Tina's Chicken Stock Recipe

Here is my recipe for home made chicken stock.  It can be used for the base for anything that calls for chicken stock or broth.

1 chicken carcass (you can used a whole chicken and just remove the meat from it after it has boiled for about 20 minutes and use it for other recipes or freeze it for later use)
1 carrot, chopped coursely with leaves and stem
2 celery stalks, chopped coursely with leave and stem
3 parsley stems with leaves
1 turnip, cut up coursely
1/2 sweet yellow onion, cut up coursely
3 green onions with white and green, cut up coursely
2 pieces of fresh ginger cut about 1/4" thick
2 cloves of garlic cut in half
about 10 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp of dried rosemary or 1 TBSP of fresh
1 tsp of dried thyme or 1 TBSP of fresh
1 bay leaves
about a tsp of cajun seasoning or to taste
salt to taste
water

Boil the carcass, veggies, herbs, and seasonings in enough water to cover it for 2-3 hours.  Strain the broth.  Add the liquid back into the stock pot and cook it down about 1/3 to condense it.

Homemade Frito Pie

I know most people just pop open a can of Wolf Brand when they want Frito pie, but that always leaves me feeling like I need a shower after I eat it. It's what I call "Eatin' Dirty". Other meals in this category include anything from the pre-made frozen foods section at the grocery store, anything with the word "helper" in the title, and anything from a fast food place...so basically anything good. This chili makes a TON so once it's made it's just as convenient as the canned stuff (mostly) and a whole lot better for you. Plus, I'm able to sneak in all the veggies and my kids don't mind. There are 2 places I "play" with this recipe a little: the meat (you need 3# total pounds and one of them should be Italian Sausage for the flavor, but you use whatever you want), and the beans (you need 45-60 oz. - yes, Sarah, that is a lot of beans, but stick with me and you'll see where I'm going with this - you pick your favorites. I usually stick with black and pinto). Also, if you want a drier chili so your chips won't get extra soggy drain the liquid from anything canned.

2# Ground Beef (I use ground turkey to make it healthier)

1# Italian Sausage (sometimes you can find this as regular ground meat, but if all you can find are the links those will work, too, just take the casings off and crumble the meat into the pan)

1 medium sized Sweet Onion, diced

1 Green Bell Pepper, diced

45 oz. canned Diced Tomatoes

1 T Cumin

1 T Chili Powder

15 oz. can Black Beans

15 oz. can Pinto Beans

15 oz. can Kidney Beans

(I just use 1 30 oz. can of Black & 1 30 oz. can of Pinto for mine)

1 package Chili Seasoning

2 C chopped celery (leaves, too)

Corn chips of your choice (FRITOS!)

Toppings of your choice



Brown meat, drain & set aside. Over medium heat saute onion, bell pepper & tomatoes. Add cumin & chili powder, & cook for 8 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the beans, meat, chili seasoning & celery. Let simmer & slow cook for 4 hours. (NOTE: to cook faster, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer for 20 minute, or until celery is tender.) Serve over chips and top as you like. We use shredded cheddar, sour cream and diced green onions.

Tina's Tuna Steak Salad

Pan seared tuna with avocado and a cilantro lime sauce.

2 big handfuls of cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (I use a bit more)
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons soy sauce ( I used low sodium)
pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 sushi quality tuna steaks
1 avacado, sliced

in a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime, soy sauce, suger, salt, pepper, and 2 T of olive oil...I whisk this together.

heat skillet over med high heat and coat with remaining 2 T of olive oil. season tuna with salt and pepper. lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for at least one minute on each side to form a slight crust. pour 1/2 of the cilantro sauce on the tuna in skillet.

Now the recipe says to service the tuna sliced with the avacado and drizzle the remaining sauce on the plate. what i do is mix the remaining sauce with rice wine vinegar and service the tuna and avacado sliced on top of a green salad and use the sauce with the vinegar as a dressing. it's super good!

Dinner Tonight?

Well, Tina just sent in a recipe that sounds really good. She's making it tonight and when she takes a pic and sends it to me I'll post it. For now, though, what's everyone else making?


Tonight, we eat light. It's a "Make Your Own Salad" bar night. Gotta shed some of the pounds we've been putting back on with all this yummy food we've been making.

Tiramisu

This isn't the best picture, because I hadn't allowed it to completely set up, but belive me when I say: This is soooo yummy! You'll need to start this recipe early in the day as it takes a while to set up, so plan accordingly.

Ingredients:

6 Egg Yolks

3/4 C Milk

1 1/4 C Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 t Vanilla

1# Mascarpone (I buy 2-8oz. tubs from the special cheese section at the HEB deli)

1/4 C strong brewed coffee or brewed espresso roast, room temperature

2T Rum

2-3oz pkgs Lady fingers

1 T unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1. In a medium sauce pan, whisk together egg yolks & sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk & cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat & allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly & chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form (I've been using the whisk attachment on my hand mixer and it goes pretty quickly). Note: If, like me, you've never made whipped cream from scratch you might be expecting this batch to be nice and sweet. It's not. Don't freak out. It all works out in the end, I promise. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.

