Chili's Salsa

Here's the recipe for the salsa that I make.

What you will need: 

• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies

• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes (plus the juice)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon jalapenos (diced)
• 1/4 cup yellow onion (diced)
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar 
• Food processor

In food processor place jalapenos and onions.

 Process for just a few seconds.

 Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, and cumin.

Process all ingredients until well blended but do not puree.

 Place in covered container and chill.

 A couple of hours of chilling will help blend and enrich the flavor.

 

Fried Pickles & Okra

Alright, here you ladies go.  The top secret recipe for fried pickles and okra..lol

What you need:
Jar of pickles (dill chip kind works best)
Jar of okra (dice them up, but cut the head off)
Milk
Eggs
Corn Meal
Fish Fry
Cajun Seasoning
Deep Fryer
Oil
Ranch Dressing

Get your oil heated up while you are preparing everything else.  Just need to get it hot enough to fry things..lol
Mix a little bit of milk w/ 1 or 2 eggs in a bowl.  Mix 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup fish fry, and cajun seasoning(to taste) in another bowl.  Dip pickles or okra in the milk mixture first, then into the batter.  Make sure they are fully covered, then put them in the fryer.  Just leave them in there till they are golden brown.  Serve with ranch!!  Super easy, and very good! 

Beef Taco Ring

This recipe is super simple but is pretty tasty, in my opinion.  It is a great alternative to simple tacos!  It requires a baking stone so if you don't have one try doing this on a cookie sheet!  Or go out and buy a stone!
My aunt use to always make this and then I found it in a Pampered Chef cookbook!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1 3/4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls, separated into 16 triangles.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cook ground beef in skillet over medium heat 10-12 min. or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles.  Drain.  Stir in taco seasoning mix, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and water.

2. Scoop filling into desired shape (more on that in step 3) finish shape as directed.  Brush with egg white.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with toppings.  * if you do the circle you can put lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream in the center.

3. Making the ring:
Arrange the 16 triangles, slightly overlapping in a circle on a round stone with wide ends 4 inches from edge of stone.  Points will extend off the edge of the stone.  Roll or press ends of dough toward center to create a 5 inch opening.

Fill the meat mixture evenly over the dough in a continuous circle
Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring

OR on a stone or cookie sheet
unroll 2 packages of rolls, do not separate.  Arrange dough on stone with longest sides of rectangles across width of stone.  Roll or press dough to seal seams.

Starting on longest sides of stone, cut sides of dough into eight strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 inches long.  Fill evenly over center of dough.
starting at one end, life one strip of dough, twist on turn and lay across top of filling.  Repeat, alternating strips of dough to form a braid.

Yummy Carnitas

Carnitas can be made with pork or beef. This recipe was made with pork. It is more just a method or cooking technique. Basically it is a rich and fatty type of meat simmered on low for a good 3 hours or so and then shredded and then broiled.

It may take long but it's pretty simple to put together and the end result is just deilish.

This is what we are going for.




On with the recipe. I adapted this recipe from various other carnita's recipes I found online. I know a lot of Latino households will most likely have their own version of this recipe. I have simplified this recipe to make it easy for anyone to try. But really feel free to add any spices and get creative.

*you could adjust the spices to the ratio of the size of your meat, just take a little away if you are using a smaller cut.*

Time needed: 3 hours and 20 mins or so

You will need.

1 - dutch oven with lid or a heavy bottomed pot with lid suitable for the size of meat and liquids.

1- about a 3lb Boston butt or pork shoulder roast

1- baking pan

1 1/2 tsps. Cumin
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano

1 cup of orange juice
4 -5 cups of chicken stock

1 medium yellow onion cut up in large pieces
1 medium bell pepper cut up in larger pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic or you could use a tsp of jarred minced garlic.

1 can of tomato sauce or tomato paste which ever you have on hand

Optional to serve: Diced onions, chopped cilantro, Lime juice, tortillas!

Ok. So first wash your meat and pat it dry. If your cut is excessively fatty you can trim a little off. But we do really want to keep most of the fat on because in the end it is what will help caramelize the meat in the final step.

Next place all your ingredients in the pot and stick your meat up top. Make sure that you have enough liquid that it covers your roast 3/4 of the way up. Add more chicken stock if needed or water is fine too.

Now that everything is in your pot just place it on your stove and let it hit a boil. After it is boiling go ahead and cover your pot and reduce heat to a low low simmer.

At this point it is going to take a solid 3 hours to get nice and happy in there. I pretty much just check it every hour to make sure that the liquid isn't evaporating to quickly. This is one of those things that needs patience and time to get where we want it to be.

After 2 hours i check every half hour to make sure we haven't lost the liquid in there too much. I will also turn the meat upside down at this point and leave it be for the rest of the time.

