Fast and easy fajita pasta!

This is a pasta that basically ends up tasting like a fajita, but without the hands-on process.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb jalapeno bacon
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 4 tsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 inch ginger paste
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• dash or two of smoked paprika
• 1 tsp basil (fresh or dried is fine)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 package pasta
• 2 cups water or stock of choice

Directions:

1. Slice peppers and onions into strips. Cut bacon into small pieces.
2. Cook bacon to desired level of crispiness. Remove bacon from the pan onto a plate to drain. (Leave the drippings.)
3. Add onion and pepper strips. Add garlic, ginger paste, chili powder, basil, and oregano. Pan fry until the onion and peppers are flexible but not limp. Remove from the pan and place over the sprigs of rosemary and thyme (this will start adding the flavor).
4. Add water or stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook recommended time. There should be only a little of the cooking liquid left.
5. Add bacon, cooked veggies, and the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. 
6. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Discard the rosemary and thyme.
7. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Venison with Roasted Veggies & Noodles

I've heard recently that the story behind a recipe is unnecessary. Most people reading food blogs want the recipe immediately in order to make their food and carry on with their days. With that in, I will try for brevity.

Ingredients -

For venison marinade-
1 lb venison, cut in chunks (size depends on personal preference)
1\2- 3\4 c soy sauce
~1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1\2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp garlic
1 inch ginger paste
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large Ziploc bag, combine all ingredients.
2. Smoosh everything together and make sure that the meat is covered.
3. Marinate for at least an hou. I prefer overnight.

For meal-
1 c frozen broccoli
1 c frozen green beans
1 c frozen sweet potato cubes
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste
* Garlic powder or minced garlic adds a nice flavor
1\2 package is in noodles
* Depending on marinade amount, you may need 1\2 c if need broth

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place frozen vegetables on a baking sheet (cover baking sheet with foil for easier cleaning).
3. Spread oil, salt, pepper(s), and optional garlic over frozen vegetables. Mix together.
4.  Roast vegetables for 15 minutes. Take out, mix a bit, and roast an additional 15 minutes. (Edges of broccoli should be lightly charred.)
5. Once vegetables have begun round two of roasting, brown the  venison. Make sure you use a medium-to -large size pan. Do not throw out the marinade!
6. Once venison is browned, add the remaining marinade. If your marinade is not enough to fill the pan, add 1\2 c if need broth and being to a boil.
7.  Add noodles to the pan, stirring to check consistency.
8. Once the noodles are so dente, you are ready to add your vegetables.
9. Toss everything to coat evenly. Add brown sugar, salt, pepper, and soy sauce according to taste and ENJOY.

Rummage meatballs!

So, the husband and I are about to buy a house (~10 days, hopefully!), so we are trying to not spend all of the little money we have. So, we went excavating our freezer and found supplies for the week. Last night's meal was mango jalapeno chicken meatballs and rice. The past few times I've made this, I simply shove meatballs and rice in the slow cooker for a few hours and steam some rice. This time around, I decided we needed to be healthier. Which bring us to today's recipe!

Meatballs, Rice, Etc!

For Stir Fry: 18 mango jalapeno meatballs 1 leek 1 pepper (color of choice) 4 cloves garlic 1/2 c cubed butternut squash

Rice

For Sauce: 2 tsp soy sauce 1 1/2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1/2 c jam or preserves of choice (I used a mixture of peach/raspberry & plum jams) 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste sprinkle of red or green chili pepper flakes

To make the stir fry:

1. Cube the squash; preheat oven to 425; toss squash cubes lightly with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper; bake for ~25 minutes, tossing once.
2. Coarsely slice leek and peppers. Crush garlic.
3. Wait about 5-10 minutes. You want to have about 5 minutes between starting the leeks and the butternut squash coming out of the oven.
4. Begin cooking rice.
5. Heat wok or deep cast iron skillet on medium high heat, add oil.
6. Throw in leeks and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the garlic, pepper, and squash, tossing constantly.
8. Add the meatballs.
9. While the veggies and meatballs are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Feel free to play with the measurements and ingredients for this.
10. When you feel everything has cooked long enough, and your rice is done, it is time to eat! I put each part down in layers (rice, meatballs/veggies, sauce), but you can combine any of them however you like!
11. Enjoy!

