip chicken. Cook until internal temp is 165-180 degrees.

Apple Upside Down Biscuits

Do I need to say more?
We LOVE Ree Drummond-The Pioneer Woman, and thanks to Bry for introducing me to this new recipe!

You most certainly can make this with pineapple and it is most delicious! I made this one with apples but you could make it with blueberries, peaches, raspberries, mmmmm the possibilities!

Apple upside down biscuts

Apple Upside Down Biscuits
¾ cups Packed Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1-½ cup Chopped Fresh Pineapple (I Used Chopped Peeled Green Apples)
Biscuits
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Sugar
¾ teaspoons Salt
¾ sticks (6 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, Frozen
1 cup Buttermilk, Plus Extra If Necessary

Directions:

*From “Perfect One Dish Dinners” by Pam Anderson.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

Pineapple: Heat brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat to a spreadable consistency. Pour into a 9-inch round cake pan, tilting to coat pan bottom; top with pineapple.

Biscuits: Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt with a fork in a medium bowl. Using a box grater, coarsely grate frozen butter into dry ingredients, mixing quickly with fingertips to evenly blend. Stir in buttermilk with a fork, adding extra droplets of buttermilk over any dry patches, if necessary and mix until dough just comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface. With your fingers, pinch dough into 10 rough rounds and arrange over pineapple. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and pineapple topping is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

Menu 6/6/11

This week I am using up what I have leftover in the freezer. Also replenishing it.
More on these recipes during the week with pictures.


Monday: Root beer pulled pork sandwiches and baked potatoes.
Tuesday: Nick's special grilled chicken, fresh green beans, and watermelon.
Wednesday: Beef burritos and mexican rice.
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Riverbank Zoo
Sunday: Grilled flank steak with tomatoes, green beans, and rolls.

Almond Boneless Chicken

Want Chinese? Don't want to go out? Here is your answer. Almond boneless chicken. This is Nick's favorite and the only chinese dish he will eat. And guess what else? You can only get it in Michigan. Go figure!

Almond Boneless Chicken

4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces or whole breasts

Batter

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

Sauce

4 Tbsp cornstarch

4 Tbsp water

3 cups chicken broth (low sodium)

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms (optional)

3 Tbsp butter

2 tsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules

Sliced Almonds (optional-but this is called ALMOND after all)

Sliced green onion

To make batter:

In a medium bowl mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Cover and let sit 30min. Add chicken either cut up or whole, toss to coat.

Heat oil in medium/large pan to 350 degrees. Add chicken and fry for approximately 3 min for bites and 6 min for whole breasts. As always test a piece first to make sure it is cooked to 165 degrees. Batter should be slightly golden.

While frying chicken, make almond sauce. 

To make sauce:

In a small sauce pan, mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually add the chicken broth, mushrooms, butter, soy sauce, and bouillon granules. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil 1 min and then keep warm.

Serve over rice and sprinkle almonds and green onions.

Fry some chicken to golden brown.

Make almond sauce.

Add some rice and there you go!

Buttermilk Banana Muffins

I was looking for something other then cereal for breakfast. I am tired of eating cardboard for my *most important meal of the day!* As a Mom, who has time to COOK breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Ummm... not I! Do you know how many dishes that is? I have a hard enough time just doing dinner dishes. Honestly, I need to know the secret to having more than one child. How do you split your time equally? I am hoping this helps a little.

Buttermilk Banana Muffins... or bread or however you like!
Makes 12 muffins or 1- 9x5in loaf

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup(3 medium)ripe smashed bananas
4 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional-high in Omega 3,6,9, Fiber, Lignans)
2 Tbsp wheat germ (optional- high in Vitamin E and folic acid)
1 Tbsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350. Place muffin wrapers in muffin pan. Or grease and flour 9 1/4 x 5 1/4inch loaf pan.
2) In stand mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well.
3) Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and other optional items. Once combined divide batter into muffins or pour into bread pan.
4) Bake at 350 for 25-30 min for muffins or 50 min for bread. Always insert toothpick 10 min before time is up to make sure you don't over bake. If toothpick comes up clean then they are DONE!
*If making in loaf pan let cool in pan on wire cooking rack for 15 min. Then loosen sides with a knife and carefully remove from pan and let cool on rack. Slice and enjoy!
See below for step-by-step photos!

Smash those BANANAS 

Cream some pure goodness... oh I mean butter and sugar

Then add some eggs, monkey food,
 I mean bananas, buttermilk and  vanilla.

How about some flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder?
AND WHIP IT! WHIP IT REALLL GOOOD!!

shhhhhh... this is where you add the good for you stuff.

Pour into muffins or loaf pan... then bake.

... and then you have some
yummy buttermilk banana muffins