Taste of Tuesday: Tomatillo Salsa

One of my favorite restaurants is Cantina Los Caballitos on Passyunk Ave. Its such a hipster environment and you can people watch for hours. We can't help but write obnoxious things on the chalkboard walls in the bathroom like children every time we go. They have blood orange margaritas, among many other flavors, there that are to die for. They taste fabulous and before you know it, they've knocked you right on your ass. Good times. The best thing about Cantina is the tomatillo salsa that the serve with their fresh tortilla chips. I could drink it by the bowl full. Nothing you can buy in the store tastes nearly as good and I've been looking for a homemade version to try. I was so pleasantly surprised when the first recipe I tried tasted almost exactly like Cantina's. I found the recipe at a blog called Garnish with Lemon.

What you need:

approx. 1 lb Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered

2 jalapenos, sliced and seeded

1 clove of garlic

1 cup fresh cilantro (I just used a few sprigs because this isn't my favorite flavor)

1 tsp salt

juice of 1 lime (they say to use only to reduce heat, but I love lime so I added it anyway)

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and pulse until liquefied.

I actually did small batches in the food processor and then finished it all off with my immersion blender. It worked really well.

 

Serve with your favorite tortilla chip! Will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

* original recipe called for 8 medium tomatillos, which she said was about 1 pound. I just got a little over a pound because the ones I found were on the larger size. This recipe does not call for roasting or cooking, it is for raw tomatillos. The lighter colored ones are sweeter than the dark green and taste better in this recipe.

Enjoy! O and check out Cantina next time you're in Philly looking for a great Mexican place!

 

 

Taste of Tuesday:Creamy Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken

I'm linking up again this week with the Taste of Tuesday gals! I found this recipe yet again on Pinterest and its made my favorite way-in the Crock pot! Its called Creamy Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken and you can find the original post at Momables.com. You all know how much I love my Crock pot so this recipe was screaming for me to try it. I got the best compliment from my hubby after serving this. He said "that was good, tastes like we just ate at a restaurant." Even though I didn't create the recipe, I love hearing that my cooking is enjoyed!

What you need:

1-1.5 lb chicken breasts

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

16 oz bag frozen corn

8 oz cream cheese (I used low fat)

1 cup of milk (tip: don't use skim!)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

I also added garlic powder, onion powder and a small of amount of crushed red pepper.

What to do:

Add all ingredients to Crock pot and set on high for 4-6 hours. I cooked it on low for about 8.

It didn't look very appealing at this point but it sure started to make the apartment smell good!

Shred chicken and stir back into sauce. Serve over bowtie pasta or whatever your favorite is!

Delish! The best part is, there was a ton of chicken/sauce leftover so I froze a container for the next time I need a quick dinner!

 

See you guys on Thursday for a special guest post at Life According to Steph where I share my love of pickles!

 

 

 

 

Taste of Tuesday:Ravioli Bake

With the holiday weekend, the Taste of Tuesday link up was skipped and will resume next week. I still have an easy dinner recipe for you though! I found this Ravioli Bake over at Kraft's website. The first time I made it, I found it to be a little runny so I made a few modifications to the original recipe.

 

First and foremost, I used 2 13 oz packages of frozen ravioli. Italian Village is my favorite brand.

I also used a dry packet of Zesty Italian dressing instead of liquid.

O and drain the tomatoes as much as possible!

Start by mixing the 14 oz tomato sauce, drained diced tomatoes, dressing packet, and 8 oz of beef broth together in 9x13 baking dish.

Place the raviolis in the sauce mix and coat as much as possible.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and top with shredded cheese. Broil for just a few minutes until cheese is bubbling and brown in spots.

YUMMMM!!!

 

Ravioli Bake

14 oz tomato sauce

8 oz beef broth

1 can(14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1 packet Zesty Italian dressing mix

2 13 oz packages frozen raviolis

shredded cheddar and shredded mozzarella cheeses to top

 

Combine first four ingredients in 9x13 baking dish. Toss in raviolis until all are well coated. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with cheeses and broil for a few minutes until cheese starts to bubble and brown.

 

Great dish the whole family will love! I'm off now to work on my guest blog recipes for next week over at Life According to Steph. Stayed tuned for when that posts!



 





Taste of Tuesday:Homemade Mac and Beef

Recipes don't get much simpler than this one. I've seen several versions of this on Pinterest and various other sites. This is my version. It's a great dish to take to someone as well. I put it all together last week for some family and just sent it along with baking instructions. It traveled well and they said they loved it!

 

What You Need:

1 lb of ground beef

1 box (16 oz) of elbow macaroni

1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes-I like the petite style

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)-I like the texture of crushed tomatoes

salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano-or your favorite seasonings for sauce, to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzarella

 

What To Do:

Cook you macaroni according to package directions.

