Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Karen's Salsa

2 heaping teaspoons minced onion
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano flakes
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro

2 cans WHOLE PEELED TOMATOES - or 1 big can

Blend as much as desired, then hand stir-in 3-4 chopped green onions (optional)

Serve with... everything!

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients:

Five plum (Roma) tomatoes (firm, not soft)
1/2 large or 1 small onion
3 jalapeno peppers
cilantro
lime juice
and salt

These quantities are approximate; you might need to increase or decrease the numbers, depending on the size of the vegetables you find.

Begin by cutting the ends off the jalapenos and chopping them into a small dice.

Throw ‘em in a bowl, seeds and all. If you’re nervous about spiciness, you could decrease this amount at first, adding more later if you think you can handle it. Or, you can scrape the seeds from the jalapenos and discard them, as that’s where a lot of the heat resides.

Now begin dicing the tomatoes. First cut them lengthwise into thin wedges. Then rotate the wedges 90 degrees and slice them into a fine dice. Then throw ‘em into the bowl with the jalapenos and stir.

Now it’s time to dice the onions. First turn the peeled onion on its side and make vertical slices. Then rotate the onion 90 degrees and slice downward to dice. And throw it on top of the jalapenos and tomatoes.

Now chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Don’t be stingy here! You can cut off the long stems before you start, but there’s no need to peel the leaves from the stems. Chop until it’s relatively fine, but not minced. Throw it into the bowl with the other yummy ingredients.

Then squeeze half of a small lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste. A couple of shakes should suffice. Stir together.

Tortilla Roll Ups

8 Ounces cream cheese
8 Ounce container of sour cream
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can of chopped green chilies
1 small can of chopped black olives
1 bundle of green onion chopped
garlic salt and accent to taste

Mix all of this yummy creamy thigh sticking goodness together. Spread out over burrito size tortillas and roll up. I wrap them is saran wrap and keep overnight in the fridge. Slice them up (easier when chilled) and serve with your favorite salsa for dipping.

The Soup Nazi’s Mexican Chicken Chili

1 lb chicken breast fillets (4 fillets)
1 Tbs olive oil
10 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 potato, peeled & chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1/2 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, plus liquid
1/4 cup diced canned pimento
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
dash basil
dash oregano
On the side
Sour cream
pinch chopped Italian parsley


1 Sauté the chicken breasts in the olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. Cook the chicken on both side until done — about 7-10 minutes per side. Cool the chicken until it can be handled. Do not rinse the pot.
2 Shred the chicken by hand into bite-sizes pieces and place the pieces back into the pot.
3 Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and turn heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture often so that many of the chicken pieces shred into much smaller bits. Chili should reduce substantially to thicken and darken (less orange, more brown) when done.
4 Combine some chopped Italian parsley with sour cream and serve it on the side for topping the chili, if desired.

Nanny’s Corn

3 can’s shoepeg or white corn
1 block cream cheese
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons milk
chopped jalepenos to taste

Heat all ingredients on stove top then transfer to an oven safe casserole dish, bake at 375 until top turns all brown and bubbly mmmmmmmm goood!

Best Black Bean Dip Ever

1 can black beans drained
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1 tsp seasoned salt (or more to taste)
1 heaping Tbls ground cumin
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c oil

In food processor- onions, pepper, garlic and beans. Add spices and mix well.

Heat oil in skillet - pour in bean mix. Cook over medium to high heat stirring constantly. Cook approx. 20 minutes or until bean mix has thickened. Serve hot, warm or even cold with chips, veggies or warm tortillas. Makes an awesome quesadilla filling too.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Jason's Fantastic Salsa

· 2 cans of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Mild Green Chilies (14.5 oz cans).
· 8 medium/large real ripe tomatoes. Skinned, and diced.
· 1/2 of a large red onion, chopped fine.
· 1/2 of a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped fine.
· 1 large jalapeño, or 2 small ones. I take out the seeds, and chop fine. Want it hot? Leave 'em in.
· 1 fresh garlic clove, pressed or minced fine.
· 1 juicy lime – squeezed juice.
· Salt and Pepper to taste.

Sausage Spinach Bake


INGREDIENTS

* 1 package (6 ounces) savory herb-flavored stuffing mix
* 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions
* 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
* 3 eggs
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS

Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add onions and garlic; cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
In a large bowl, combine the stuffing, sausage mixture and spinach. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. In a small bowl, combine cream and eggs; pour over sausage mixture.
Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 12 servings.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Santa Rosa Chicken Salad


1 box long grain wild rice-cooked (Uncle Ben's-small box)
3 chicken breast halves-cooked and diced
4 green onions-diced
1 red bell pepper-diced
3 oz. Chinese pea pods-(fresh) remove ends and cut into thirds
2 medium avocados-diced
1 cup chopped pecans
Combine all ingredients, except avocados and pecans, and place in fridge overnight.

Dressing
2 cloves garlic-minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/3 c rice vinegar (Nakano seasoned rice vinegar)
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 t sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil
Combine all dressing ingredients in blender. Cover and refrigerate. Mix with salad 2-4 hours before serving. Immediately before serving salad add avocados and pecan