Quest for Delish

Peach mojito

2023-09-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

I'm in love with mojitos and love to add the seasonal fruit to improve the basic cocktail. My new thing is to take the fresh fruit muddle it in the shaker along with lime and mint, then top with flavored club soda. It's not complicated and tastes fresh and delicious.

Ingredients

2oz White Rum

1 oz lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

handful of mint leaves

half a white peach

2 oz peach club soda

Recipe

In a shaker muddle slices of peach, lime and mint.

Add to shaker, rum, lime juice, simple syrup and shake together.

Fill glass with ice and mint leaves slices of peach and lime wedges. Pour mixture over ice. Then top with club soda. Mix together with with straw.

I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think.

Fajita Seasoning

2023-02-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

1 Tbs Cornstarch

2 tsp Chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

Directions

Mix together and store in container. Add 2 tsp to chicken after chicken is cooked through and then 1/4 c chicken broth.

Chex Mix

2023-01-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

My step mom has been making Chex mix for as long as I can remember. It is a tradition for her to make it at big events like, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, 4th of July, Sun Lakes family vacation, and Easter. I tried to make it many years ago and failed. Mainly because she doesn't have a recipe that isn't in on paper. I finally decided to watch her make it and write her every move. I've been holding that recipe for years. I finally decided to make it again because I love it but I decided this time to try adding more items I like. I'm not a big fan of the Chex mix and cherrios so I decided to add cashews and Cheese its. I can tell it's going to be a process to get it exactly the way I like it. Above is a pic of the original and below is the classic recipe. Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

4 cups cheerios

4 cups Rice Chex cereal

2 cups peanuts

4 cups pretzels

2 sticks of butter (melted)

8 tbs of Worcestershire

8 dashes of Johnnys

10 light dashes of onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp garlic salt

Recipe

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees

Melt butter and add Worcestershire, Johnnys, onion powder, garlic powder, and garlic salt. mix until well combined.

Add pretzels, peanuts, and both cereals to a pan. Drizzle 3 large spoon fulls of sauce and toss around. Bake for 15 minutes. Add 3 more large spoonfuls and bake another 15 minutes. Continue this process until you get desired color.

Below is a pic of my attempt to make it with different ingredients. Got to say this attempt was much better than the first. The cheese its are a great adition. I think the next time I will try mini bagel chips.

Broccoli and Beef

2020-07-26T22:48:00.000-04:00

I was watching a morning news channel and they made Broccoli and Beef and oh boy did it look good and so easy to make. I wont lie I also liked that she was Asian because often white cooks make Asian dishes and they are too bland. So I thought what the heck lets give it a try and I've now made it twice and we all just love it. I've add other veggies because I love all sorts of veggies in a stir fry type meal.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1/2 pound flank steak

2 Tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce divided plus more as needed

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or dry marsala wine (optional)

2 medium cloves garlic crushed

1 Tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstrarch

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

2 heaping cups broccoli florets, blanched for about 2 minutes and drained

2-3 tablespoons of water

1 teaspoon hoison sauce.

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Recipe

Trim the flank steak and cut into smaller pieces to help with slicing. You will need to slice against the grain into thin pieces, about 1/8 inch. Place in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the ginger, wine, and garlic and mix well. Add cornstarch and mix well again.

Preheat wok or pan over high heat until wisps of smoke rise to surface. Add vegetable oil heat until it starts to shimmer. Gently add the beef and using a spatula, spread it into a single layer in the bowl of the wok. Sear it for about 30 seconds and the stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the meat has browned. Add the broccoli, water, remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce and the hoisin and stir fry 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add a dash more soy sauce, if desired. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve with steamed rice.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies you will ever put in your Mouth

2020-07-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

A co worker made these cookies and I have to say they live up to the title she gave them. Every time she made cookies I ran to the staff table to get one. They are the perfect combination of crunchy/chewy buttery wonderfulness. I had to get the recipe because I knew I may need to have them in my life more often. She was kind enough to share and now I know why they are so special. The ingredients explain just why they are both crunchy and chewy and so tasty. As you can see it has both baking soda and powder. I believe thats what makes them crunchy and the dark brown sugar helps them to be chewy. These instructions are very concise and I have followed to a T and I have changed to fit my needs.