Once it has been about 3 hours the meat should be fork tender. You basically want it so tender that it will fall apart by just looking at it! hehe

Take the meat out and place it on your baking sheet or a cutting board.

Turn your oven on to about 375-400 degrees

Take one of those holey slotted spoons or a mesh strainer and strain the liquid that is in the pot. You want to keep the liquid but you can discard the extra stuff in there.

Go ahead and simmer your liquid down a bit to where it is about half of whatever was left. We are going to ladle this liquid on our meat before popping it in the oven.

Now that your meat is on a baking sheet or a cutting board. Shred with two forks or your hands if you are old skool and can take the heat. I just go ahead and do the shredding on my baking sheet to use up less dishes but if you are worried about scratching things then go ahead and do this part on a cutting board.

Now that the meat is shredded and looking happy on your baking pan. You may season it up a bit more. Lightly sprinkle a bit of kosher salt and pepper. Then we want to spoon on a bit of liquid throughout out the meat. Just enough to give it some moisture but we don't want it soaked either.

Now we are ready to pop it in the oven. We want to broil this for about 15 mins or more. Just keep an eye on this if it's starting to look nice and caramely and yummy then you are good to go. The fat that was on the meat should be helping this process up.

After you lovely meat looks super happy ..Go ahead and warm up some tortillas and sprinkle the meat with a little lime juice if you like that sord of thing.

some diced red onion or any onion and cilantro will also be yummy on top of this.

I serve with rice,beans, and tortillas, I just eat the meat on the side with my rice..but the hubby likes to eat this Taco style in a tortilla with the cilantro and onion.

Either way it is yummy!

Enjoy. =)

D

Pumpkin Pie DIP

Ok folks, the fall is arriving and that means pumpkin pie!  Do you like pumpkin pie?  What about cream cheese?  Or dips?  Well, this is a combination of those things!  It is so good and would be a great dip to take to a Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas party! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened –make sure it is very soft

1 can (15 ounces) of pumpkin pie filling- make sure it is pie filling and not just canned pumpkin.  I made that mistake once and it was not as good.

2 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

½ - 1 teaspoon of ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:

Beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add pie filling, cinnamon, and ginger, beating well.  Cover and chill for 8 hours. 

SERVE with ginger snaps, apple slices, pear slices, graham crackers, pretzels or any other dippers.  

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This my friends is OH, SO, GOOD!  I promise you that at least one person will ask for the recipe!  I have made it a few times and every time I do it a little different so I will give you the basic recipe and then some suggestions! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 large can of chicken or 2 regular sized ones.  ** I use 3 chicken breast boiled and chopped instead!  I am NOT a fan of canned chicken!

1 cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing * I make homemade ranch since it taste better

Blue cheese is great in here but a lot of people don’t like blue cheese so I just use ranch

¾ to 1 cup of FRANKS red hot sauce- the kind used on wings, not hot sauce just in case you don’t use that brand

2 packages of cream cheese, softened

1-2 cups of cheese- cheddar * I have used mozzarella before and it was great too.  You could also do crumbled blue cheese

DIRECTIONS:

After I boil and chop chicken into small pieces I toss with a little bit of buffalo sauce.  You can do that with the canned chicken too!

Save about ½ cup of cheese for the top

Mix all other ingredients together either in a baking dish or in your crockpot.  Once warm add the remaining cheese!  *if baking 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

*serve with celery, crackers, fritos, or anything else that tickles your fancy

**I have done it before with chopped up celery in the dip.  So feel free to try that!

BEWARE, it is a weird color!  

Yummo Sausage Dip

This dip is to DIE for!  I got this recipe from my aunt years and years ago and everyone loves this!  I have given this recipe to a lot of friends and know some of them have handed down to others.  I actually got a call from a guy that Curtis knows asking if I would make this for Super Bowl Sunday so he can take it to a party he is attending!  He said he will supply the ingredients if I prepare the dip!  It is easy as 1-2-3~

Try and see what works best for you!  Some people use more/less cream cheese and rotel

Ingredients:

1 pound of bulk pork sausage ( such as Jimmy Dean)

We like the hot but you can use mild

2 bricks of cream cheese

1-2 cans of Rotel (original or mild depending how hot you like things) I prefer 2 cans so it is not to thick! Oh and do not drain the stuff either!

Directions:

Brown sausage and drain. Add cream cheese and tomatoes. Stir until cheese is melted.  Or just do what I do and throw it in the crock-pot stirring every now and then until it is all melted!  

 Serve with tortilla chips or fritos. Enjoy!

Southern Cornbread Salad

Tomorrow I will post my own picture but here is one I found on Tasteofhome.com

One summer I worked at a place called The Magnolia House and everything there was homemade and delicious!!  They served this cornbread salad there and it truely is YUMMY!  I am going to a birthday party/grill out tomorrow night and I think I am taking this as a side dish! 

