Monday, July 23, 2012
The Louvre!! My favorite place in Paris.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Grilled Potatoes and cheese
So, my Dad grew yellow and red potatoes in his garden this year. I am blessed enough to be his daughter, which means I am given free potatoes. I never realized that potatoes could taste better fresh, but they really do!! Last night I had to run back out, after work, to VBS decorating. Thus, I needed a quick meal. The following recipe is what I came up with; I will definitely make theses again.
Grilled Potatoes and Cheese (and broccoli and green onions)
1a. Poke holes in potatoes with a knife. This is the fun part. I probably poke way too many holes in my potatoes just because it is fun to stab them. Place on a plate or dish with a little bit of water. Microwave on high 4 - 10 minutes depending on the size of potato. You may want to rotate them. I poke at them some more with the knife to see how done they are.
1b. While they are cooking, turn on grill to medium.
2. Once they are close to being fully cooked, removed from microwave and smash. I took a heavy bottomed glass and pounded on them a few times, just to break them up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Grease a piece of tin foil and place on a grill over medium heat. Place on smashed potatoes. Leave on grill for 5 - 7 minutes.
4. Grate cheese (I used Cheddar and Parmesan), chopped up green onions, and cook broccoli.
5. Flip potatoes over. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Let cook 4 -6 more minutes. Sprinkle on broccoli loosely chopped up. Cook another 3 -5 minutes.
6. Slide airbake cookie sheet under the tinfoil. Turn off grill. Carry inside. Enjoy.
Grilled Potatoes and Cheese (and broccoli and green onions)
1a. Poke holes in potatoes with a knife. This is the fun part. I probably poke way too many holes in my potatoes just because it is fun to stab them. Place on a plate or dish with a little bit of water. Microwave on high 4 - 10 minutes depending on the size of potato. You may want to rotate them. I poke at them some more with the knife to see how done they are.
1b. While they are cooking, turn on grill to medium.
2. Once they are close to being fully cooked, removed from microwave and smash. I took a heavy bottomed glass and pounded on them a few times, just to break them up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Grease a piece of tin foil and place on a grill over medium heat. Place on smashed potatoes. Leave on grill for 5 - 7 minutes.
4. Grate cheese (I used Cheddar and Parmesan), chopped up green onions, and cook broccoli.
5. Flip potatoes over. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Let cook 4 -6 more minutes. Sprinkle on broccoli loosely chopped up. Cook another 3 -5 minutes.
6. Slide airbake cookie sheet under the tinfoil. Turn off grill. Carry inside. Enjoy.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Fresh food!!!
My parents have invited us over 3 times in the last week for yummy food out of their garden. :) Do you know how happy this makes me?!? I love food from the garden.
The first night we went over for corn and green beans, but the corn was not quite ready (we each ate one tiny little ear). The second night we at green beans and made homemade peach and strawberry ice cream. The third night, last night, we had all you could eat corn and green beans. My mother also made cauliflower and cheese and ribs. Cauliflower is one of my favorite foods; it is one of the only foods that Jared does not eat. So, when I have it at other people's houses, I am happy.
I had half a rib last night. The rest of what I ate was green beans (cooked with bacon, of course), corn, and cauliflower and cheese. I have listed two (simple) recipes below for my benefit so that I can look them up whenever I need to. Green beans from the garden are in my top 5 foods of all times list. I would pass by a bunch of other foods to have a bowl of green beans cooked with bacon. Yum yum yum.
Green Beans with Bacon
Fry bacon in pan
Add green beans
Add water to cover
Cook until not quite limp
Drain water and serve
Cauliflower
Put a 1/2 - 1" water in a pan
Cut up cauliflower head
Sprinkle a bit of salt
Cook until finished
Thanks to my parents for WONDERFUL food and for cooking for us! It was fun to spend the evening with my family. They are my favorite people (especially when they cook for me). My Dad sent me home with potatoes, green beans, squash, and cucumbers from the garden. And my mom packed up the leftovers so that I could eat green beans and corn for my lunch today!!!!!! I was looking forward to my lunch ALL DAY TODAY!!
We also spent Monday night at the Shelton's with more good food and family time with our niece and nephews. We played Tornado Rex and Blockus with the kids. Bright and I won blockus and Krue and I came in second in Tornado Rex. It is always fun to see my niece and nephews. They are hilarious. My parents-in-law loaded us down with fresh peaches and a new garden hose when we left the house.
I love having family live so close by. It is great fun to see them all so often. I am so thankful that both sets of our parents live close by. We really enjoy visiting them (and having them cook for us) often. :) Praise God for family!!
The first night we went over for corn and green beans, but the corn was not quite ready (we each ate one tiny little ear). The second night we at green beans and made homemade peach and strawberry ice cream. The third night, last night, we had all you could eat corn and green beans. My mother also made cauliflower and cheese and ribs. Cauliflower is one of my favorite foods; it is one of the only foods that Jared does not eat. So, when I have it at other people's houses, I am happy.
I had half a rib last night. The rest of what I ate was green beans (cooked with bacon, of course), corn, and cauliflower and cheese. I have listed two (simple) recipes below for my benefit so that I can look them up whenever I need to. Green beans from the garden are in my top 5 foods of all times list. I would pass by a bunch of other foods to have a bowl of green beans cooked with bacon. Yum yum yum.