I am a firm believer there is no such thing as the perfect recipe. always room for improvement because everyone is different in what they love. Try these and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

3 1/2 Cups all-Purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 Cups unsalted butter

1 1/4 Cups + 2 Tablespoon dark brown sugar (packed)

1 Cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

12 oz chocolate chips

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Using a mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars together as they are mixing.

2. Sift or whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4 Add vanilla

5. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Using and ice cream scoop (approximately 1/4 cup) form dough into egg shapes, place on cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown but still soft. They will appear "puffy" but will slim down after they have rested 1-2 minutes, then gently remove from tray and place directly on cooling rack. They need to rest for 5 minutes before eating. or storing.

*Size does matter. Anything smaller that 1/4 cup produces and inferior cookie, an ice cream scoop is perfect.

When I first made these I didn't have the right scoop size. I made them anyway. They were a little too small. When I made them the second time with the right size they were just a little to big. I now use the big scoop but I don't fill them to the brim. And they are perfect that way. I also ran out of dark brown sugar and they were still very good but not as good. I've yet to freeze them but I still want to try that.

Blood Orange Mojito

2020-06-07T19:20:00.001-04:00

This time of year blood oranges are easy to find and so delicious. I'm always thinking about how I can make a cocktail better. I decided to add one to my mojito. It made the drink quite tasty and such a gorgeous color. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Recipe

1 1/2 ounce of White Rum (1 1/2 shot)

1/2 ounce simple syrup

1 lime

1 blood orange

8 mint leaves

1 can seltzer water

1/2 lime for muddling

Directions

To a shaker add 1/2 lime and 3 mint leaves and muddle. Then add lime juice, blood orange juice, 3 mint leaves, simple syrup, and white rum.

Add ice to glass jar with mint leaves. I like to rip them to add mint flavor to the drink. Shake your shaker and pour into glass. fill about 3/4 of the way and then top with soda water. Probably even be better if you added Blood soda water.

Pickles

2019-11-05T00:40:00.001-05:00

My grandma made cucumbers every year. Me and my family just love them and would eat them up every time she shared with us. She gave me the recipe but I was always afraid to make them because canning just scares me. My sisters and I wanted her to teach us but life always got in the way and she passed away before we got the chance. However we were lucky she taught my cousin and she promised to teach us. Well life kept getting in the way but finally we made it happen. There were some bumps and I was afraid it wasn’t gonna happen but this last August we finally got it all together. I’m adding this tutorial because I want my family who weren’t there to be able to go to it and feel like they were there and be able to make them every year if they want. I also want it for myself because I’m sure I will need reminders because a year is a long time.

Just to let you know my grandma cans the old school way. She did not boil cans after being sealed so if you are not comfortable with that please boil. I’m totally aware most canning recommends it but I’m posting this exactly the way my grandmother did.

Step 1: wash jars and lids.

Step 2: rinse and scrub cucumbers. We got ours straight off the farm and they were very very dirty so this took quite awhile because we were making pickles for 5 of us.

Step 3: Prepare pan for lids. fill roasting pan with enough water to cover lids and add lids in single layer. This is very important that you add both parts of the lids and only one layer to make sure they are sterile. It also makes sure the heat ensures seal.

Step 4: Prepare brine in a large canning pot (Recipe Below)

Step 5: Prepare jars with Dill, Garlic, and jalapenos (if you like it spicy)

Step 6: Fill each jar with as many cucumbers that you can fit in

Step 7: Once the brine is ready you fill each jar carefully making sure to leave 1/4 of inch to the top.

Step 8: With your oven glove and tongs carefully put lid on each jar and close very tightly. These will be super hot so the oven glove is very important so you don't burn your hands. You also want to do this quickly to keep all the heat in.

Step 9: Continue doing this until they are all filled and sealed.

Now comes the hardest part....waiting. Before moving the jars you have to wait for them to suck the lid in. You will hear it snap. You don't want to press it in. You"ll have to have lots of patience. So what I did is make us cocktails and snacks.

Ingredients (Per Dozen jars) (1 hour prep)

10lbs of cucumbers
2 heads of garlic
1 bunch of dill
1 1/2 jalapeno

Brine (10 quarts)

1 quart white vinegar
15 cups of water
1 cup of salt

(My grandmother always doubled the brine)

Recipe

Bring the brine to a boil. Place lids in boiling water. after all jars are prepared with ingredients, pour brine into each jar carefully. Leave 1/4 inch of brine from top. Seal with lids immediately and let sit. Can take 1-2 hours to seal properly. They start to change color right away.

