Taking a Break

Trying to admit it to myself that I just don't have time to keep up with this blog.  Taking a break for a while...

A Couple New

Roast in Crock-pot with a can of Dr. Pepper.  Shred the meat when tender and put on toasted rolls with provolone.  Awesome!

Another recipe we had recently was marinated shrimp in lime juice and cilantro.  Then we grilled them - so yum!

Tostadas

Tonight we had my spin on tostadas.

Corn tortillas - warmed in oven until crispy
Take out of oven and spread the following:
canned refried black beans - who knew?
ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning
shredded cheddar
Stick back into oven until cheese melts
Take out and top with:
shredded lettuce
black olives
tomatoes
cilantro

Tomato and Mozz Salad with a Twist

Tomato and mozzarella salad - same as my last post but add a chopped up avocado.  Seriously?  Yumm

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

This is such a classic salad that I have recently rediscovered.  Since I have so many tomatoes right now, I was trying to think of other ways to use them.  We went to dinner at a friend's house the other night and she served a variation of it...which sparked my memory.

I normally slice cherry tomatoes in half.  Dice up the fresh ball of mozzarella.  Add some chopped fresh basil.  Drizzle some EVOO and good quality balsamic vinegar.  Oh and salt and pepper.

I could eat the stuff all day long.  Yum

Fajitas

As I've said before, we are dwindling down in our freezer beef.  Last night I made fajitas and used two soup bone cuts.  I cooked them slow on the stove top and then added a packet of fajita seasoning.  In another pot I cooked bell peppers and onions.  Then added them all together and turned the heat up really high to get a nice crispy edge.  I also hand shredded Monterrey jack cheese and pepper jack cheese for topping the fajitas and to mix into guac.  Oh and made a couple of cheese quesadillas (using gluten free corn tortillas) for the younger two boys.  It was yummmm!

PS - as I was making the fajitas, #5 drug the stool over so she could "help."  She asked what I was making and I told her fajitas.  She responded with, Oh I love mojitos!  Me too, baby girl, me too.

Watermelon!

This year my garden, for the most part, has been producing really well.

We've had an abundance of cucumbers.

Lots of cherry tomatoes.

A few larger tomatoes.

And yesterday, this huge watermelon!

And it was very very good!

Summer Corn

Who doesn't love corn on the cob in the summer?  Sweet corn?  We do!

Italian Roast

Ok- most of my kiddos thought this was too spicy but I didn't.  It was so good!

Arm roast
italian seasoning
large jar pepperocini (sp?) peppers
dutch oven
275 for about 4-5 hours

So easy and amazingly good!

P-dub does this recipe too and I think I blogged about it a couple of years  ago.  Something called "drip beef 2 ways" or something.  This was pretty close to that but easier!

Roast

I am starting to get to the dwindlings of the deep freeze beef.  I can't believe it.  We are out of steak, round steak, beef tips and soup bones.  Only 4 more roasts and about 30 pounds of hamburger.  Tonight we had a roast in the crock pot seasoned with a packet of italian seasoning.  It was just enough.  The kids loved it!  Served with mashed potatoes and green beans.  Just a little leftover for My Man's lunch tomorrow!

Corn Tortillas

Corn tortillas were never on my list of favorite foods until My Man started employing hispanic workers.  Their wives would make tamales for us and over time, I have fallen in love with authentic mexican cuisine.  Like, I totally love it.  Totally.

And now, when I make mexican at home I find myself only using corn tortillas.   And guess what?  My kiddos love them.  And guess what?  They are gluten free!

Last night we had tacos with all the typical toppings.  And two of the boys ended their meal with one more corn tortilla covered in melted cheese telling them they love these things while they wolfed them down.

White Wine Mushroom Chicken

I kind of made up a recipe last night - but nothing original just something I threw together.

Saute chicken breasts in olive oil.
In a separate pan, cook mushrooms in olive oil for about 20 minutes.
Add some white wine to the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes.
Add two cloves of crushed garlic to the mushrooms.
Salt and pepper.
Then add some cream and butter to the mushrooms.
Then put chicken breasts into mushroom mixture and simmer about 10 minutes.
Serve over pasta - wheat free pasta if you want.
Very yummy!

Steak Fajitas

I made fajitas last night.  I've made them quite a few times before but no one would ever eat them besides My Man and I.  However, a couple months ago we took the kids to a mexican restaurant for dinner and told them they needed to order something that was not chicken strips and fries.  One ordered a taco, one ordered fajitas and two ordered cheese quesadillas.  (Little Miss still got to order chicken strips).

Everyone liked what they got and I gushed and made a big deal about the fact that they were growing up and broadening their pallet and all of that.

So when I told the kids I was making fajitas, I got a "yay!"  Everyone tried them and enjoyed them, though three of the boys picked out the onions and peppers.  Since we are transitioning to a gluten free household, I served corn tortillas.  Everyone seemed to like those.  #4 decided to try the onions and ended up loving those.  #1 will put all the stuff on his fajita but the rest just want the steak.

It was a nice accomplishment in the Kohler house last night!