Green Beans with Bacon
Fry bacon in pan
Add green beans
Add water to cover
Cook until not quite limp
Drain water and serve
Cauliflower
Put a 1/2 - 1" water in a pan
Cut up cauliflower head
Sprinkle a bit of salt
Cook until finished
Thanks to my parents for WONDERFUL food and for cooking for us! It was fun to spend the evening with my family. They are my favorite people (especially when they cook for me). My Dad sent me home with potatoes, green beans, squash, and cucumbers from the garden. And my mom packed up the leftovers so that I could eat green beans and corn for my lunch today!!!!!! I was looking forward to my lunch ALL DAY TODAY!!
We also spent Monday night at the Shelton's with more good food and family time with our niece and nephews. We played Tornado Rex and Blockus with the kids. Bright and I won blockus and Krue and I came in second in Tornado Rex. It is always fun to see my niece and nephews. They are hilarious. My parents-in-law loaded us down with fresh peaches and a new garden hose when we left the house.
I love having family live so close by. It is great fun to see them all so often. I am so thankful that both sets of our parents live close by. We really enjoy visiting them (and having them cook for us) often. :) Praise God for family!!
Saturday, July 07, 2012
BBQ Chicken Taquitos
I was hopping from food blog to food blog last night and I came accross this recipe. It looked so good and I knew I had all the ingredients so this morning I made these. They were delicious and super easy!!
Baked BBQ Pork (or Chicken) Taquitos
Based on this recipe (with my own twist):
http://www.pink-parsley.com/2012/05/baked-bbq-pork-taquitos.html
3 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature (reduced-fat is fine)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/2 tsp mustard powder (I never have mustard powder and used mustard instead)
1/2 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced onion
3 green onions, diced
2 cups shredded cooked pork or chicken (I already had BBQ shredded chicken in my frig, so I cut out the BBQ sauce the recipe called for and just added my already made chicken)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
8-10 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
cooking spray
The original recipe also calls for:
2 Tbs minced fresh cilantro or parsley
hot sauce (optional)
liquid smoke
red pepper flakes
BBQ sauce
Ranch Dressing and/or BBQ Sauce, for serving
The original recipe called for these to be made in the oven, but it is over 100 degrees outside. Turning on the oven is crazy. I turned on my grill instead. I find that the grill ends of making things crispier and with a better flavor in the long run. I grill my pizza all year long, even in the winter.
Chop the onion and green onions.
In a bowl, combine everything but the chicken and shredded cheese. Mix the cream cheese mixture until it softens up a bit. Mix in the shredded cheese and chicken. Set aside.
Put 4 or 5 tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp dish towel, and microwave for 30 - 40 seconds. The tortillas should be easy to roll after being microwaved. I used corn tortillas.
Spoon mixture (2 - 4 TBS) onto the lower third of the tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on a plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the top of each tortilla with cooking spray and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Repeat until all the mixture is gone.
Place seam side down on the grill (med - low heat) and cook for 5 or 6 minutes. Rotate. Cook for 5 or 6 more minutes. It will really depend on your grill for how long you will cook them. Also, watch for the cheese to drip down and cause flames to come up and burn the tortillas. This happened to my last batch that I cooked, but it ended up being okay because I caught it in time.
The recipe calls to serve these with BBQ sauce or ranch dressing as a dip, but I just ate them plain. I will definitely make these again!! Yum. It is a great way to use up shredded pork or chicken that you have as leftovers. :)
Baked BBQ Pork (or Chicken) Taquitos
Based on this recipe (with my own twist):
http://www.pink-parsley.com/2012/05/baked-bbq-pork-taquitos.html
3 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature (reduced-fat is fine)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/2 tsp mustard powder (I never have mustard powder and used mustard instead)
1/2 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced onion
3 green onions, diced
2 cups shredded cooked pork or chicken (I already had BBQ shredded chicken in my frig, so I cut out the BBQ sauce the recipe called for and just added my already made chicken)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
8-10 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
cooking spray
The original recipe also calls for:
2 Tbs minced fresh cilantro or parsley
hot sauce (optional)
liquid smoke
red pepper flakes
BBQ sauce
Ranch Dressing and/or BBQ Sauce, for serving
The original recipe called for these to be made in the oven, but it is over 100 degrees outside. Turning on the oven is crazy. I turned on my grill instead. I find that the grill ends of making things crispier and with a better flavor in the long run. I grill my pizza all year long, even in the winter.
Chop the onion and green onions.
In a bowl, combine everything but the chicken and shredded cheese. Mix the cream cheese mixture until it softens up a bit. Mix in the shredded cheese and chicken. Set aside.
Put 4 or 5 tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp dish towel, and microwave for 30 - 40 seconds. The tortillas should be easy to roll after being microwaved. I used corn tortillas.
Spoon mixture (2 - 4 TBS) onto the lower third of the tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on a plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the top of each tortilla with cooking spray and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Repeat until all the mixture is gone.
Place seam side down on the grill (med - low heat) and cook for 5 or 6 minutes. Rotate. Cook for 5 or 6 more minutes. It will really depend on your grill for how long you will cook them. Also, watch for the cheese to drip down and cause flames to come up and burn the tortillas. This happened to my last batch that I cooked, but it ended up being okay because I caught it in time.
The recipe calls to serve these with BBQ sauce or ranch dressing as a dip, but I just ate them plain. I will definitely make these again!! Yum. It is a great way to use up shredded pork or chicken that you have as leftovers. :)