Brown your beef and drain the fat.

 

Add the diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes to the beef. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and whatever other seasonings you choose. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Mix together with the cooked pasta in a large casserole dish.

 

Top with the cheddar and mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. I will uncover after the 30 minutes and broil it for just a few minutes until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.

There you have it! Easy, family pleasing dinner that usually ends up with leftovers for lunch the next day!

 

 

 Linking up with Let's Get Bananas and Blissfully Miller for Taste of Tuesday!

 

 



One Pan Spicy Sausage Pasta

You all know by now that I love easy dinners. This recipe here doesn't disappoint in the simplicity department...or the flavor department for that matter. I found this gem online, it's from The Best Simple Recipes by America's Test Kitchen. This dish is slightly on the spicy side, but you can use mild tomatoes and chilies if you are not a fan of heat. You have to try this dinner either way! 

 

It calls for smoked sausage, but as usual, I go the healthier route and use turkey.

The first time I made this, Shoprite didn't have regular smoked turkey sausage so I tried this turkey kielbasa and I've used it every time. Its got a great flavor and it does not taste like turkey at all!

You need a little heavy cream, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. As well as some pasta.

It also calls for diced onions but I'm not allowed to use them so I just add a little of this for flavor.



Add a little olive oil to an oven safe skillet and heat. Throw in your sausage and garlic (and onions if using) and cook just until lightly browned.

Here's the best part. All you have to do now is throw in the uncooked pasta and the rest of the ingredients,  saving the cheese for the end, and let it simmer. Recipe also calls for scallions which I omitted.

Mix in some of the cheese then top with the rest and throw it in the oven and broil just until the cheese bubbles and browns a little.

Serve and enjoy!!

 

 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb smoked (turkey) sausage

1.5 cups diced onions (I omitted)

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz penne pasta ( I used almost a full 16 oz bag instead)

1 cup Monterey Jack shredded cheese (pfft just a cup? I don't think so!)

1/3 cup thinly diced scallions (I omitted)

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Add olive oil to oven safe skillet and heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook unit lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add broth, cream, tomatoes, pasta, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and mix in about 1/2 cup of the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese(or a lot more like I did!) and sprinkle with scallions if you like. Broil for a few minutes, until cheese is melted, bubbly and browning in spots.

 

 



 

Race for the Cure Recap

• On Mother's Day, I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure of Philadelphia.This walk supports breast cancer research, as well as mammograms and care for women in the region. Breast cancer has affected far too many people in my life and I will do everything in my power to see a cure in my lifetime. My hubby's family and I(and a few friends from my sister-in-law's work) formed a team about 2 months ago and started fundraising. We had a goal of $1000 but with the help of so many generous, caring people, we more than doubled it with a grand total of $2876! I couldn't have been more proud to be team captain! We had a great morning filled with some tears and lots of laughs. The weather was beautiful and the 5K was a breeze because we were having such a good time.

My sister-in-law Chrissy was kind enough to let me "borrow" a few of her pictures since I didn't have enough hands to take along my camera.

A few shots of some team members/family.

 

Clockwise from left: My hubby painted his nails pink in honor of the day; his string band played the event before the walk started; a shot of the survivors walking down the steps; the back of the survivor shirts-they really are an inspiration every day.

 

It was a great way to spend mother's day morning. We are already planning next year's walk, hoping our team expands and setting our fundraising goals even higher!

After we had a little lunch, I stopped to see my Mom and then was home for a nap before a home cooked dinner with my boys. They got me some new chef's knives and a cutting board-exactly what I asked for!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!
O and if you love all things beauty, check out my sister's blog, Scissorhands Jill!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom

I always loved my mom's cooking when I was growing up. I'm sure most people think their mom makes the best version of every food, but my mom really does...in my eyes anyway! She's an awesome baker and dessert is always top notch! Here's a list of things my mom taught me how to make that I will always think are the best around! 

•CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

(Don't even bother arguing. My mom's are the best around. Period. Ok ok my mother in law's run a very close second.)

•Butter cookies. Jill and Kenny fight over them.

•Baked macaroni and cheese. I still can't make it like hers. 

•Breakfast Pizza. Every Christmas morning. Its so good!

•Pasta salad. Her version just always tastes better. 

•Pumpkin pie. 

•Apple pie...really I always make it too runny. I don't know how she does it. 

•Caesar salad. I know that sounds silly but it tastes great when she makes it. 

•Homemade spaghetti sauce. I'm still not sure how she makes it but I love her it when she makes a bigger batch and freezes it. 

I could go on, but those are a few of my favorites. Hope everyone has a Happy Mother's Day! Love you Mom!