cookies

yesterday, number two asked me if i could make him some cookies.

 i made these yummy cookies

peanut butter, oatmeal & chocolate chip cookies

heavenly!

the recipe was super yummy.

the house smelled like sweet peanut butter while the cookies baked.

we all liked them, especially number two.

i had to put the rest of them away for us to enjoy today.

something to look forward to tonight.

a family favorite

yesterday we had these yummy tostadas for dinner.

they are one of our family favorites.

they are delish and really simple to make.

they are so easy to make and assemble.

i buy ready to eat tostadas, most markets here in california sell them.

i make them out of chicken.

 i used to boil chicken breasts and then shred the chicken.

what i found was that by boiling the chicken, it left it dry and a bit rubbery.

i like to make enough for left-overs the following day and the chicken would not taste as good.

Ina always recommends to roast chicken if you are making chicken salad,

so i started following her recipe.

 i oven roast two whole chicken breasts bone in.

if you have not tried roasting, i highly recommend it.

it really makes a world of a difference and the chicken remains tasty and juicy.

{i wasn't going to add the picture, because it looks a little gross, but illustrates my point so here you go, sorry}

to roast the chicken just sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper well.

i also leave the skin on, it keeps the chicken moist.

roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

once the chicken is cooked, cool, remove skin and shred.

i spread pinto beans on the tostada

 (hubby prefers the canned Rosarito beans, i use the spicy jalapeno kind)

 i know these aren't traditional mexican but they really taste good with the tostadas.

top with shredded chicken breasts,

chopped romaine lettuce

{ i use romaine because iceberg really has no nutritional value, i also like the texture of the romaine)

squeeze lime juice (totally optional, but yummy)

top with tomatoes, queso fresco {mexican cheese}

and  homemade salsa.

and you get this

one word, delish!

i am good with two.

i hope you enjoy them as well.

let me know if your family liked them as much as mine does.

best broccoli ever

best broccoli ever, seriously!

if you struggle to get your kids to eat their veggies, here is a recipe that you should try.

the recipe is super easy and very yummy!

i made this for dinner tonight and i loved it. the boys loved it too.

{i couldn't get hubby to try it though, he's not a fan of broccoli}

oven roasted broccoli

1. take a head of broccoli and cut it into florets with about an inch stem

2. place the florets on a sheet pan, toss in 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves and drizzle with about 2 -3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and mix all together

3. roast in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the stalks are tender and crisp,

 some florets will be slightly browned

4. remove from oven and toss with lemon zest, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil

5. sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese



 hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

stew sunday

today i made a stew, it is comfort food and happens to be a favorite for our family.

hubby goes back to work tomorrow. sundays are solemn especially after a long three week break.

i added a bit of red wine to my stew. i couldn't help but serve myself a glass too.

i don't particularly care for red wine, i prefer a white riesling, but this one was not bad.

i enjoyed my glass while the biscuits were baking and this yummy-ness was cooking on the stove.

sundays are a day to rest, enjoy and for me a favorite day to cook a good meal.

how was your sunday? what comfort food do you enjoy?

mac n cheese

I made several batches of macaroni cheese this holiday season.

I always make some for thanksgiving. the boys love it!

my son loves it so much that he volunteered to bring it to his class christmas party.

family and friends have asked for the recipe so I decided to share it here.

 

I got the recipe about 11 years ago from the Martha Stewart Magazine.

 

 

to start  you will need to warm 5 1/2 cups of milk

the recipe calls for you to warm in a separate pot but I just warm it in a big measuring cup in the microwave, it works.

 

in a separate pot cook 1lb. of macaroni according to package directions, cook 2-3 minutes less

(don’t overcook your macaroni or your dish will become soggy)

 

in a high sided skillet on medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter

then add 1/2 cup of flour, mix until the flour is cooked and slightly browned.

 

once the butter and flour are ready you will slowly whisk in some of the milk, and stir

your pot should look like this

 

 

continue whisking and add the milk little by little, the milk and flour will clump like this, don’t worry.

 

 

just continue adding the milk and whisking.

continue cooking and whisking  constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick

you will need to whisk for about 10-15 minutes

once it is thickened, turn off the heat

add 1/4  tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more depending on your taste)

and 2 tsp. salt  and mix in

 

then you are ready to add the cheese

you will add  3 cups  shredded white sharp cheddar cheese, I like to use the cabot vintage sharp but any white cheddar will do

and 1 1/2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese, this cheese gives the dish some bite.

 

stir the mixture until the cheese has melted

 

add the macaroni to the cheese mixture and stir until well combined

 

pour the mixture into your dish

top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups od cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup gruyere

top with bread crumbs and 2 tbsp. of melted butter.

for the bread crumbs I like to use sourdough,

I just put 6 slices of bread (with or without the crusts, my family like the cruchy crusts) in the food processor and pulse

 

bake at 375* for 30 minutes or until the dish is bubbling and the crust is browned.

I like to serve it with a spinach and greens salad and Dijon vinaigrette, delish!

 

I hope you enjoy this yummy dish as much as we do.

whats for dinner?

today i want to make this yummy looking chicken and dumplings soup



i found the recipe here on Edie's blog.

 {I love her blog and her house is amazing! you should check it out if you haven't yet met her.}

I love soup and this one will hit the spot especially since we have had a bit of chilly weather here in so cal.

perfect weather for soup, a warm blanky, and a good movie, and of course snuggling.

i am watching water for elephants, love Robert Pattinson!