Once they all pop you store them for 2 months. To me that was the hardest part. Not all people wait that long but I am following exactly how my grandma does it because hers are the best. Next time I may add more garlic or more dill and maybe even more jalapeno to some jars. I like pickles with kick but if they are too spicy they are ruined. So I wasn't to brave this time around because this is a lot of work for something to turn out bad.

I'm no longer afraid to can vegetables or jam. Next year I may tweak some stuff. I may even try boiling jars after they are sealed to ensure the snapping of the lids because it was very stressful. I hope you all try canning after this because it's a lot easier than I thought.

These are the two hand printed recipes of my grandmas recipe. I put together the recipe above based off of what a dozen would make. I made 6 jars for myself but we made 33 jars in total this day. So we made two brines. It took a lot longer because we made so many but it was a lot of fun to do it together. I will never forget it and am sure my grandma was there with us that day.

Chocolate chip caramel cookies

2019-09-29T00:59:00.004-04:00

I love chocolate chip cookies but most of the time they turn out pretty bad so when you find a good recipe it’s super special. I found this recipe on Pinterest. The photo and the fact that it had caramel in it sold me. I wasn’t sure I was gonna like the but I was willing to try. Everyone I make these for just absolutely love them and can’t just eat one. It makes a lot of cookies so I scoop them into balls and store in fridge so we can have fresh baked cookies every day until they run out. Check out original recipe here. I adapted very little.

When I was a kid my sister and I made chocolate chip cookies just so we could eat the dough. Now I eat a few bites because that kid in me still loves it but my stomach says no. It’s funny how you change over time.

Ingredients

3 Cups of flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 C. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup caramel bits

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

In stand mixer beat sugars and butter until light and creamy. Then add eggs and vanilla. Scrape sides and mix again.

Mix on low and add flour slowly. Once combined add chips and caramel.

Scoop with small ice cream scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

Try them and let me know what you think.

Whipped Ricotta and Bruschetta

2019-07-04T01:59:00.004-04:00

My sister and I love to go shopping at the Nordstrom sale and then after a few hours of trying on clothes we need a break for drinks and lunch at the Macaroni Grill. I’ve been doing that tradition for many years. I’ve had some not so good experiences at that restaurant but mostly great. We always have to order the whipped ricotta bruschetta. I love it so much that I needed to recreate it. It’s a very simple recipe with few ingredients so it’s very important to use good quality ingredients.

Ingredients

4 ounces whole milk ricotta

1 ounce sour cream

2 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley

2 tomatoes seeded

1 garlic cloves chopped

2 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 baguette sliced

Directions

Mix together ricotta, sour cream, 1tsp basil, parsley, 1 tsp olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Dice seeded tomatoes. Place in a bowl and add garlic, julienned basil 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Slice baguette or any of your favorite bread. Paint olive oil on both sides of bread. Grill until brown and slightly crisp. Smear cheese spread on bread and top with tomatoes.

Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it as much as me and my friends.

Spicy Grapefruit Margarita

2018-02-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

My sister made one of these for me last summer and I was addicted. I believe the story goes that her neighbor Susie made it for her. It is a great combination of salty, sweet, tart with a hint of spicy. I gulped it down and needed to share it with you. My friend Susie found it on pinterest from a blog called half baked harvest. She sent me the original recipe. I highly recommend you make this delicious margarita made with fresh juice especially because all this citrus fruit is in season right now.

Ingredients (for one drink)

2 ounces of tequila

1/2 grapefruit juiced

1 lime juiced

1 tablespoon of honey

1 slice of jalapeno

Ingredients (salt mixture)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 tsp sugar

Directions

Pour all ingredients except jalapeno, in a shaker and shake vigourlsy. Rim glass with spicy salt mixture. Fill glass with ice and pour shaken mixture into glass. garnish and serve.

If you are going to have a group of friends over it is great to make this in a big batch so you don't have to work so hard. I did this recently and it was great and easy.

Ingredients (Big Batch) makes about 5 drinks depending on how big your glasses are.

