Shrimp Tacos

One of my favorites chefs on TV is Sam the Cooking Guy. He has a unique style and his recipes are really good. We make his Shrimp Tacos regularly. Sometimes we use flour tortillas instead of the corn ones. And I usually buy a bag of regular green coleslaw cabbage instead of using red cabbage. But the recipe is so easy and really good. You can find it here along with a short video demonstrating how he makes the tacos. Enjoy!

How to Photograph Food

I signed up for a newsletter from this website: www.photojojo.com. It has some good tips on things you can do with your camera. Since many of the contributors to this blog photograph their food, I thought I would pass along this link-10 Tasty Tips for Photographing Food. Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Pork

This recipe was sent to me by my sister, Traci, but I'm posting it for her cuz it's just so dang good and easy! She said that she used the Splenda brown sugar mix to cut down on the amount of sugar. (It is a lot, but I suspect that's why it tastes so good.) I used less sugar anyways.


1 pork loin (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 cans chopped green chilies
1 pkt. taco seasoning
3/4 bottle salsa
pinch of dried onion
1/2 cup water

Place pork in crockpot, pour ingredients in with water and salsa last. Cook on high for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook for 1 more hour. Serve with tortillas, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, cheese (you know, the regular Mexican food toppings).

{cake mix} Chocolate Fudge Cookies

I just tried out the cake mix cookies for the first time a few months ago and LOVED how easy it was! I was craving something chocolatey yesterday, so I made these in a snap. Found the recipe on allrecipes.com. Very yummy!


{cake mix} Chocolate Fudge Cookies

1 box (18.25 oz) Devil's Food Cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can substitute other cake mixes and/or chips, but I haven't tried anything other than the chocolate.



I bloglifted Tanya's signature idea! Super cool!

Anne's Fresh Salsa

I'm sorry I started this up and haven't posted anything for awhile. I've been so busy making ties, along with the other normal business that comes along with 4 kids. I did manage to make some great salsa, which recipe I got from my old neighbor, Anne Rush. I'm sure she doesn't mind me sharing. Mom & Traci - I know you have this already. This makes tons, so you're welcome to scale it down or make the full batch and have a fiesta!

12-15 Roma Tomatoes
2 green bell peppers
1 yellow or red pepper
3 bunches of cilantro (this depends on the size of the bunch - you decide)
juice of 6 limes
1 white onion
handful of fresh oregano
2 Tbl. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 14 1/2 oz. stewed tomatoes
*Protect hands and remove seeds of:
1 jalapeno pepper
1 yellow chile

Chop everything up in the food processor -- you will have to do it in stages as this makes ALOT!

Chimichangas

5 pounds roast beef, pork, chicken (9 cups meat)
3 T. shortening
3 chopped onions
1- 4 oz chopped green chiles
2- 7 oz cans green chile salsa
1/4 t garlic powder
4 T. flour
4 t. salt
1 t ground cumin
juices from meat

To make the filling:
Drain meat, reserve juice, shred and remove bones and cool. In pot, melt shortening then add onions and chiles, saute for one minute. Then add salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt and cumin. Cook medium to low for one minute. Stir in juices and meat. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Cool. Freeze or make into chimichangas.

Chimichangas:
3 cups meat mixture make 6 chimichangas
12" flour tortillas (warmed up to roll easier)
Heat 1/2" oil to 400 degrees. Place 1/2 cup mixture on lower third of tortilla. Cook no more than two at a time for 2 minutes each side. Serve over shredded lettuce with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

I adjusted recipe for some left over roast beef. Turned out delicious! Adjust for onions etc. to your own taste.

Sour Cream Cheesecake

I was watching Sara Moulten one day on Food Network and she had a guest chef on. He made a cheesecake that looked wonderful. I tried the recipe and have made it numerous times. If you follow the instructions carefully-the cheesecake comes out beautifully every time. It tastes light and creamy, not like a heavy cheesecake. It is really delicious!

Sour Cream Cheesecake
By Nick Malgieri

Cheesecake Base:
3 T. unsalted butter, softened
3 T. sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Cheesecake Batter:
1 pound cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Special equipment: 1 (3” deep) 9” springform pan; a 10x15 jellyroll pan

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350˚. Butter the bottom of the springform pan and line with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside.

Base: Beat together the butter and sugar by hand until light and fluffy. Beat in the yolk until smooth. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. With a rubber spatula, gently fold into the butter mixture. The mixture will be crumbly.

Place the dough in the pan and use your hands to pat it down evenly and firmly over the bottom. Bake for about 25 min. until the crust is golden and baked through. Transfer to a rack and reduce the oven temperature to 325˚.

