A HEALTHY LUNCH IDEA

Next time you don't know WHAT to make for lunch perhaps you might like to try this:

1 small sweet potato or yam (with a dab of butter and a pinch of salt)
1/2 cup steamed green beans (with a dab of butter and a pinch of salt)
1/2 of a small apple, sliced
3 thin slices of turkey deli meat
1 oz. cheddar cheese

7-UP BISCUITS

This is all that was left after making our 7-Up Biscuits . . . NEED I SAY MORE?

7 UP BISCUITS - (Yields 8-9)

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7 Up

2 - 4 Tbs melted butter

Add sour cream into Bisquick and mix together; add 7 Up. The dough will be very soft. Sprinkle additional Bisquick onto the counter and gently pat the dough out to desired thickness (about 1 inch) Use the bottom of a glass or a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Place melted butter into 8 x 8 pan. Bake in a 450 oven until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

I heartily suggest that you DOUBLE THE RECIPE.  ;)



STUFFED PEPPER CUPS

I haven't had Stuffed Peppers in ages.  The last time I made them they didn't turn out so well.  I tried making them from memory using what I remembered of how my mom made them.  Let's just say they were pretty bad.  Not mom's . . . MINE.  Haha!

I used the sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers this time.  Next time I want to toss in a few green ones.

So cheesy, hot 'n tasty - not to mention saucy!

I served mine with cucumber spears and avocado slices.  Muy delicioso!

Check out the recipe at the top of this page. You'll find it under my Stick Family on my RECIPES tab along with lots of other great recipes to try.

OVEN-BAKED AND BREADED PORK CHOPS

If you're in the mood for some chops, but don't want to fuss with frying them - this recipe is for you!  These come out so tender and flavorful.  An added bonus is that they are incredibly easy to make.  Here are the ingredients you will need to make 4 servings:

4 pork chops, bone in, about 1/2 inch thick

salt and pepper

1/3 cup mayonnaise (estimate depends on the chop size)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (use flavored or not and this is also an estimate depending on size)

oregano and garlic salt, to taste

Rinse and pat dry each bone-in pork chop then season generously with salt and pepper.



Using the back of a spoon spread mayonnaise on each side of each chop. 
Use less mayo if the chops are smaller or if watching fat content. 
You just need enough for the breadcrumbs to adhere.
(Throw out any unused mayo because it will now be contaminated from the raw pork.)



Thoroughly coat in breadcrumbs on all sides.  Sprinkle with oregano and garlic salt. 
Place on baking sheet and bake at 325*F for about 1 hour.



I served ours with steamed broccoli, sweet beets, and little baked red potatoes seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and parsely. 
(Please stop back by and let me know how you served yours.  :)

BIHON GUISADO (SAUTEED NOODLES)

I recently discovered a $10 Fiesta gift card lurking in my paper clutter.  It was from 2006!  I almost threw it in the trash, but decided against it and called Fiesta instead.  The representative on the line asked me to send it to her so she could issue me a new one . . . and she did.

I got it in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  I stopped in at a Fiesta and bought most of the ingredients for the recipe I will be sharing today.  I love Oriental cooking - especially Filipino foods since visiting there.  (Hubby introduced me to Lumpia and it was so good.  Forgive me, but I drool.)

We had this for lunch and dinner today along with some very yucky cookies.  I hope the birds liked them better than we did.  :(


These are the ingredients needed to make approximately 6 servings.

1 Tbs canola oil
1 small red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken, cut into thin, bite-sized chunks
15 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into thirds
5 Tbs soy sauce (low-sodium recommended)
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup carrots, pre-shredded
1/2 cup stir-fry veggies
8 oz. package of rice noodles

It is best to have your ingredients prepared BEFORE beginning to cook them because things go pretty fast and there might not be time to mince, dice, and shred once you get started.  (I took the photo above before I had finished prepping the shrimp.  I left the frozen veggies in the bag until I was ready for them, and if you notice, I left the chicken on the cutting board.  It didn't even make it to the photo-shoot. ;) 

Pre-heat a wok on high heat.  (If you don't have a wok, a large, deep skillet should work fine as long as it can take high heat.)  Next, add your oil, onion, and garlic to the wok.  Saute just until the garlic starts to turn golden.  Do not overcook as garlic burns quickly and will taste extremely bitter.  Next, add in the chicken and shrimp and cook about 3-5 minutes on high.  While the meat is cooking begin adding in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper.  Stir to mix well. 

