take my word for it wednesday.. graduation is approaching and these short rib tacos where amazing..

 

let me apologize for my absence this past week.. you see i've been obsessed with my kids and their graduating.. i am so happy that jake is done with college.. finished, fineto, all done.. complete.. and we were thrilled to learn he was accepted into the boyd school of law here in las vegas.. soooo happy about that i was not looking forward to moving the boy, sam and their 2 dogs across country or even to the next state, arizona.. luckily we don't have to..

 

now shell graduates from high school in a few weeks and we are having her party this weekend.. and thanks to pinterest i might have gone slightly, a little bit, maybe a tad over board.. *shoulder shrug* what can i say.. i will post the party next week with all the fun and funky crafty things we did.. and last month shell had her senior photo shoot with an amazing photographer and friend of my niece jess.. sara ford fotos..

the pictures came out amazing and we couldn't be happier..

i uploaded the photos to cvs and made graduation party invitations that turned out so cute.. all in all i was very pleased with them, well accept for the fact i spelled celebrate as celegrate.. oh well..

 

it's been so busy around the house dinners have been quick and easy and this one was one of the easiest!! soo easy.. i initially bought  short ribs to make these korean short rib tacos but when it came down to it i was seriously in such a rush i sprinkled each short rib with taco seasoning then put them in the crock pot 1 cup of beef broth and 10 hours later amazing tacos were had.. like seriously amazing.. i have said it i don't like stringy meat and i don't like things cooked in a crock pot but these were sooo good!!

 

spicy short rib tacos

prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10-11 hours
servings: 4

ingredients:

3 lbs. beef short ribs
2 tblsp. of  spicy hot taco seasoning {recipe below}
1 cup beef broth

for the tacos:

corn tortillas, cooked to package directions
diced onions
diced cilantro
cojita cheese crumbled
hot taco sauce {such as pico pica}

directions:

when ready to cook spray your crock pot dish with pam.. sprinkle each rib with taco seasoning add beef broth to the crock pot.. cook on low for 10-11 hours.. stir every few hours to make sure the ribs are getting well coated.. when done remove the ribs from crock pot and reserve about 1 cup of the juice and discard the rest, shred meat  and add 1/2 the reserved juice {if you think it needs more add the rest of the reserved juice} and serve in warmed tortillas with onions, cilantro, hot sauce and cheese... it's so good so easy...

taco seasoning
ingredients:

4 tblsp. of chili powder
1 tsp. each of garlic powder, crushed red pepper, cayenne, onion powder and paprika
3 tsp. each of cumin
salt and pepper to taste

mix all together and store in an air tight container any left overs.

 

enjoy and get cook'n!!!

kentucky hot brown

a few weekends ago and in honor of the kentucky derby i decided to try and make a sandwich i have seen around the foodie blogasphere.. the kentucky hot brown.. there is a lovely story about the sandwich that can be found here. i had never had the sandwich before but i figured what the heck and boy was i right to have that attitude.. it was soo delicious!! i really enjoyed it.. now it is a little heavy and i don't recommend it every day... but i think once a year in honor of the kentucky derby would be ok.. *wink*

kentucky hot browns

prep time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 30 minutes
servings: 4

ingredients:

mornay sauce:

2 tblsp. butter
2 tblsp. flour
2 cups 2 % milk
1 cup parmesan
salt and pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

sandwich:

4 croissants sliced in half, toasted
8 slices of tomato
8 slices of deli turkey
8 slices of deli ham
4 slices of bacon, cooked slightly crisp and cut in half {the easiest and best way to make bacon is like this}

directions:

for the sauce: melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat, once melted add the flour and stir continuously for about 3 minutes.. add milk and whisk until sauce thickens.. another 3-5 minutes.. season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.. whisk again another few minutes.. remove from heat and add cheese and whisk..