Batter: In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on the lowest speed just until smooth, no more than 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Add the sugar in a stream, mixing for no more than 30 seconds. Stop and scrape again. Add 1 cup of the sour cream and mix only until it is absorbed, no more than 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining sour cream. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing only until each is absorbed; stop and scrape after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Wrap heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom of the springform pan so it comes at least 1” up the sides. Pour the batter into the pan. Place the pan in a jellyroll pan or roasting pan and pour warm water into the pan to a depth of 1/2”.

Bake the cheesecake for 55 minutes, or until it is lightly colored and firm except for the very center. Remove from the oven and lift the cheesecake out of the hot water. Remove the foil and let cool completely on a rack. Wrap the cheesecake and chill overnight.

To unmold the cheesecake, run a knife or thin spatula around the inside of the pan pressing the knife against the pan, not the cake. Unbuckle the pan side and lift off. Leave the cake on the base, or run a spatula under the cake base and slide cake onto a platter.

Heath Bar Cake

Heath Bar Cake


1 box German Chocolate cake
1 bottle Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel
Ice cream topping
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk(14 oz.)
1 large tub-Cool Whip
2-3 Heath or Skor bars (frozen)

Make cake according to box directions and bake in a 9x13 pan.

While cake is hot from the oven, poke holes in cake with a wooden spoon handle.

Combine topping and milk together and pour over cake while the cake is hot.

Let cool and put it in the refrigerator.

Before serving, frost with Cool Whip, break Heath bars into pieces and sprinkle on top.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Think CPK... This is from copykat.com.

Thai Chicken Pizza

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 Tbsp. roasted sesame oil
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Vietnamese chili sauce (or dried chili flakes)
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. Water

Combine sauce ingredients in a small pan over med. heat. Bring the sauce to a boil; boil gently for one minute. Divide into 2 portions for use on chicken and pizza; set aside.

THAI CHICKEN
1 Tbsp. olive oil
10 oz. boneless/skinless chicken beast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Cook the chicken in olive oil over med-high heat, stirring, until just cooked; 5 to 6 minutes do not overcook. Set aside in refrigerator until chilled through. Once chilled, coat the chicken with 1/4c sauce. Set aside in refrigerator. (I boiled the chicken, then shredded it.)

PIZZA
Pizza dough (I used Boboli)
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
4 scallions, slivered diagonally
1/2 C. white bean sprouts
1/4 C. shredded carrots chopped, roasted peanuts
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Use a large spoon to spread 1/4c sauce evenly over pizza dough within the rim. Cover sauce with 3/4c cheese. Distribute half the chicken pieces over the cheese followed by half the green onions, bean sprouts, and carrots, respectively. Sprinkle an additional 1/4c cheese over the toppings and top the pizza with 1T chopped peanuts. Transfer the pizza to oven; bake until crisp and golden and the cheese is bubbly, 9 to 10 min. When cooked through, remove pizza from oven. Sprinkle 1T chopped cilantro over the hot cheesy surface.

If you'd like to post, let me know!

I just figured out that if you'd like to be an author on this blog, I need to add you on. Just let me know and I'll add your e-mail address to my author list. Anyone who has a Google account can comment. I'm leaving it open now, but if we get any weirdos, I may have to restrict it somehow.

First Post!!!

Yeah! I've been wanting to do this for a long time since our little on-line recipe club at Yahoo wasn't working that great. Hopefully this will be easier for everyone to find. I think you just need to create a Google account if you want to post anything. Anyway, I know I've posted this recipe before, but I always have requests for it so I thought I'd use this as our first recipe. I'm not making it at the moment, so I don't have a picture of it, but it would be awesome if you'd take a picture of your dish to share with the rest of us.

Tortilla Soup

1 Tbl. Butter
1/2 onion - diced
1/4 c. diced green chilies
1 lg. tomato - diced
1 garlic clove - chopped
1 c. diced cooked chicken
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 bunch cilantro - chopped
5 cups chicken stock (use 1 lg. 49 oz. can of chicken broth)--save out 1 cup to mix with Masa
1/2 c. dry Masa

Garnish:
3 corn tortillas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. coarsely diced avocado

Preparation:

Melt butter in stock pot. Add onion, garlic, and black pepper--stir and cook until transparent. Add chilies and the rest of the herbs and spices. Add tomatoes, chicken and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Mix Masa with saved broth. Whip until lumps are gone--add to soup and stir until thickened.

Cut corn tortilla into julienne strips. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Put strips on cookie sheet and spray also. Bake in 350 degree oven until crisp. To serve: Place a few tortilla strips and a few pieces of avocado into soup bowl. Pour in soup and top with some tortilla strips and grated cheese.

Makes about 7-8oz. servings.

This is so very yummy!!!!