Gently pour in the chicken broth and add the cabbage, carrots, and stir-fry veggies stirring once again to coat all the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, and remove meat and vegetables using a spider or a slotted spoon in order to leave the broth in the wok.  The meat will be cooked and the veggies will be crisp but tender.

This is what the veggie/meat mixture looks like when removed from the broth.

 

Bring the broth back up to a good boil.  Add the package of rice noodles and immerse in the broth.  Stir constantly and cook according to package directions.  (I cooked mine for 3 minutes.)  The noodles soaked up the broth and turned a nice brown color.

All that's left is to plate your food and enjoy a delicious meal. 
I highly recommend serving it with lemon slices if you like the tang of citrus.

SPICY CARNITAS

Here's the delicious recipe that I will forever associate with my burned fingers.  So tasty! 

(The recipe, that is - not my fingers.  Haha!)

Spicy Carnitas

2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

Goya Adobo with pepper

½ medium onion, diced 

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)

2 large chicken bouillon cubes

4 cups water, to cover

3 Tbs olive oil

1½ cups orange juice

1 pkt Sazon Goya Sin Achiote (without Annatto)

flour (or corn) tortillas, warmed

1 jar salsa verde

guacamole



The ingredients pictured above can be purchased at most HEB stores, or check the International Food aisle in your local supermarket(s).  This recipe calls for the Sazon pictured on the right with the white top.  This one does not add color to food, whereas the Sazon Goya on the left will color food a lovely yellow or orange (depending on how little or how much is used.)  They provide a unique flavor and add authenticity to Spanish foods.

   

Our local Walmart sells "pork for carnitas."  (How convenient! ;)
Maybe yours does, too.

This is what the meat looks like.  Rinse well under cold, running water.
There's a lot of fat that needs to be trimmed off before cooking.

This is the fat from two packages of meat.  Throw it out!

Trim the pork into 1-inch pieces.  It's messy.
Use a sharp knife and keep it dry being VERY careful not to let it slip.  No need for cut fingers.

Season meat with Adobo.
In a deep-sided frying pan or casserole, combine pork, onion, garlic, and jalapeño.
The veggies can be sauteed a little to bring out their flavors, but it's not necessary.

Add bouillon cubes and water to cover. Bring to boil. 
Cover and simmer on low until meat is tender, about 1 hour.
(This picture was taken at the 1 hour mark.)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Drain meat in colander, discarding vegetables and water. Heat oil in same pan on medium high. Add drained meat and brown in olive oil, turning occasionally. When meat is browned, add orange juice and Sazón and bring to boil. Place in oven, uncovered, until juice reduces and glazes meat, about 30 minutes. Stir every 5-10 minutes so it doesn't stick and juice evenly coats meat.

Next time I prepare this recipe I will leave out the orange juice because it makes the meat sweet.  It's very good, however, I like my meat savory.  If you omit the orange juice be sure to keep back some of the broth so it's not dry.

Shred meat and serve with tortillas, salsa verde, and guacamole. Muy delicioso!
(CAUTION:  DO NOT FORGET TO USE POT HOLDERS.)

BEEF STROGANOFF MADE SIMPLE

I love Beef Stroganoff . . . especially the sour cream part.  Here's a super easy recipe for anyone who wants to try it.




You'll need approximately 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. of stew meat.  Cut stew meat into smaller bite-sized pieces.

You'll need a LARGE can of Cream of Mushroom soup, a 16 oz. tub of sour cream, and a bag of your favorite egg noodles.