1 1/2 cups of tequila

2 cups grapefruit juice

3/4 lime juice

1/4 cup of honey

5 slices of jalapeno

Directions

Pour all ingredients in a pitcher except jalapenos. mix well and hold in refrigerator a few hours before serving. Rim each glass with spicy salt mixture and fill glass with ice. Pour about 5 drinks. Add jalapeno when serving.

Let me know what you think.

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

2017-09-08T20:43:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite things about going to the state fair is getting a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. What I hated about it is that they would charge $5 a glass. Not such a big deal when I am buying it for just me but when your whole family wants one then it gets way too expensive. I figured out how to make my own by the glass. It just seemed to much work squeezing lemons to make it by the pitcher when not everyone wanted one when I did.

The only problem is that I can't drink the concentrate any more. It is to sweet and thick for me.

Ingredients

1 medium lemon

1/8 cup of simple syrup

ice

12 ounce glass

Directions

Fill glass with ice. Squeeze one medium lemon into glass. If your lemon is small squeeze 1 1/2 lemons. Then add simple syrup and fill the rest with cold water. Stir with straw and enjoy.

Super easy and refreshing.

Passion fruit Mojito

2017-08-25T13:33:00.001-04:00

Mojitos are one of my favorite cocktails. It took me a long time to figure out just the right measurements for each drink and now I am adding new flavors. I found this passion fruit puree at cash and carry and now I add it to many different cocktails, ice cream, and even smoothies.

I made this drink on vacation and they were a huge hit. I think this fruit is a good addition to a mojito because it is sweet and tart just like the original.

I'm sorry to say this puree is not easy to find but you can order it on line I believe.

Ingredients (per 1 cocktail, double for 2 or triple for 3)

1 1/2 ounce White Rum

1 1/2 Lime

Club Soda

8 Mint Leaves

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

ice

1/4 ounce Passion fruit puree

Directions

In a shaker add 1/2 lime and 5 mint leaves. Muddle and squeeze lime juice out. Then add rum, squeeze 1 lime, simple syrup, and passion fruit puree.

In a glass add 3 mint leaves torn up. then fill with ice 3/4 of the glass. Shake ingredients in shaker and pour over ice 3/4 of the way. Top with club soda. stir with straw and serve.

Let me know what you think.

Chinese BBQ Pork

2017-08-21T18:37:00.001-04:00

Every time we went out for Chinese food we had to start with Barbecue Pork. I'm not sure when my step mom Sue decided to find a recipe and how long ago she started making it but it has become a tradition to have it at all our holiday functions and vacation in Sun Lakes. We all look forward to it. The only bad part is that it is so good that I no longer like ordering it at restaurants. I recently made it myself and needed to share it on my blog because it is so good and easy that all of you should be able to enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 pound pork tenderloin

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon 5 spice seasoning

1/4 pepper

1 teaspoon cooking sherry or rice wine

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoon hoisen sauce

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions

Mix all ingredients and add to the large plastic zip lock bag. After trimming the pork tenderloin add it to bag and marinate for 2 hours or over night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. I believe I baked mine for 30 minutes because I like mine a bit over done. The temperature should read at least 145 degrees but I like it a little dry because I dip it into ketchup, hot mustard and sesame seeds. I think my temp read 160 degrees.

My step mom made it with cooking sherry I tried rice wine because I had it and it seemed to be exactly the same. It is up to you. The red food coloring is just for the coloring but doesn't change the taste so it is up to you.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Blood Orange Margarita

2017-02-23T23:20:00.000-05:00

This time of year is great if you love margaritas because oranges and limes are every where and they are cheap. Blood oranges are a bit sweeter and add a wonderful color to the drink. I already add fresh orange juice to every margarita because it adds the perfect amount of sweetness without making it too sweet.

If you are out shopping get a few blood oranges and try this lovely drink. You could also add it to a lemon drop or mojito. They aren't around for long so this is the time to give it a try.

Ingredients

3 ounces Tequila

Juice of 1 lime

1 ounce triple sec

Juice of one blood orange

salt for rim (optional)

Directions

fill shaker half way with ice. Add all 4 ingredients. Rim glass with salt fill half way with ice. Shake drink and pour in glass. Enjoy

Chicken Wings

2017-01-22T20:16:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of wings but find to often that they are soggy. I loathe soggy wings and wont eat them. My favorite place to get wings was a place in NYC called The Kinsale tavern on the Upper East Side. Their sauce was always spicy and sweet and always crispy.