3. In a small bowl, combine coffee & rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise (unless they're already split). Note: I use the soft ladyfingers (I just found out that there are hard ones) so I've found that the best way (when using the soft ones) to coat the cookies in coffee without them falling apart in your hand later is to layer them in the pan then, using a spoon, drizzle the cookies with the coffee. If you're using the hard cookies I'm told you can soak them in the coffee without their falling apart while you're handling them.

4.If you're using soft cookies arrange half of the cookies in the bottom of a 7"X11"X3" pan and drizzle with coffee, if you're using the hard cookies soak them in the coffee before layering. Spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then 1/2  of the whipped cream over that. Repeat layers & sprinkle with cocoa. Cover & refrigerate 4-6 hours, until set.

Serves 12

Calories: 387/serving

Fat: 30g/serving

Rigatoni with Zucchini Sauce and Pancetta

I'm re-posting Sarah's recipe she left as a comment because I have a picture of it she posted to her facebook account and it looks as yummy as she says it tastes.

Yummy 30 minute recipe. You're kids won't even know they're eating a whole zucchini!!

1/4 pound Pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice (I buy the pre-diced stuff at HEB)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 Zucchini (I do small ones, not tiny, but small) peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced into 1/4-inch half moons
4 garlic cloves, minced (I use the jar stuff....lots of it! I probably double the garlic)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine (I use a savignon blanc)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley ( I never do this, it's just for color)
salt and pepper
1 pound rigatoni (I half this but do the full amount of sauce and freeze half)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use maybe a quarter cup but that's just me)

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in large pot. Cook Pancetta in a large skillet until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer pancetta to a paper towel lined plate.

2. Add oil to empty skillet and heat over medium or medium/high heat. Add zucchini and cook about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook until liquid has almost evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Add broth ad cook until slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Puree this mixture in a blender with butter and parsley until smooth. Do in batches of half if you need to, to avoid making a mess. And cover the top of the blender with a dry rag, it will absorb any splatters. Season with salt and pepper.

3. As you are doing the zucchinis, and pasta to pot once water is boiling, add the rigatoni and cook until al dente. Drain and return to pot or large bowl. Stir in sauce and 1/2 of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese and pancetta over pasta. Enjoy!

Dinner Tonight

I'm making Pinto Bean Soup with cornbread. I'm so stinking excited about this meal. It seems like it's been forever since I've made it! What about you? What's for dinner tonight?

Chipotle Burritos

I know this is supposed to be a burrito, but Daniel and I eat it as a burrito bowl (no tortilla) and the kids eat it more as a soft taco, so I thought I'd throw this pic up since it shows ALL the yumminess! I also forgot to take a pic of my own finished product since I was so eager to dig in, so I downloaded this one from the internet. There I've given credit to whomever posted this one.

Ingredients:

2# beef roast of your choice

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 onion, sliced

1 small can chipotles in adobo sauce

1 t. oregano

1/4 t. cumin

1 clove minced garlic

Cut meat into 2" thick pieces. Place in crock-pot. Mix all of the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or 4-5 hours on high. Remove and shred.

Serve in flour tortillas or as a bowl (no tortillas) with black beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, lettuce and tomato, etc.



What's For Dinner Tonight?

Tonight I'm making Chipotle Burritos, Cilantro-lime Rice, & Black Beans. I'll post pics tomorrow along with the recipe. It's uber yummy!

What about you? What's on your menu for tonight?

Creamy Jalapeno

This has quickly become a favorite, not just with my family, but among friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even at my kids' school! It tends to have a kick, so adjust the amount of jalapenos you use according to your taste. As a mater of fact, most of the ingredient amounts can be changed without ruining the overall "likability" of this sauce/dip. Not a big fan of cilantro? Don't use as much. Like it more as a sauce or a dip? Use more or less milk. Have fun and enjoy. And, let me know how it turns out and what you think about it. I love comments!

Ingredients:

1 1/3C Mayo (DO NOT USE MIRACLE WHIP!)

1/3 C Milk

1/3 C Chopped Jalapenos (I use the canned ones)

1/3 C Tomatillos (the canned ones that are whole)

1 torn handful Cilantro, slightly chopped

1 pkt Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing mix

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend. Contents will take on a greenish color. Chill for at least an hour. Serve as a dip or as a sauce. I've even used it as a dressing on taco or fajita salads. It's YUMMY!

Welcome!

Yes, my friends, this is yet another blog from yours truly. I can't help it. I love to write. Besides, I just couldn't get the hang of that last blog I started. It was too scattered. So, I'm starting this one with basically one topic in mind...FOOD! I'll be posting recipes on here, asking for some of yours from time-to-time, posting tips & tricks (if and when I come across any), etc. The whole idea is that we cooks love, love, LOVE to swap recipes and this is a fun way to do it.

So, get out those pots & pans and let's get cookin'!