Put about 1  Tablespoon oil into a saute pan.  I season with 1 teaspoon each garlic powder and oregano.  Also, a couple good cranks of freshly ground black pepper.  Add the stew meat and stir to mix.  Cook just until no longer pink.  It may be necessary to cook meat in batches depending on how big your pan is.



Once the meat is cooked place it in a larger skillet and add the soup and sour cream.  (You can also wait to add the sour cream at the very end to avoid it being overcooked.)  Stir these three ingredients together until incorporated.

This is what it should look like after it's been mixed together.

Allow sauce to come to a slow-rolling boil.  Do not allow to burn or stick.  Stir frequently, and simmer 10 -15 minutes with a lid.

We like to serve the Stroganoff over the noodles (cooked according to package directions) . . . with peas.  Enjoy!

Mmmmm . . . PANCAKES

We had these pancakes this morning for breakfast, and they were so good! 
I cordially invite you to try them for yourselves by checking out the recipe at the top of this page below my Stick Family under "RECIPES," and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  I will never buy pancake mix again.  :)

HUEVOS RANCHEROS

Ingredients:
Corn tortilla, egg, shredded cheese, lunchmeat, salsa, Olive oil (not pictured)

Fry tortilla soft-crisp in a little Olive oil on medium heat.

Drain tortilla on a paper towel.  Spread shredded cheese on hot tortilla so it will melt.

Warm lunchmeat in pan, and place on top of melted cheese.

Fry an egg in a little Olive oil turning once to ensure it is cooked through.  (Allow yolk to remain "dippy.")  Salt and pepper, to taste.

Top lunchmeat with fried egg.

Spice it up with some salsa.

WARNING!!!  This breakfast meal can be extremely messy.  Enjoy!  :)

A SWEET TREAT

FRUIT SMOOTHIES

8 ounces coconut milk (or your choice whole, 2%, skim, almond, soy, rice, etc.)

2-3 good-sized squirts of honey

1 whole frozen banana (peeled and cut in 4 pieces before freezing)

1 cup frozen fruit (we use strawberries or mangos)

Put milk, honey, and banana in blender. Blend until smooth. Add strawberries in 2 or 3 at a time. Allow blender to puree them without overloading blender. Add more honey, if desired, pour into a glass and enjoy. 

A delicious, healthy snack.  :)

MELT-IN-MY-MOUTH MEDLEY

"Be.  Still.  My.  Heart!"

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL BUTTONS

We couldn't wait to try the recipe for these cute little "Chocolate Pretzel Buttons," so we made them today. (The hardest part about this recipe was trying not to nibble on the ingredients.) 

 

3 ingredients:  salted mini-pretzels, Hershey's kisses, M&M's

 

Place the pretzels on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then top each one with a kiss.
(We used almond kisses, but we would've done better with PLAIN because the almond pieces got in the way and we couldn't get the M&M's to stay on the top of the kisses. They kept sliding off and down to the sides. That's okay, though. We've learned our lesson and now we know better for next time. ;)

 

Little Man couldn't wait to try them.
He helped to keep a close eye on them while they baked in a 275*F oven for ONLY 3 MINUTES.

May I present to you, "Chocolate Pretzel Buttons," fresh from the oven. Yum-O!
I hope you'll try them soon. Be sure to put them in the refrigerator - or in the freezer if you're as impatient as we were - so they can cool down and harden. (Otherwise, you might get burned by the hot, melting chocolate, and that won't be any fun.) We popped the whole cookie sheet inside, then tossed the parchment paper after they had cooled.
Super easy cleanup.  :)

POPPYSEED CHICKEN INCIDENT

We placed a (glass) pan of Poppyseed Chicken in the oven, and not more than 20 minutes later . . . it EXPLODED!  Yeah, all over the inside of the oven.  Never had this happen before, and hope it never happens again. We were really looking forward to eating Poppyseed Chicken.   : (

Check out this delicious recipe in my RECIPES button under my Stick Family at the top of this page. (I now recommend using a metal pan, however.)