assembly of the sandwich:  preheat broiler.. lay your toasted croissant half {the ones i used where square rather then traditional croissant shape} down in a oven proof pan or lined baking sheet.. divide the turkey and ham between the halves.. layer 2 slices of tomato and mornay sauce over the meat.. broil  until sauce is golden brown.. 3-5 minutes.. remove from oven and transfer to a plate and lay the bacon over the top in the traditional X..  {i wanted to add an over easy egg but ended up serving this for lunch rather than breakfast, but i think an egg on this would be amazing!!}

take my word for it wednesday.. these pizza sliders are super easy and yummy..

these little guys came about from having certain things in the fridge that were going to go "bad" and needed to be used before their expiration date.. i had a few slices of pepperoni left after making these pepperoni and egg breakfast burritos, i had some canned biscuits left over from making lemon monkey bread, some mozzarella left over from a pizza i recently made which was something like this garlickly asparagus pizza.. and last but not least some jarred pasta sauce i had from i can't remember why.. so i had them in the fridge and they were all going to go bad within a few days or not enough to do anything else with, and the end result were these fun little sliders.. these would be fun to have your kids help make.. they each get to make their own individual sliders..

 now had i thought it through and planned them for a meal or appetizer i would probably use fresh pizza dough and change up the toppings.. but since i didn't and hadn't this is what we had and you know what.. it was good.. like really good!! they were fast.. easy and very good.. i only had the butter biscuits and i would probably not use them again, however shell loved them that way.. so who knows.. :) try them they are easy and you can add basically any topping.. there really isn't any recipe i will tell you how i made it :) i will be making them again with fun toppings.. but for now enjoy this one..

 

 



pizza sliders

prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 12-15 minutes
servings: 8 mini pizzas

ingredients:

1 can pillsbury grand biscuits
jarred pasta sauce
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni, cut into fourths

directions:

heat oven to 350 degrees {f} line a baking sheet with foil and take each biscuit and kinda flatten it down with the palm of your hand.. take a spoon full of pasta sauce and spread over the flattened biscuit top with a little mozzarella and pepperoni.. repeat with the remaining biscuits until finshed.. bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cheese is bubbly... then funny story.. i had told pete i was going to make kentucky hot browns {recipe tomorrow} and then i casually said maybe i'll put an egg on it.. so pete walked in and saw these little pizza sliders on the counter and said can i have these for breakfast.. i figured why not i will bump the kentucky hot browns to lunch... so i plate him up a few of the sliders and he says where is my egg.. i was like huh? he said you said you were going to put an egg on them.. i was like huh.. then it hit me.. i said noo i was going to put an egg on another type sandwich.. so he looked at me and said well i want an egg on these.. so that's what he got and he loved it..

enjoy and get cook'n!!

pepperoni and eggs breakfast burrito/tacos

pete and i had been dating for a few months when we all arranged for us to meet early and we were going to dirt bike riding.. after we rode we went back to his house and he and his brother, paul, proceeded to make me and my bff {who later became my sis n law} carey, pepperoni and eggs.. i had never had pepperoni and eggs.. i didn't know you could use pepperoni on anything other than a pizza.. but i was impressed with my eggs but immediately forgot about them because well i was 16 and umm things didn't stick around in the ole brain for very long.. later after we were married pete would buy pepperoni each week for the fridge i was confused why? his reply... doh.. eggs, to snack on, to make sandwiches, to put in a burrito shell, zap and have a snack.. i again didn't compute that pepperoni could be used for recipes other than pizza.. it then became staple in our fridge and we always have pepperoni in the lunch meat drawer.. lately it's turkey pepperoni.. however i had left over "real" pepperoni from a pizza i made so i decided to throw together these burritos.. i wrapped them up in foil and pete and i went yard saling.. they worked out perfect and easy.. and sooooooooooo good and simple...

pepperoni and cheese scrambled egg breakfast burritos/tacos

prep time: 20 minutes

cooking time: 10 minutes for the scrambled eggs

servings: 4

ingredients:

1/4 lb. sliced thin pepperoni, chopped {basically a handful}

1 tblsp. butter

8 large eggs

salt and pepper

3/4 shredded cheddar cheese

innards of the burrito/taco:

breakfast potatoes, my recipe for homefries works out perfect

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

salsa

8 small fajita flour tortillas or 4 large

directions:

make your homefries or whatever breakfast potatoes you like.. while they are cooking about 10 minutes before done make your eggs.. in a non stick saute pan cook pepperoni over medium heat until it starts to crisp about 1 minute.. remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.. keep pan over medium heat and melt butter.. whisk eggs in a bowl and add to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste.. cook eggs using a rubber spatula around the edges and bottom to prevent them from sticking and making that weird brown crust.. after about 2-3 minutes add cheese and cooked pepperoni.. continue to stir and incorporate everything.. cook another minute or 2 until they are set to your liking.. remove pan from stove.. heat your tortillas to package directions.. then take your tortillas and evenly divide potatoes on the tortillas, add eggs, more cheese maybe some sour cream and a little salsa.. roll up like a burrito or fold over like a taco.. serve with extra salsa on the side.. you can also use super easy pico de gallo.. be creative with your toppings.. maybe sliced avocado.. or use mozzarella instead of cheddar.. have fun.. :) and remember to always

 

enjoy and get cook'n!!

super easy ground beef cheesy enchiladas..

 

ok these pictures are weird.. i know it.. you know it.. we all know it.. but i have kind of a good excuse.. i didn't have my camera so i took them with my phone and it was so over cast outside everything had a blue hue.. buttttttttt nevertheless the enchiladas where good.. i love enchiladas.. it's one of the first dishes i made at 19 in my new house as a newlywed.. and i make them off and on..i hadn't made them in years when i decided to make them for cinco de mayo.. and i was so glad i did. they were yummy..  

 

i actually made them sunday and we had them on monday.. they are a perfect make ahead dish.. this time around i used ground beef.. but i have used ground turkey and shredded or cubed up chicken.. they are so good.. 

ground beef enchiladas

prep time: 30 minutes
cooking time: 45-60 minutes
servings: 8

ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
salt and pepper
2 small {4 oz} cans diced green chili's
1 12 oz. can of enchilada red sauce {i don't like mine very saucy but use another can if you like it more "wet"}i use las palmas medium {which is tad bid hotter than most, but not deadly like the hot}
canola oil for frying
12 corn tortillas {i used corn with wholewheat}
1 white onion, diced small
1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1.5 cups shredded pepper jack

toppings:

sour cream
guacamole
pico de gallo
black olives, chopped {which i forgot to use}

directions:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees {f}.. in a medium saute pan over medium heat cook meat until no longer pink and crumbly.. when done drain the fat.. add salt, pepper, green chili's and 1/4 cup of the enchiladas sauce and stir to combine.. cook for about 5 minutes then remove from heat.. in a small skillet over medium heat, heat canola oil.  lightly fry the tortillas until soft.. you don't want them crispy.. drain on a paper towel lined plate and repeat until all tortillas are cooked.. spread 1tblsp. of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9 by 13" casserole dish.. take your tortillas then add meat down the center and top with onion and a hand full of cheese, do not over fill. roll up keeping everything inside and place seam side down in the casserole dish.. repeat until all are filled, you might have to kinda squish the enchiladas in but that's ok.. pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top..{you can now at this point cover with foil and keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze} if not making for another day and cooking now, bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.. remove from oven and serve.. top with a dollop of sour cream, spoonful of guacamole and fresh pico.. if making a head of time, when your ready to cook remove from fridge or freezer and leave the foil on.. bake for 30 minutes with the foil on and then remove foil and cook another 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly..

 

enjoy and get cook'n!!

so nice i am posting twice.. easy pico de gullo

there is nothing like fresh pico.. everyone in our house loves it.. i make it at the beginning of the week even if we aren't having mexican food, just because shell loves to just have it on a tortilla for a snack or pete loves it on fresh made corn chips.. i like to add it to my blue cheese wedge salads.. it's so simple to make and you can really add anything you want.. the basics are onion, tomato, cilantro and  jalapeño.. but after that you can add cucumber, radishes, zucchini, jicama.. the possibilities are endless.. have fun with it..

pico de gullo

prep time: 10 minutes
servings: 2-3 cups

ingredients:

1 white onion, finely chopped
4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2 or 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 anaheim peppers, chopped
1-2 radishes, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
juice of one lime
salt 

directions:

combine all the ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up 2-3 days in an airtight container..

enjoy and get cook'n!

take my word for it wednesday.. these banh mi pork tacos and spicy pickled veggies were amazing..