I also just started reading the book.

Happy Monday!

menu monday

figuring out what to make for dinner is half the battle

the other is going to the market to gather your ingredients

ideally, i should look in my pantry and fridge and plan my menu that way

but i am just not hardwired that way

i usually have a craving for something and decide to make it

but seriously....going to the market every time i am making dinner 

just to buy a few ingredients gets old fast!

 here is my menu for this week

monday

grilled chicken and sausage

bowtie pasta with peas in alfredo sauce

heirloom tomatoe with basil salad

{this is my boys favorite meal}

tuesday

i might just make this

chicken taco soup, looks and sounds yummy

i found the recipe here

wednesday

this is soccer practice night so for this week

i think we will eat leftovers

hubby doesn't mind leftovers and neither do i

thursday

thanksgiving dinner

another crockpot meal i got from here

friday

cooks day off!

we usually go out to dinner or order in

and today i am going to make these

i made them a couple of weeks ago but i used wheat flour

they tased a bit grainy, today i am using white flour

i love that through blogs i have picked up so many great recipes.

can't wait to try these.

time for soup

soup is one of my favorite things to cook.

i have been craving lentil soup

today was the day to make it

{i took the picture with a new camera app that i was trying out, not sure if i am liking it}

can't wait to have a bowl.

i use giada's recipe

i was feeling a bit blue and not really sure what to do with all this time

i kinda miss my family and am still adjusting to my new schedule

though i love the time off

i need to make better use of it

hope you are having a great week so far!





whats for dinner?

today is hubby's first day back with the staff at his new school

i wanted to make comfort food

his favorite, albondiga soup



this is one of my favorite soups.

i shared the recipe here
 and for desert last night i made a batch of
 peanut butter-choco chip walnut brownies
{that's a mouthful, no pun intended}

i am definitely loving the extra time off
and i get to go grocery shopping without the crowds
lovin' it!
hope you are having a great day!

shortcakes

hubby has a sweet tooth and has asked me to bake him something sweet.



you can get the recipe here

I will be baking these shortcake biscuits. I tore the recipe out from one of my old Martha Stewart{2001} magazines. This is one of my go to recipes.

I like making these biscuits during summer but for tonight, we will have them as is without the cream and berries.

 The boys love them {I do too}.

Hope you had a great weekend!

cookies

I felt the urge to bake tonight and was encouraged to do soo by my ever so supportive hubby {he has a major sweet tooth}. I baked oatmeal cookies, to be exact they are called Vanishing Oatmeal cookies. I used the recipe on the Quaker oats lid and it is delish! I like to add cranberries, raisins, walnuts to the recipe to give the cookies more texture. I'd like to think it makes them healthier...but hey..you don't bake cookies if you are trying to be healthy. I make sure to share with my sis or co-workers so we don't eat them all {though I could ...easily}

Time to enjoy........Grace and peace to you.

Albondiga Soup

 

Albondiga {Mexican meatball} Soup is one of my families favorite. It is my hubby’s all time favorite. I must confess that i love making soup, a soup-a-holic if you may. This is what we had for dinner today.

Here are the ingredients:

yerbabuena {fresh mint}, garlic, masa fina, evoo, caldo de pollo {Knorr chicken bouillon}, organic tomato sauce, organic chicken stock, lean ground beef, secret ingredient: A-1 sauce, 1 egg, rice, salt,  and pepper.

&  lots of veggies: Mexican calabacitas, chayote squash, potatoes, onions, celery, baby carrots, cabbage.

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1. Sauté in olive oil  2 chopped celery stalks, 1/2 onion chopped, 1 minced garlic clove, and baby carrots (about 2 cups). I like to use the baby carrots because they are sweeter and I don’t need to chop them. Sauté until they onions are transparent?

2. add 3 quarts of organic chicken stock, 2 cans of tomato sauce ,I like my soup very tomato-ie,  don’t know if that’s a word, and 2 tsp of caldo de pollo- this depends on your taste, you could use more or less. Bring broth to a boil on medium to high heat.

3. to make the albondigas:

to 3 lbs of lean ground beef add finely chopped fresh mint ,about two heaping tablespoons. 2 cloves of garlic finely minced, 1/2 white onion finely chopped,  a handful of rice {yes a handful, sorry, I didn’t measure}  an egg, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper.

4. Add the masa in chunks. {You can buy masa at a market where they make tortillas, you only need a bit, if you can’t find it you can omit it.} add 3 tbsp of  A-1 sauce, my secret ingredient. Traditionally you don’t use this but I like the flavor it gives the albondigas.

5. mix ingredients with your hands until combined

6. roll the mixture  to make a ball a bit smaller than a golf ball and drop them into the boiling broth mixture.  I started to count how many albondigas the mixture yielded but I got distracted{the story of my life} and lost count. Let the soup come to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer.

7. While the albondigas are cooking, cube 2 large  white potatoes and  1 chayote squash, add it to the soup, continue to cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and the rice in the albondigas is cooked.

8. cube  2 medium calabacitas and add it to the soup. These are Mexican calabacitas, they are squash and if you can’t find them at your grocery store you can substitute and use zucchini squash.

continue to simmer at low heat for another 5 minutes. until the calabacitas are soft.

9.Serve and top with thinly shredded cabbage, optional, but i love it this way . Add lime {i use Mexican limes} and red pepper flakes for some kick if you like chile. I do!

Enjoy, we did! Let me know if you like the recipe.

Almost forgot, makes about 8 big servings, enough for leftovers.