Garlic Bread

My sister Renee gave me this recipe!

1 cube butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 T freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 t freshly finely chopped parsley

mix all together and spread on good fresh french bread or baguette, toast bread under broiler until golden brown :)

Hot Salsa

Eric's Hot salsa!

1 bunch of cilantro

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 serrano chili peppers, *diced

3 jalapeno peppers, *diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 lime

1/2 tsp. salt

5 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos

Rinse cilantro, take off leaves and chop. Add finely minced garlic, peppers, onion and mix. Squeeze in lime juice and mix in salt. Add neatly diced tomatoes. Mix well and refrigerate.

*Wear plastic gloves while chopping and do not touch eyes while working with peppers. Discard the seeds.

Bruschetta al Pomodoro

These are an all time favorite of mine!  It's also a great addition to spaghetti dinner!!

1 french baguette, sliced at an angle

3-4 tomatoes, diced

3/4 c. basil, chopped (purple basil works great too and has beautiful presentation)

1 lg. clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar

parmesan, freshly grated

salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Very lightly brush baguette slices with oil on the tops. Sprinkle a tiny amount of parmesan on all the slices and bake 3-5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, oil, balsamic and salt to taste. Mix gently. Spoon tomato mixture on the hot sliced baguette and serve right away!

Fruit Pizza

A fun twist on a old favorite that your whole family will LOVE!!!

1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, peaches, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, etc (any fruit really)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.

Eggs Benedict

I promise this is easy, you can do it!!

3 egg yolks
1  lemon, juice
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 pinch ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3  cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 strips Canadian-style bacon
2 English muffins, split

To Make Hollandaise: Fill the bottom of a double boiler part-way with water. Make sure that water does not touch the top pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and cream . Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated.  Remove from heat. Place a lid on pan to keep sauce warm.

To Poach Eggs: Fill a large saucepan with 3 inches of water. Bring water to a gentle simmer, then add vinegar. Carefully break eggs into simmering water, and allow to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Yolks should still be soft in center. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and set on a warm plate covered with paper towels.

While eggs are poaching, brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and toast the English muffins. Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one poached egg. Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Bacon, Eggs and Potato Hash

Great for camping!

potatoes, peeled and diced OR as many frozen hash browns as you want OR peeled and diced leftover baked potatoes

a small amount of canola oil, maybe a tablespoon (it and olive oil are the healthiest kinds of oils)

cooked bacon, cut or broken into small pieces

raw eggs mixed with a small amount of milk, like you were making scrambled eggs

If there are only two people, I would use two potatoes, 4 pieces of bacon, and three eggs. Increase the amount of each as you add people to serve. Pour a small amount of oil into a large frying pan. Heat it up and add the potatoes. If they are raw or frozen, cook them 15 to 20 minutes or until they are getting soft in the middle and crisp on the outside. If they are leftover baked potatoes, just warm them up and brown them a little. Add the bacon and the egg/milk mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir until it all sets up into a cooked mixture of bacon, eggs and potatoes. There really isn't a wrong way to make these, and they turn out different each time.


I love to throw in onions, cheese, spinach or avocado to switch it up.  You really can't mess this up!

Gingers Famous Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

This is a big favorite in my house, hope you enjoy it!!

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cut into cubes
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound fettuccine pasta
1 onion, diced
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large skillet over medium heat combine chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Set aside. melt 4 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Saute onion, 2 tablespoons garlic and mushrooms until the onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper, cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and half and half, stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterrey Jack cheeses, stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes and sour cream.

Stuffed Zucchini

Yummy yummy yummy!

6 zucchinis

4 Italian sausages or 1 lb. ground beef (we like Kielbasa in this recipe)

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp. white wine or cooking wine

1/4 tsp. Italian herb seasonings

1 egg

1/2 c. grated mozzarella

1/4 c. grated parmesan

salt and pepper

oil 

optional:

fresh basil and/or oregano

Slice zucchinis in half lengthwise.   Use spoon and scoop out insides leaving the zucchinis about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle the insides of zucchini with some salt to draw out excess moisture.   Chop the scooped zucchini insides and set aside.  Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Brown sausage or ground beef

and break it up into small pieces.  Remove from heat and put into a mixing bowl and set aside.  In skillet , add chopped zucchinis, drained tomatoes, garlic, white wine, Italian herb mix, add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until all of the moisture has absorbed.  Mix in the browned sausage and wait until the filling has cooled.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Drain any moisture that may have come out of the filling before mixing in the cheese and egg.  Also, drain any moisture that has been drawn out of zucchinis.  Mix the egg and cheese into the filling and scoop generously into zucchinis. Bake for about 20 minutes until the zucchini has softened  .