Ingredients

1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix ( I use Jiffy since I like sweet cornbread)

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

Pinch rubbed sage

1 cup mayonnaise ( REAL mayo NOT Miracle Whip)

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans (15-1/4 ounces each) whole kernel corn, drained

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup chopped green onions

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
 
 
 
Directions:
 
 
Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions.
Stir in chilies, cumin, oregano and sage.
Spread in a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.


In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and dressing mix; set aside.
 Crumble half of the corn bread into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish.
Layer with half of the beans, mayonnaise mixture, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, bacon and cheese.
Repeat layers (dish will be very full). Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
 
 
ENJOY!!!

TIP TIME

DRYER SHEET

Have you ever had rice stuck on the bottom of a pot or stuff stuck to a casserole dish?  Instead of sitting there trying to scrub the stuff off here is an awesome tip!

Put a dryer sheet in the bottom and fill it with hot water.  Let it soak for just a short time and TADA.. it instantly is removed!! 

I promise I will post some recipes soon.  I just have been taking it easy since I have been in the United States but soon I will get some stuff up!  Until then I will leave you with some tips!

An oldie but a goodie

Hello,

Doris here. I promised my lovely friend Melissa that I would post some recipes while she is away in the good old land of the USA! I haven't had time to get blogs together and get my pics uploaded. I do have some ideas I'd love to share with you all. Chicken tortilla soup, Pollo guisado (chicken stew latin style). Hilachas which is also good old Guatemalan comfort food, Finally eventually some colorful easy and fun to make rainbow cupcakes. But for now. Since I thought we were looking a bit lonely over here on our Kitchens to Yours ... A previously posted recipe from my regular blog.

It isn't the fanciest of dishes but it's pretty easy to throw together and most of the ingredients I think lots of you may have in your pantry already. I also would suggest to substitute the pasta I choose for any pasta noodle you like of have on hand. Sauce as well make your own or use up that left over jar of regular tomato sauce and just add some spices.

so without further adieu.

Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

-1 (19 oz) package sweet, mild or hot Italian sausage
-1/2 pound rotini twists ( or elbow macaroni, bow tie, penne etc.) although I prolly wouldn't use long noodles
-1 jar of your favorite spagetti sauce or home made ( I prefer Bertolli Fire roasted garlic sauce) yummy
-1 (2 oz) package sliced pepperoni
-1 bell pepper diced or chopped its up too you =P
-1 small onion diced
-1 cup shredded four cheese blend
-2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp olive oil
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano on hand as well
-parmesean cheese to sprinkle when served
and a casserole dish

(feel free to add any other veggies you like such as mushrooms, olives, tomatoes ...etc ...)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or those of you in Italy to 200 C. Start off with a non stick skillet. Add olive oil to the pan over a medium heat. Add the onion , bell pepper, and garlic. (also add any other veggies at this point that you are throwing in.) Use salt, pepper, garlic powder to your desired zestyness! Take sausage and add it to your pan. I just took the sausage and squeezed it over the pan and out of the casing for a ground meat effect. You can dice it up if you like and cook it that way. Cook until your sausage is no longer pink. Set aside.

Cook your pasta per your package instructions ... or just throw it in some boiling water with a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil hehe ... ( oh and please multi task ..you can have this going while you were chopping up veggies hehe ) Drain pasta ..set aside

Take your casserole dish , Jar of Sauce , cheese and pepperoni and the stuff you just cooked and assemble.

Basically you jsut throw it all in your dish and mix it up good ..hehe ... top it with cheese and a few pepperoni's and sprinkle with a bit of oregano.. bake for about 20 mins.

Voila it should look like something like this....




serve nice and hot ...you can have a little side salad and a piece of crusty bread ... ahh ..you really can't go wrong with pasta and cheese lol.



It's pretty good..I think most people will enjoy this and it only took about 35 mins from start to finish.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

I have seen many different recipes for this type of sandwich, so I decided to take a little bit from a few different ones. Mainly from the magazine Better Homes and Gardens Slow- Cooker Favorites. Then I added a few extra things to make it my own!  These sandwiches melt in your mouth.  You cook this in the slow cooker and I think the meat is the most tender meat ever when cooked this way!  My husband, Curtis, absolutely LOVES these! Plus, who doesn't love a recipe that is easy!  I hope you all enjoy them as much as we do!