A little hangover food...

Last night, my husband rolled in late and drunk, which meant that he was going to need some good hangover food to get him ready for the day. Cue me scrounging through the fridge for random things. The end result is this beauty!

The process was incredibly simple. Roast half of a butternut squash (cubed) with olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper for 25 minutes. Fry up 4-6 cut up slices of jalapeño bacon with one leek, sliced, and 2 cloves of garlic, crushed. When the squash is done, throw it in the cast iron and give everything a good mix. Whisk 3 eggs together and pour over the bacon mixture. Put the cast iron into the oven at 350 and bake for 7 minutes. Sprinkle a little cheese over everything and bake an additional 8 minutes. Quarter and enjoy!

For love of balsamic vinegar!

My gentleman and I recently came back from a visit to Houston. During this visit, we ate. We ate a lot. Like, a lot A LOT. And much of it was not necessarily healthy eating. Delicious eating, but not always healthy. So, when we got back, we moved to this place in our lives where we decided we needed to step up our health game - eat better, be more active. The day after we got back, we finally signed up for a Krav Maga studio about 20 minutes away, and I stopped at the local grocer to get salad and some simple meats. Then, we proceeded to have a veritable feast of balsamic vinegary foods. By the end of the week, my belly was in throes of ecstasy that have since calmed down due to this no longer being the menu. However, the leftover possibilities for these dishes are tremendous, and worked well for our surprisingly busy summer lifestyle.


Baked Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

1 bag brussels sprouts (I use the big one from Costco) cleaned and halved
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp lemon olive oil
1/4 c blackberry white balsamic vinegar
1 dash red wine vinegar
1 dash olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet or pan with foil.
2. In a boil, combine all ingredients and toss to cover the brussels sprouts.
3. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. If you like, you can take them out at around 15 minutes and stir the brussels sprouts so they cook more evenly.
4. When the 25 minute mark hits, check to make sure that your sprouts are finished - they should be easy to eat. You decide how crispy you want them to be.
5. Enjoy! I like to reserve some of the sprouts for salads later on. They go great with a simple spring mix and chicken salad.

Steak Strips with Mushrooms and Onions

2 thin steaks - sandwich or thin flank steaks work beautifully for this - cut into thin strips

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 c sliced mushrooms

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 in ginger paste or fresh ginger

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil and the pan for about 3-4 minutes. 
2. Throw in the onions, mushrooms, and half of the vinegar.
3. Cook until the onions are soft and the vinegar has started to thicken. Remove this mixture from pan. 
4. Add a dash more of olive oil to the pan. Allow to heat for about 2 minutes. 
5. Add steak strips and remaining balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook until brown. 
6. Add garlic and stir.
7. Pour onion/mushrooms mixture into the pan and allow vinegar to cook down.
8. Serve on tortillas with lettuce, or over rice. 

*The leftovers for this are delightful when mixed with leftover balsamic chicken and served over rice.

Please let me know if you try any of the recipes on my blog! I would love to hear how they turn out!

Buffalo everything!

About seven years ago, I moved back to the city where I went to high school, my parents' house, and every bad memory I ever had there. Don't get me wrong, there were spectacular things that I was able to do in the year following that move, and it was great to get to see my family more often than two or three times a year. It was even better once I moved out and every time I saw them was on purpose and a happy occasion.

During that time, I also got to hang out with one of my best friends. For whatever reason, we were obsessed with boneless buffalo wings. We would eat out just for boneless buffalo wings, Arby's shaker tenders were a godsend (not delicious, but still something worth a try every now and then), and we constantly found ourselves munching on them for about two months. Then we slowed down and moved back into being real adults.

Every now and then, I still want them. I still love buffalo flavored things. So, one day I decided that it was high time to make a buffalo themed dinner.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken and Cauliflower

Creamy Buffalo Sauce
1 c Greek yogurt
1/2 c hot sauce (I used Crystal buffalo sauce) - you can use more if you like your sauce really spicy
pinch of salt

To make the sauce, merely stir or whisk all ingredients together. It's really simple.