I have tried making my own several times and failed every time. I deep fried once and it was just too much work and seemed like such a waste of oil. I was on Pinterest and found this recipe that guaranteed them to be crispy and baked. I figured what them hell I will give them a try.

I have to say it is not a quick recipe but the turnout is so great that I don't mind. I got this recipe from fifteen spatulas. I changed the sauce to what I feel is the best substitute to The Kinsale but I follow her cooking instructions. My only frustration with this way of cooking is that they do stick to the pan but like I said the outcome is too good to care.

Ingredients

2 lbs Chicken wings

salt

3 tablespoons Franks hot sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Heat up a big pot of boiling water. Add salt to water before adding chicken. You want it to taste like salt water.

Add chicken wings to water and boil for about 7-8 minutes. remove and add them to wire rack to let them dry. Dry each wing with paper towel the best that you can. Then place them on sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes on one side. I usually bake 30 minutes. Then flip and bake another 5 minutes sometimes I do 10. during that time add hot sauce, butter and honey to small sauce pan. Heat until melted and combined.

toss sauce and wings in a bowl just until covered. I don't like overdoing it with sauce.

Serve immediately and enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Cranberry Margarita

2016-12-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

I attempted to make cranberry margarita in the past and it was awful. I recently attempted to make cranberry lemon drop and it too was horrible. My sister made these on Christmas Eve and we were all very happy. Her good friend Susie created it and taught her this wonderful recipe. I loved them so much I had to make them on Christmas day and they were a huge hit. I was serving them all night.

They are a perfect combination of sweet and tart. When I made them the first time back in nyc I made them with cranberry juice. They were just too tart because as we all know cranberries are super tart. I watched Rachel Ray's husband make a cranberry simple syrup so I made cranberry lemon drops and they too were just way to tart. Susie found a cranberry sauce that she adds to the drink and it gives the perfect combination.

Different from Susie is that I use my margarita recipe but add her cranberry sauce. If you like it a little more tart remove the fresh orange juice.

For Cranberry sauce: (recipe came from a great food blog called Damn Delicious)

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup sugar or more to taste

1 (12 ounce) bag of fresh cranberries

3/4 cup of water

Recipe

In medium sauce pan combine orange juice, zest, sugar and water and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens about 15 minutes.

let cool.

For the cocktail: (Makes one drink)

Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces tequila

1/2 ounce triple sec

2 ounces fresh Orange juice

1 lime squeezed

1/2 ounce cranberry sauce

brown sugar for rim of glass

Directions

Add ice to a shaker and add all ingredients. Rim glass with brown sugar and add ice to glass. Shake all ingredients and pour into glass.

Try it and let me know what you think. You can freeze cranberry sauce to you can continue to have it when cranberries are no longer in season.

Pizza Crust

2016-10-11T22:25:00.002-04:00

I have a huge fear of making bread of any type. I have watched countless videos on foodnetwork and yet it always felt like so much work and I hated the idea I would make it and it would suck. I have a friend here in Seattle who used to make pizza for us when I was in high school. Kosta went on to open his own restaurant and happens to still make very delicious pizza and many other dishes at Varlamos pizzeria. I asked if he would show me just how to make a crust and he was generous enough to walk me through it. We made a dough and set it aside to rise while we chatted about our lives and old high school stories. I took that dough home and he gave me toppings for it so I could create a pizza for me and my family.

I made my stock sauce that I often make for pasta and made pepperoni for the kids. I added a little onion on the second half and arugula for the second pie. The dough we made allowed me to make 4 medium size pies. I like my crust thin so I was able to get 4 easily.

The recipe he gave me is for a basic Italian crust. It is not his restaurants recipe but damn good. The best things I learned from this experience is that crust is quite easy to make. I also learned that if you treat it with love it will taste wonderful and have great texture. I've made this for a few of my family members and they all said I make the best pizza they have ever had.

