Crazy Bean Burritos =)

Tonight I made homemade burritos! Very easy imo.

Here's what you'll need:

1 sm/med onion
handful of frech garlic cloves
homemade taco seasoning
1-2 lbs ground turkey
1 can of kidney beans
extra virgin olive oil for the skillet
shredded cheddar cheese
10 soft flour tortillas (I bought mine from Aldi's-only .99!)

I prepared this whole dish in one pan. First I chopped up the onion and garlic. Added the onion to the well oiled pan, let the onion soften and brown a bit, then added the fresh garlic. Then plopped in the ground turkey and broke it up. Brown the meat and mix thoroughly with the garlic and onion... sprinkle in a nice Tablespoon of taco seasoning. Then I added the beans (drained) mixed it all up, coverd the pan to let it stew on low for about 10 min. or so. Shred up the cheese in the meantime...add it to the mix and cover to let the cheese melt--mix one last time. Then just plop a portion onto each of your soft flour tortillas! So yummy! I couldn't help but sample it as I was putting it together ;) It makes 10 good size burritos. We're going to eat half the batch for dinner ...and freeze the other half for another time ;O) Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Thanks to hubby, we now have a new twist on an otherwise ordinary hot chicken sandwich. This, I have to say, is quite a yummy combination!! Here's how I do it:

* Spray two slices of wheat bread with canola cooking spray
* Place bread on cast iron skillet to grill
* On one of the slices of bread top with a slice of pepperjack cheese
* Place your fave kind of pre-cooked chicken (shredded, grilled, or breaded patty) -I used breaded this time- on top of the cheese slice
* Squirt your fave Red Hot sauce on top of the chicken
* Finally, top with blue cheese dressing
* Finish by topping with the other slice of bread ;)

MMM  it is good comfort food lol...I love my hubby's ideas!

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars :P

2 cups (about 10 ounces) pecan halves
1 cup (about 6 ounces) finely chopped Mexican chocolate (such as the widely available Ibarra brand)
8 ounces pretzel stix- broken up --to be processed into fine crumbs
1 cup (8 ounces) melted butter, plus extra for coating the pan
A generous teaspoon salt
5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pieces not larger than -inch
3 tablespoons flour
4 large eggs
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup, preferably dark (or you can use a mixture of corn syrup and molasses, sorghum, Steens cane syrup or most any of the other rich-flavored syrups that are on the market)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for garnish

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet. Bake until richly browned and toasty smelling, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then scoop into the food processor and coarsely chop by turning the machine on and off. Remove about 1 cups of the nuts and put in a large bowl to use in the filling. Add half of the Mexican chocolate to the nuts in the food processor and pulse the machine to mix them. Add broken pretzel pieces; process until everything is fairly fine crumbs. Add 1/3 cup of the melted butter and teaspoon of the salt. Process just to moisten everything. (Lacking a food processor, you can chop each item separately with any other appliance or gadget you deem appropriate, then combine them in a bowl with the melted butter and salt.) Liberally butter a 13x9-inch baking pan, then evenly pat in the crumb crust mixture. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
2. Add the remaining half of the Mexican chocolate, the chopped semisweet chocolate and the flour to the bowl with the reserved pecans. In the food processor (you dont even need to clean it), mix the eggs and sugar until well combined. Add the corn syrup, pulse a couple of times, then add the remaining 2/3 cup of melted butter, the remaining teaspoon of salt and all the vanilla. Process to combine thoroughly, then pour over the pecan filling mixture, stir well and scrape everything into your crust-lined pan.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until the bars have pulled away slightly from the side of the pan. Let cool to room temperature before cutting into 2 inch-squares, dusting with powdered sugar and arranging on an attractive serving platter. Or refrigerate for easier cutting if you prefer ;)

Fiesta!!!

I plan on using venison burger to make soft tacos for dinner tonight. Just a side note: I am sooo blessed to have a hunter for a husband :o) !

Ok so I'm starting out by making the seasoning using this recipe: (thanks to FoodwithKidAppeal)

Taco Seasoning Recipe
2 TBSP Cumin*
5 TBSP, 1 TSP Chili Powder*
2 TSP Red Pepper Flakes*
2 TSP Garlic Powder*
2 TSP Onion Powder*
1 TBSP, 1 TSP Paprika*
2 TBSP, 2 TSP kosher salt
1 TBSP, 1 TSP black pepper

Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and combine. Return spice mix to an airtight container or empty spice jar. Per your taste, add 1/2- 1TBSP of this mixture to 1 lb of cooked ground meat. Add it in larger quantities to make taco flavored soups. You should get 8-16 servings assuming you're flavoring 1lb of meat. Add a label to your spice mixture with the amount to use "1/2-1 TBS per lb meat" so you don't forget!

As for my method of prep for the meal--- (I bought soft tortillas from the store this time, cheap at Aldi's)

* chop tomatoes, fresh cilantro and mushroom
* shred mozzarella cheese
* get out your fresh salad greens and sour cream
* saute fresh chopped and shallots in extra virgin olive oil
* add the meat and seasoning
* cook through :)

Now arrange fix'ins accordingly so everyone can top their tortilla the way they like :o)

Bananas & Rice Milk

Good Morning Ladies :)

Sophia and I made our own protein shake for breakfast, here are the ingredients:

(I use a single serve blender, so portions will vary)

* big handful of cut up frozen banana
* enough rice milk to cover said bananas
* 1 scoop of (any)vanilla protein powder
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend until smooth :) Sophia found it to be quite delicious, and is having difficulty sharing with mommy lol.

*foodie tip*
Keep a stash of frozen bananas in your freezer. They make a great base for most shakes/smoothies. I stock up on bundles of bananas, and once they get ripe...I peel them all, break em into chunks and fill them into ziploc bags.

Definition

foodie, foody [ˈfuːdɪ]

n pl -ies

(Cookery) a person having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of good food

food·ie  (fd)

n. Slang

A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet: "in the culinary fast lane, where surprises are expected and foodies beg to be thrilled" (Boston Globe).

Ah yes, it is true---I thoroughly enjoy calling myself a foodie--- a self proclaimed gourmet chef I suppose LOL. Hehe some delusions are delightfully amusing.