Baked Buffalo Chicken
1/2 c Buffalo sauce (reserve the rest for the cauliflower and dipping after everything is cooked)
2 chicken breasts
Panko crumbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a layer of buffalo sauce in the bottom of your loaf pan, and then put the two chicken breasts over that, making sure to squish them nicely in the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the breasts. Bake for 30 minutes.

*If using panko crumbs, dip chicken breasts in sauce and then cover with crumbs. Place on a baking sheet covered in foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
1/4 c Buffalo sauce
1 head cauliflower, rinsed and cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Cover a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and set to the side. Dip each piece of cauliflower in the creamy buffalo sauce and place on the baking sheet. Make sure you space the cauliflower out evenly over the sheet so it will bake correctly. Once you have dipped all of your cauliflower, grind salt and pepper over it all to taste. Bake for 25-30.

Serve your chicken and cauliflower with a salad and the remaining sauce for dipping. You can also have blue cheese dressing to dip for additional flavor.

What to do with part of leftover crawfish!

I have a serious problem. I've mentioned it before, but it rears its head far too often for me to be able to pretend that it isn't chronic. It's avoidable. I have controlled it in the past, but right now it is a hard beast to battle.

I am very bad at letting recipes simply be. And that is if there is a recipe!

Saturday night, the gentleman and I had crawfish with some friends of ours. Not just a little. Oh no! We went ahead and ordered 20 lbs of the stuff because we weren't sure how much we would end up eating. Let me tell you, 20 lbs of crawfish is a lot. Even though the tales are tiny and a lot of work, they are also delicious. So, we gathered around the picnic table, a pile of brilliantly red crustaceans in front of us and dug in. Once we made it halfway through, we realized we would never be able to finish. So, we peeled the rest, divided the haul in half, and went our separate ways.

Sunday rolled around, and I woke up around 7:30, awake and feeling like I should do something. So I did. The gentleman sounded like he was about to die, so I let him sleep and decided to make breakfast using the various things we had floating in our fridge. By the end of the process, I had finished two loads of laundry, made coffee, cleaned the kitchen, and cooked one of the better breakfasts I've made. All in all, I was quite satisfied with the day. Now, without further ado, I give you my recipe for leftover omelets with potatoes, crawfish, and cheese sauce!

Leftover Omelets Featuring Cumin Potatoes and Crawfish

Omelet
1 handful of crawfish tails, halved or diced
1/2 c of leftover baked cumin potatoes (or pan-fried potato cubes)
4 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or about 1 tsp minced garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Sauce
1 c milk
1/2 c cheese of choice, diced (I used a delicious comte, but can use any kind)
1 tbsp cream cheese
1 in ginger paste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place biscuits on cookie sheet and cook as instructed. (I used Grands because I like how flaky they are.)
2. Start milk heating in a sauce pan, whisking frequently.
3. Once the milk is hot and starting to boil, add the cream cheese and whisk as it melts.
4. Keep an eye on the milk mixture and start heating your frying pan and olive oil. Once they are hot, add the leftover potatoes and garlic, stirring as needed to keep from burning.
5. Whisk together eggs and milk, set aside.
6. Add the diced cheese to the original milk mixture and continue mixing every few minutes to help the cheese melt smoothly.
7. Add the crawfish tails to the potato mixture, stir two or three times, and then evenly distribute the contents over the bottom of the frying pan. Make sure your burner is at medium or medium-low heat. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and swirl the pan around to make sure everything is coated. Allow the eggs to cook, as you would an omelet. I like to swirl the eggs every few minutes to coat the edges which have crisped.
8. Add the remaining ingredients to the cheese sauce (ginger paste, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne powder, salt, and pepper) and whisk to combine. Allow the sauce to cook down until everything is finished. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more milk.
9. Once your egg mixture is mostly cooked, other than the top, you can decide how you want to flip your omelet. I folded mine like a burrito and then flipped it over. If you prefer a more traditional fold, then do that!
10. Once the omelet is done (no more egg oozing), cut it in half and plate it. I added some extra leftover potatoes and a biscuit, which we ate with butter and homemade cherry jam. Don't forget to drizzle liberally with the cheese sauce!
11. Have with a delicious cup of coffee or orange juice, and enjoy!