Cucumbers

So, I'm having a bumper crop of cucumbers right now!  We have them coming out of our ears!  My favorite way to eat a cucumber is by slicing it up thinly and pouring vinegar and sugar on them.  Yummy!  But I'm trying to limit the sugar in my diet as well as the kids...so I'm subbing some Steevia in there too.  And NO ONE CAN TELL!

I'm also getting about 15 cherry tomatoes a day.  I can pop those like candy.  Sadly, I've eaten all of them so the kids and hubs have done without.  I'm trying to refrain for a few days though so we can have BLT's on Friday.  Only, the tomatoes are cherry soooo...it will be a bit different.

And I got a new blender for my anniversary.  Well we gave it to each other.  It's a Blentec and it's quite amazing.  Our mornings have been full of protein shakes with kale and spinach, frozen fruits, protein powder and almond milk.  My Man has been trying to choke them down, haha!

Garden

My garden is starting to produce!

Tomatoes and cucumbers so far!

A few blackberries too.

My zucchini plants got some kind of bug on them early on and are struggling...might not get many this year.

Ranch-Pesto Chicken

Another new recipe I tried was an easy crock-pot one!  Ranch-Pesto Crock-pot Chicken.  It was super easy and the kids loved it.  I served with whole wheat pasta.

 Chicken breast (4-6), 1pkg ranch dressing mix, 1 small jar pesto (or approx 1/2-3/4 cup-depending on how many breast your cooking), and 1/4 or less chicken stock. Cook on low about 6 hours, then I shred the chicken and serve over pasta with a little parm cheese. Sorry about all the estimates- I don't measure or follow a specific recipe. Enjoy!

St. Louis Eats

While we were in STL last weekend, we ate some amazing food!  Two places we checked out were on an episode of Man vs. Food.  A BBQ joint called Pappy's Smokehouse and a candy/malt shop called Crown Candy.

I had checked out both on Tripadvisor to see the reviews.  Both got great reviews.  We were not disappointed.  We got to Pappy's Smokehouse at just the right time because I had read that the line to order could wrap around the block.  We got in and only had about 8 people in front of us.  My Man ordered some kind of huge platter and then added on a couple of turkey sandwiches.  I think we ended up with 2 slabs of pork ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, pulled chicken sandwich, brisket sandwich, two turkey sandwiches, deep fried corn on the cob (seriously), sweet potato fries and baked beans.  There were three different sauces to choose from so we did a taste test.  I will post about that on my other blog.  The area for Pappy's location was not worrisome.  Sometimes, when you think of good BBQ, you think about inner city areas with lots of sinister looking individuals and unclean streets, etc.  Not so with Pappy's.


Crown Candy was another spot that we got to just in time.  We only waited about 5 minutes to order and the line ended up out the door almost right after we got there.  We went for ice cream but got to see some of the food items while we waited.  The BLT looked awesome.  We ordered 2 hot fudge sundaes (homemade hot fudge), chocolate ice cream, marshmallow malt, chocolate banana malt, and a strawberry sundae.  All of it was amazing!  Since it was a nice day, we ate in the lot across the street that had been reconstructed as an outdoor eating area.  We knew as we were getting close to Crown Candy that the neighborhood was getting sketchy.  The drug bust down the block was our first clue.  Lots of flashing lights, police SUV's, men in long white t-shirts and baggy jeans getting arrested...gave our children some culture for sure.  The shop itself was clean and great.  The eating area across the street was clean as well.  The surrounding buildings seemed to be all tenement housing with several loitering individuals on the street, sidewalks, inside cars, etc.  My mind kept flashing back to Boyz in the Hood...  But we were fine, we ate our ice cream and quick hopped back in the car and didn't waste any time leaving.

Chicken Avocado Enchiladas

Another really good recipe I made from our mom FB recipe page was Chicken Avocado Enchiladas.  These were super good!

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/chicken-avocado-enchiladas/

Baked Chimichangas

Some friends have started a little FB page where we share our tried and true recipes with each other.  It's been really fun to try other things!   One of the first things I tried was Baked Chimichangas.  They were very very good!

Baked Chicken Chimichangas 

8oz pkg. cream cheese
8oz. Pepperjack cheese, shredded
1 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded
8 flour tortillas
cooking spray
shredded cheddar cheese
green onions, for garnish
sour cream
salsa

Stir together cream cheese, Pepperjack cheese and taco seasoning.
Fold in chicken.
Divide among flour tortillas.
Tuck in sides, and roll up each tortilla.
Lay seam side down in a sprayed 9x13" baking dish.
Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Turn chimi's over, and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream, and salsa.

Beef Fajita Spaghetti

Last night I made beef fajita spaghetti.  It was so easy!  And most everyone liked it which is always a plus.  You prepare spaghetti noodles like normal.  You brown your meat of choice.  I used round steak cut into strips but you could any red meat except ground beef.  Well you could use ground beef but it might be strange.  So, brown the meat in a bit of oil.  Drain.  Then add sliced bell peppers.  I used red, orange and yellow.  Also add a sliced onion.   Brown that for a bit and then add the fajita seasoning and some water.  Cook until the veggies are good and tender and a little black like fajitas veggies should look.  That's it!  It was really good!