 

 

 

i have vowed to diversify our menu.. we tend to get in ruts and eat the same thing so we are trying to eat more ethnic recipes.. things we would not normally eat or things we have never had.. i've been seeing around the internet the banh mi pork sandwiches and they look so good.. then i saw this recipe here and it looked right up our alley.. i can honestly tell you everyone loved it.. it's so flavorful.. the sriracha mayo is perfect with just a bit of heat and sweet.. and the veggies  ooohhhhhmmmmmyyyyygoooodddnplenty where they good!! spicy spicy but really good.. i can't wait to eat them on other dishes!!

this was really rather an inexpensive dish.. the pork was on sale and i had most of the other ingredients.. it comes together very quickly and if you don't want to make your own pickled veggies you can always buy the jarred kind near the pickles!

 

banh mi pork tacos

 

prep time: 30 {2-3 hours for marinade}

cooking time: 50

servings: 16 tacos

 

ingredients:

 

pork:

 

olive oil

2 lbs. thinly sliced pork cutlets, cut into strips

 

glaze:

 

salt and pepper

3-4 tsp. sraracha sauce

1/4 cup agave

4 tsp. rice wine vinegar

 

sriracha mayo

 

1/2 cup low fat mayo

2 tsp. {or more} sriracha sauce

2 tsp. agave

 

tortillas and toppings:

 

16 6 inch flour tortillas, heated according to package directions

bunch of cilantro sprigs

pickled veggies {recipe below}

 

directions:

 

season pork with salt and pepper then cut into thin strips and add to a zip lock bag.. in a medium mixing bowl whisk sriracha sauce, agave and vinegar until well incorporated.. pour over pork in zip lock and seal and keep in the fridge for about 2-3 hours before cooking.. once ready to cook heat two twirls around an iron skillet of olive oil over medium high heat.. add pork in batches and cook until no longer pink.. remove and repeat with remaining pork.. once it's all cooked add all the pork back and any left over marinade to the pan and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes.. in a small mixing bowl whisk mayo, sriracha and agave until smooth, set aside until ready to use.. while the pork is simmering heat your flour tortillas..

 

assembly:

 

divide pork among tortillas and top with spicy veggies {using a slotted spoon} and top with the sriracha mayo and cilantro..  it was easy and so good!!

 

 

 

kind of a funny story.. i made these vietnamese pickled carrots and diakon radishes for todays tacos.. that was the plan stan.. but when i asked pete to go out to the fridge and get me the "pickled veggies" i guess i assumed he knew which ones to get.. but he grabbed the ones below and without even paying attention i spooned them out chopped them up and served them in the tacos.. only when i went to put the jar away did i realize he brought me the wrong veggies.. but i really enjoyed the heat on the tacos but if you want to stay more traditional make this recipe from the other day and then just toss on some jalapeno slices to your taco.. 

 

spicy pickled veggies

ingredients:

3 or 4 radish, sliced
a handful of carrots chips
1/2 cup diced daikon radish
2 jalapeños, sliced into rings
1 anaheim pepper, sliced into rings
handful of chopped cilantro
salt
1 cup of white wine vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tblsp. agave {or sugar or splenda}

directions:

cut up veggies into what ever shape you like... i used my mandolin to slice up the red radishes, the carrots came already sliced up and the daikon i diced up.. in a small mixing bowl whisk vinegars, salt and agave until combined.. and your veggies to a large mason jar and pour the liquid over them and put your hand in the jar and kinda squish everything down... store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks... the first day every couple of hours i shook up the jar and got the ingredients to mix and mingle.. this was wonderful over the tacos, but i am sure it would be equally yummy over any kind of taco or even in a salad.. or right out of the jar..

enjoy and get cook'n!!