We serve ciabatta rolls with it!

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Inspired by Cafe Rio's Dressing

6 tbsp. oil (half olive, half canola)

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

8 tbsp. lime juice or 4 fresh limes, squeezed

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 dashes of white wine vinegar (approx.)

2 tbsp. ginger, grated

1/4-1/2 c. sugar or to taste

fresh ground black pepper

salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor

Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dressing

Cafe Rio inspired!

1 package dry hidden valley ranch salad dressing
1 cup mayo
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 large clove garlic
3 small-medium tomatillos, husk off (like tomatoes but green and has a husk on it)
1/3 cup buttermilk (substitute 1 tbsp. white vinegar with 1 c. milk)
juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1 small jalapeno) - optional
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill in fridge at least 1 hour before serving, then it will thicken.

Cilantro Lime Rice

This is fantastic inside a burrito or as a side dish!

3 cups uncooked rice
4 cups water
4 tsp chicken bouillion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can green chili's diced
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp zest of lime
2 tbs lime juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs butter
1/2 onion, chopped

Saute onion, garlic and butter until the onion is soft. Add water, rice, and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. After it begins to boil rapidly, reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Carne Asada Marinade

This is the best marinade ever!  I just made this this yesterday and finally got to have it for dinner!

  It takes a little work but it's well worth it.  

It makes a lot!

3/4 c. orange juice

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. lime juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 c. olive oil

3 lbs. flank steak, sliced

Combine the orange, lemon, and lime juice in a large bowl along with the garlic, soy sauce, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, oregano, black pepper, and cilantro.  Whisk in the olive oil until marinade is combined.  Remove one cup of marinade, cover and refrigerate for after the meat is cooked.

Fork steak (for the marinade to absorb).  Put steak and marinade in a large 1 gallon freezer bag and allow to marinate for 24 hours.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.  Grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium rare.  Discard used marinade.  Pour the one cup of reserved, unused marinade over the hot meat and serve. 

Stuffed Peppers

This is so good and can be made surprisingly quick!

4 Bell peppers, hollowed out

1 box of spanish rice (we use Near East) and follow package instructions

1/2 - 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1/2 c. grated cheese

1 sm. can of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. One rice is finished cooking and you've browned and drained your beef, mix them together.  Stuff peppers with mixture then sprinkle cheese over the tops of each pepper.  Neatly top with tomato paste and bake for 25 minutes.  Voila!!

Easy Pasta Salad

I got this recipe from my dear sister-in-law, Ginger, and it has become a party favorite!  I have made many variations of the salad but think this variation is the best below.  

1 bag of pasta ( macaroni or curly noodles)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
1 large can olives
Cherry tomatoes
1 block of cheese cubed
2 bottles of Italian dressing (the secret is to use the Good Seasons packets )
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder

Chop vegetables while pasta is cooking. Rinse pasta with COLD water and mix everything together, except 1/2 bottle of dressing. Refrigerate, then add the dressing. Enjoy

Easy Mexican Quiche

You'll be doing the Mexican hat dance over this one!

5 eggs

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 (7oz.) can of diced green chilies

1 c. cottage cheese

1/4 c. onion, chopped

1 tbsp. butter

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

salsa

Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in flour and baking powder. Add the 1/4 c. of melted butter, chilies, and cottage cheese. Saute onion in the 1 tbsp. of butter; add mixture, along with cheese. Combine just until blended. Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 inch baking dish or pie plate and bake at 400 F. for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F. and continue baking about 30 minutes. Cut into small squares or wedges and serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Grandma's Buttermilk Pancakes

We have breakfast for dinner in our house on Sundays.

These light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes are great anytime because they are surprisingly filling.

1 egg

1 c. buttermilk 

2 tbsp. oil

1 c. flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, beat egg. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

We double the recipe for the three of us.

Blueberry Muffins

These will get your party started!

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

Beat together the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and milk. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a seperate bowl before adding to the butter mixture. Once everything is mixed together, carefully fold in the bluberries. Spray muffins tins with non-stick cooking spray and fill about 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle sugar over the tops of the muffins before putting them in the oven. Bake at 375 F. for about 20 minutes