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Adapted from Slow-Cooker Favorites Magazine, Recipezaar.com, and Allrecipes.com

1 1/2  cups of beef broth

1        3-4 pound boneless  beef chuck roast, sirloin, or rump roast---I always use a rump roast for this

2        0.7 packages of dry Italian-style dry salad dressing mix -- ( Good Seasons is what I use)

2        teaspoons Italian seasoning, crushed

1        teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2     teaspoon crushed red pepper (we like things hot so I use 1 full teaspoon)

1/2     jar of either mild or hot banana pepper rings, both the peppers and the juice

1       fresh red pepper sliced

some type of crusty rolls - the base has fresh breads everyday and I usually get sandwich baguette rolls or toasted kaiser rolls

cheese slices.. we like pepperjack or provolone

Combine beef broth with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salad dressing mix, crushed red pepper, banana pepper rings and juice of banana pepper rings.  Whisk to combine

Put roast in slow cooker and cover with salad dressing broth mixture.  Cover, and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 10-12.

When finished, remove beef and transfer to a cutting board.  Shred beef using 2 forks to pull all the meat apart.  Add meat back to the liquid and add the red pepper strips.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes on low.

Add the meat to your toasted bread and add cheese!  We then pop them open faced in the broiler for a few minutes to let the cheese melt and add a little mayo.  Serve with a side of the juice for dipping! YUMMY!  I promise you will fall in love with these tender, tasty sandwiches! 

Tequila Chicken Soup

This soup is pretty good but I am still trying to decide what else it needs!  So, I would use this as the base and go from there!  Let me know if you add anything else to kick it up a notch as Emeril would say!  I use the slow cooker for this soup!  Curtis said the chicken was very moist and I think he would have just ate the chicken without the liquid!

Crockpot Recipe for Tequila Chicken Soup

 1 small onion, cut into 8 wedges ( I cut mine a little smaller)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained  (Rotel-mild)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish
1 whole fryer chicken (about 3.5 pounds), cut into quarters
2 cups chicken broth (which is a big can such as Swanson not the Campbell size)
3 tablespoons tequila
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon of cumin

1. Spread onions on bottom of 5-6 quart crock pot
slow cooker.  Add corn, tomatoes, garlic and 2 tablespoons cilantro.  Mix well to combine.  Place chicken on top of tomato mixture.
2. Combine broth and tequila in medium bowl.  Pour over chicken and tomato mixture.  Cover; cook on low to 8-10 hours.
3. Transfer chicken to cutting board.  Remove skin and bones.  Pull meat apart with 2 forks into bite-size pieces.  Return chicken to crock pot and stir.
4. Serve with dollop of sour cream and garnish with cilantro.  I personally add a good bit of cilantro to give the soup more flavor
Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Enjoy!  Melissa

"CRUSTLESS QUICHE"

I say crustless because this type of quiche is not put into a pie crust but has a Bisquick crust mixed in with the filling!  I am not a fan of pie crust and my husband does not like it either so this works for us!  It is great for dinner or breakfast!!  I usually serve it with slow simmered yellow-stone grits!  You know the kind you cook in chicken broth and add cream to while shimmering!?  If you have never made grits that way you truly are missing out!  No instant grits in this house!

  On to the quiche whatever you want to call the thing..

My picture is not the best

CHEESY SAUSAGE BISQUICK "QUICHE"

(you may use bacon, crab, ham, cheddar, swiss, monterey jack,etc type of cheese and any type of veggie such as tomatoes, onions, spinach, etc.. the fillings are up to you!)

FILLING:

1 pound of ground  PORK sausage ( hot or mild)

1 c. of grated cheese (  I use cheddar or pepper jack)

1/2 can of Rotel or diced tomatoes, or 2 fresh diced tomatoes

LIQUID MIXTURE:

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 c. Bisquick

salt/pepper

Cook sausage and drain.  ( It does not leave much grease so I just put it on a plate with a paper towel to soak up)

Mix sausage, cheese,and tomatoes( or other veggies)  if using them together.  Pour into a greased 10 inch pie pan.  Mix the milk,Bisquick,eggs and s/p together until lumps disappear.  You may do this in a blender if you wish.  Pour liquid mixture over other ingredients.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center is dry and top is golden brown. 

** if using something other than glass you may want to cook at 400 degrees**

Welcome... again!

Just wanted to let you know it will not just be us southern gals anymore!  Our friend Racheal will also be joining our team.

I will get some recipes up in the next few days.  I have a lot of tips I want to share to so I will do that tomorrow!

WELCOME

So, I (Melissa) have decided to start a blog for recipes and kitchen/household tips!  Cooking is something I love doing and I really enjoy trying new things!  So, this blog will have both recipes that I have made several times and ones that I have made maybe once or twice!  I will not be the only one posting on this blog.  I have asked two amazing friends here to add their recipes and tips too!  Doris and Michelle both know how to cook up something good!  I guess it is the southern in us gals! I can promise you that all 3 of our husbands will tell you that they enjoy meal time at our houses! Buon Appetite! Did I mention we are from SC and LA but are living in Italy?!  Yep, you can take the girl out of the south but you can't take the south out of the girl!

I will slowly be redesigning this blog.  I have another blog that I write, a 3 1/2 month old, a husband and house to take care of and friends to socialize with!