The second time I made it my mom said she would like the sauce to have more garlic so I doubled it and it was even better. Kosta taught me to not be afraid and just play with it. He also said I can let the dough rise in the fridge and I have done that both times. I am no longer afraid of pizza and wanted to share my story with you all. Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients for crust

3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups water 110 degrees

1 package of instant yeast

Stock sauce

Recipe

In a mixer with hook attachment add flour, yeast, sugar and salt and mix around. Pour in hot water and olive oil slowly. mix together until it all comes together. Add more flour to your counter and place dough on top. You will have to kneed dough and add flour until it is no longer sticky. Place in a bowl that has light coating of olive oil. Let it rise for a 2-3 hours or overnight.

Pre heat oven to 500 degrees

Once it is all puffed up take dough out and cut into 4 pieces. I use four pieces because I like crust to be thin. lightly oil a pan and slowly start to stretch out the dough and push onto a pan until you get desired thickness. add sauce but don't over do it or it gets to soggy. Then add cheese and whatever toppings you enjoy. Bake at 500 for about 10-15 minutes. start with 10 and check it.

I didn't add my sauce recipe because you can add whatever sauce you enjoy. You can even use jar sauce if you want. If you choose to add arugula and I add it after is baked. I toss it with tiny bit of olive oil and add as much or little as you want.

Thank you Kosta for being so wonderful. I look forward to exploring even more with dough.

Caprese salad on grilled baquette

2016-06-29T16:55:00.001-04:00

There is no better combination than tomato, cheese, basil and bread. It also is a must have during the summer. This dish is so simple and full of flavor. There is not a single person who is not impressed with this. This time I chose to grill the bread because it is gives it that lightly toasted taste but doesn't make the bread too hard. My sister and I were just talking about how much we hate when the bread rips up the inside of your mouth and for days you are regretting that broiled bread.

Try this recipe and please let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 Roma tomato sliced
6 basil leaves sliced
fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup olive oil
1 baguette sliced
salt and pepper

Directions

Slice tomatoes to desired thickness. Slice mozzarella to desired thickness. roll leaves and thinly slice them. Heat grill on high. brush each side with olive oil. Place bread on the grill for about 2 minutes on each side. Once they have grill marks they are done. Usually doesn't take long when grill is on high. Top bread with tomato, cheese and then brush again with olive oil, lightly salt and pepper and then sprinkle with basil strips.

Restaurant style bean dip

2016-01-18T17:51:00.000-05:00

My son loves getting bean dip at the Mexican restaurant. He asked me to make it and he barely ever special requests food so when he does I try my best to make it happen. One of the first food blogs I ever started following had one that I thought looked really good and so I gave it a try a couple of summers ago. My son loved it and it is now a fun treat to make when we have guests over. It is very simple to make and everyone will love it. For the original recipe you can check it out at Favorite Family recipes or just follow instructions below.

Ingredients

1 can refried beans

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese or more if you like

Directions

In a medium sauce pan combine beans, sour cream, and hot sauce. Stir constantly until heated through. Don't bring to a boil and when heated throug add to a microwave safe dish. Add shredded cheese to the top. Microwave until cheese is melted. It took me 2 minutes. Serve with chips.

Let me know what you think.

Beef Burritos aka Mexi Melts

2015-12-30T17:01:00.004-05:00

I found these on Pinterest under copycat of a Mexi Melt. I never had a one of those but I know that it looked amazing so I needed to make it. The combination of taco meat, cheese and pico de gallo is so wonderful and it has become a great addition to taco night. My mom loved them so much she said she can no longer eat Taco Time anymore. What's also great about them is how easy they are to make. Coolidge who doesn't even like tomatoes likes these.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
8 ounce pepper jack cheese
8 ounce cheddar cheese
8-10 flour tortillas
Pico de Gallo

Recipe

In a large skillet brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning and cook according to instructions.

To each tortilla add pepper jack cheese, spoon over beef mixture, pico de gallo, and then cheddar cheese. Wrap and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Yes it's that easy.

Pico de Gallo

2015-07-12T14:52:00.000-04:00

I love pico de gallo because it adds a lovely freshness to your tacos, burritos, or anything Mexican you are having that day. It's great with chips and the next day with your scrambled eggs. I first discovered it when I visited Mexico and it makes my mouth water just thinking about all the ingredients blended together.

