Whole Wheat Waffles

Rating: 4 out of 5

We got a fabulous waffle maker from Brian's mom (thank you!!) so we can now leggo our eggos whenever we want! This recipe is courtesy of Tammy's Recipes and was a breeze to whip up. The even better part, I put the batter in the fridge for a day and finished cooking the waffles without any problems. My freezer is now stocked and ready for a week of toasty warm waffles.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients and then add to dry, stirring just until moistened.

3. Cook on pre-heated waffle iron until waffles are browned and test done.

Salmon Salad Wraps

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

This was a perfect, light and fast spring dinner and would make an even better lunch. The original recipe from Rachel Ray was intended to be a salad, but I thought it tasted even better in a wrap. In the future, I would add tomatoes and reduce the amount of olive oil (I preferred the lemony seasoning more than the oil taste).

Ingredients
 
3/4 pound skinless salmon fillets
1 large cucumber—peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large red bell pepper—stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the salmon in a medium baking dish and bake, covered, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let stand until cool.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, scallions and lemon with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

3. Add the baked salmon, flaking the meat with a fork, and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Cinco De Mayo Feast

Rating 4.75 out of 5

I have finally recovered from my Cinco de Mayo food coma. The only thing missing from this meal were sopapillas. I used a variety of sources to make my ultimate dinner so here is the breakdown:

1. Horchata (it is dangerous how easy and tasty this drink is)
2. Mexican Rice
3. Creamy Chicken Taquitos (I will be stocking our freezer with these soon)
  
Horchata Ingredients and Directions

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

5 cups water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar

1. Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute.

2. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.

3. Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice.

4. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water.

5. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

Mexican Rice Ingredients and Directions

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes.

3. Stir in the cheese and transfer to a serving bowl. 


Creamy Chicken Taquitos Ingredients and Directions

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salsa
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

3. Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-3o seconds. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet.

4. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. (You may be tempted to skip the sprinkle of salt, but it really adds a nice touch.)

(To freeze before baking, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos 30-60 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To bake from the freezer, simply add a few additional minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through.)

5. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Avocado Hummus

 Photo is from Kraft

Rating: 3 out of 5

I wanted a healthy snack to eat after my lunch so I decided to make my own hummus. I looked online at a variety of recipes and came up with this combination. It has a great flavor and is super yummy on a pita, but the consistency is slightly different than store-bought hummus.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced avocado
3 slices of hot peppers (or one finely diced jalapeno)
2 tablespoons of cilantro

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency.

Shrimp and Corn Pasta

 Photo is from The Cottage Home

Rating 4.75 out of 5

Using the same ingredients and process as the previous recipe, you can make a tasty pasta that really tastes completely different. Brian, loved this one, hence the high rating.  Again, this recipe is from The Cottage Home.

Ingredients

Shrimp

1 lb. raw shrimp, shells on

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 limes

Corn Relish

 

1 bag frozen corn (or several ears fresh with kernels removed if in season)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Extras

 

1 red onion, sliced

Pasta

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or any shape you like)

1 package grape tomatoes

Olive oil

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

 

2. Place leftover corn relish, grilled onions, and grape tomatoes on a large baking sheet (note: the first night I made a double-batch of the corn relish so I just had to marinade the shrimp and onions on the second night). Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  

 

3. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until grape tomatoes start to get wrinkly and corn starts to get a little color.

4. Meanwhile, cut up your shrimp into small pieces.  Once you remove your corn and tomato mixture from the oven, add your shrimp to the baking sheet - this will warm them up without cooking them any further.

5. Drain pasta.  Add all the contents from the cookie sheet into the pasta.  Make sure to scrape up all the little brown bits (this gives the great roasted flavor).  Add your Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste).

 

Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 

Throw some shrimp on the barbie! This is option one of two for a tasty shrimp and corn combination. I love the idea of making extra one night and being able to use the leftovers in a completely different way you don't even realize it was the same ingredients. Talk about more bang for your buck. The recipes are courtesy of The Cottage Home.

Ingredients

Shrimp

 

1 lb. raw shrimp, shells on

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 limes

Corn Relish

 

1 bag frozen corn (or several ears fresh with kernels removed if in season)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Extras

1 red onion, sliced (we didn't use this)

Pineapple, cubed - fresh or canned chunks (we didn't use this)

Rice, of your choice (we baked garlic bread instead)

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients under "shrimp" to make a marinade/paste for the shrimp.  If you are doing the optional onions, reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade.  Add shrimp to marinade and let sit for 20 minutes before grilling.  You do not want to over marinate shrimp.  The acid from the lime juice will start to cook the shrimp ever so slightly and if you marinate them all day then you can end up with some tough, over cooked shrimp.

2. Drizzle the remaining marinade over your sliced red onions.

 

3. Optional: Cube pineapple or used canned pineapple chunks.  

 

4. Defrost your frozen corn and combine all ingredients under "corn relish".  Allow flavors to come together.  This can be made up to a day ahead of time.

5. Heat up your grill.  Add the onions, then the shrimp and finally the pineapple once the grill is hot.  The shrimp should take approximately 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side), but the onions will take a bit longer.  If you are doing a kabob, just put everything on the grill all together.

 

Philly Cheesesteaks with Parmesan Sauce

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

There are a few things I miss from the south/east coast and a good Philly Cheesesteak is one of them (crab legs are another!). The recipe from the Recipe Shoebox sounded easy and tasty, but I decided to kick up the cheese factor with a garlic black pepper parmesan cheese sauce from Stirring the Pot (PS - if you want a recipe for a sirloin burger, the link has one that sounds great but I haven't made it yet).   

Ingredients

Cheesesteaks

3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs. boneless sirloin steak
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
paprika, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. butter
5-6 sandwich rolls (crusty rolls are good)
5-6 slices of Provolone, Swiss, mozzarella, or muenster cheese

Cheese Sauce

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

 

Directions

 

1. In hot oil (or on grill) brown the outside of the steak without cooking through. After browning cut steak into thin slices. Reheat oil (adding more if needed) in large skillet on medium heat; add thinly sliced steak. Season with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

 

2. A minute or two before the steak is done cooking add the peppers and onions to the skillet, sauteing just until steak is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.

 

3. Place a small pot over medium heat with the butter.  Add the garlic to the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute.  

 

4. Add the flour to the pan and cook for 1 minute more.  Season with salt and the coarse black pepper.  

 

5. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble.  Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the grated cheese.

 

6. Split each roll and spread each half with butter, then toast lightly (either in oven or on grill). 

 

7. When bread is toasted top rolls with meat mixture, cheese, and cheese sauce; wrap tightly in foil. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until thoroughly heated.