Its great to make for a party. It doesn't take much time and your guests will be very happy. You can make it early in the day and serve later. Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 Roma tomato diced

1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced

1 tablespoon cilantro chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

2 tablespoons red onion diced

1/2 lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to a bowl, stir and let sit for 30 min to 1 hour before using or serving. You can double but I like to use this the day of because I find the fresh tomatoes get to soft over time. Double if

Classic Margarita

2015-07-10T19:52:00.001-04:00

I love cocktails and margaritas are great in the summer. The combination of sweet, tart, and little bit of salt in each drink are awesome. I found this recipe from the Rachel Ray magazine and what I like about it is that it is strong and easy to make. I think use premixes are great when you can't get any fresh juice but once you start making them with fresh ingredients it is real hard to drink anything else because they are usually loaded with sugar and give me a stomach ache.

Ingredients

1 lime (3/4 ounce juice)
2 1/4 ounce of silver Tequila
1 1/2 triple sec
3/4 ounce simple syrup (you can add more if you like it sweeter)
Coarse salt for rimming the glass (optional)

Directions

Spread salt on small plate. Rim the glass with lime and dip glass on to plate with salt to coat. Fill glass with ice.

Fill a cocktail shaker with lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake well and strain into your prepared glass.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Strawberry Sauce

2015-07-08T17:44:00.000-04:00

I love to get food magazines and find amazing recipes. Getting a food magazine in the mail is like getting a gift. I go through it and drool and rip pages out. I put these recipes aside and then will go through them to make when I am feeling ambitious. Having picked all these amazing berries I decided none of them could go to waste. I always have a fear it will suck but if it looks good and the ingredients are not a crazy amount and directions are fairly easy, I will give it a try.

I have a weakness for strawberry sauce and this looked way to easy to not try. This recipe came from the Food Network magazine. It was very simple and made a great silky sauce that was super delish. Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

3 cups strawberries, finely chopped

1/2 cup sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries break down, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla

Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing against the solids; let cool completely. Store in refrigerator up to 4 days.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2015-06-15T22:28:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to make jam for many years but living in the city where there are no farms and no a lot of space in your freezer has kept me from doing it. Well this year we moved to Washington and finally have the access to many farms and plenty of freezer space.

I grew up eating my grandma's strawberry jam. My sister told me that she follows the recipe on the box but my other grandma did it a little different because her's was a little runny but we never go to figure out just how she did it. Well I bought the Sure Jell box at the grocery store and compared it to a recipe I found on Betty Crocker's site. I think I came up with just how she did it. I didn't follow recipe perfectly but quite close.

I picked and bought 1/2 a flat of strawberries. That allowed me to make 11 small containers and 1 small container of strawberry sauce for ice cream. I think that means it officially cost. $1.20 per container of organic strawberry jam. Not bad but I have to say I didn't do it to save money. I did it because I knew it would be fun and taste amazing. Well that is if it turned out as good as my grandma's. I think they both would be very proud of me.

Ingredients

4 cups strawberries

4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1 package of fruit pectin (I used sure jell)

juice of !/2 lemon (I would only use if your berries are super sweet like mine)

Directions

Cut stems of strawberries and put all of them in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until you get consistency you like. Add 4 cups of sugar and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes and stir occasionally.

Mix pectin and water in a medium size pan and heat until boiling and boil for 1 minute stir constantly. Then add berries to the pan and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly and turn off heat. Stir for another 2 minutes. Once sugar has dissolved it is done.

Spoon mixture into containers and leave 1/2 inch space for the lid. Let sit for 24 hours at room temperature. Store in freezer up to 6 months or in refrigerator for 3 weeks.

Restaurant Salsa 2

2015-05-11T18:08:00.003-04:00

I made The Pioneer woman's salsa over a year ago and wasn't very happy with it. I felt it was bland and couldn't figure out what went wrong. I recently watched her make it again and decided to try it one more time. This time I read the reviews and cut the tomato part in half and add a little more onion, salt, and cumin. It turned out great. Definitely making it again.

click on the link above if you would like to see her recipe. She is great and love testing out her recipes. Try this one and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 can (10 ounce) diced tomatoes with green chili's
1 can (14 ounce) can of whole tomatoes (drain the juice)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 jalapeno (seeded) unless it's small then add whole
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Add onion, garlic and jalapeno to food processor, pulse just a couple times. Then add both cans, cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin, lime and sugar. Pulse until you get desired texture. Taste and then let sit for a few hours or overnight. It gets better with age.