Come To Momma.

Every now and then, I stumble upon recipe greatness.  Oh, who am I kidding??!!?  I don’t think I’ve ever met a recipe I didn’t like!!  Truth be told, I’m not the owner of a picky palette….lonely heart maybe, but no picky palette {YES, circa 1980’s anyone?!?!?}  Moving on.  This is one of those recipes that had me at hello.  As in, “Heeeelllllloooooo spicy chipotle bean & rice burrito..COME TO MOMMA!!!!!”

SPICY CHIPOTLE BEAN and RICE BURRITO

Recipe from The Tasty Kitchen

1 tbsp. Canola oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed/chopped

1 tsp. chili powder

1 Chipotle pepper from a can of Chipotles in Adobo sauce, Chopped

1 tbsp. sauce from the can of Chipotles in Adobo

1 tbsp. cumin

4 dashes cayenne pepper

1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drain & rinsed

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drain & rinsed

1/3 cups water

1/4  cups salsa (I used Joe T. Garcia’s)

2 cups brown rice (cook according to pkg)

Burrito Toppings

Burrito sized tortillas

Lettuce, shredded

Shredded cheese {we used colby & monterrey jack}

green onions

Greek yogurt, optional {I didn’t have any, so I used sour cream instead!!}

 

Don’t let the number of ingredients scare you away!  I promise this will be worth the elbow grease!  See?!?!  Not too bad, right?!

Start out by heating up the canola oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, cumin, & cayenne.  Heat until your house smells like your local Tex Mex restaurant…about 30-60 seconds.

Now add the pinto beans, black beans, and water.

Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat and cook for about 8(ish) minutes.  Lightly mash the beans, remove from heat, and add in rice & salsa.  I used two boil-in-a-bag bags of rice and it was perfect :)

Now it’s time to get a little crazy.  Take out your burrito sized tortillas and heat it up just a bit.  I nuked mine because I was being lazy, but if you’re planning ahead, just toss a few in the oven and heat them on 200 for about 8-10 minutes.  

Now it’s time to assemble said burrito.  Tortilla…sour cream {or greek yogurt}…rice mix…lettuce…and avocado!!!}  Roll the tortilla until it’s nice and tight and then slice down the middle to cut it in half.  TWICE the fun :)

I mean, c’mon.  You can’t tell me this doesn’t look all kinds of amazing!!!  I’m sure you could toss in some additional toppings, but this combo worked for me!!!  Mr. Spouse was just as happy and after one HEAPING burrito, we were both STUFFED!!!!  I highly recommend you add this to your dinner menu as soon as you can!  I’m pretty sure you’ll be sayin’, “COME TO MOMMA!!!!”, too!!

Could That BE Any Easier?!

I hope you were reading that as if Chandler Bing were saying it.  If not, go back and try again.  Seriously though…when I pinned this recipe I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait long until we tried it.  We’re big seafood lovers at our house and we love us some shrimp.  The easier we can prep ‘em, the better…and this couldn’t be any easier if we tried!!!

 

LEMON BUTTER SHRIMP WITH ITALIAN SEASONING

1 lb. shrimp {fresh or frozen…I used frozen…just make sure to thaw first!}

1 stick butter, melted

1-2 lemons, sliced thin

1 pkg. dry Italian seasoning {I used Zesty Italian, Good Seasoning}

 

See what I mean?!  E-A-S-Y!!!!!

First off, line a baking sheet {with edges!!!} with foil.  Slice the lemons and randomly place them on the baking sheet. 

Melt your butter and pour it on top of the lemons making sure that it’s spread evenly over the baking sheet.

I placed my shrimp {peeled & deveined} in a large ziplock and then tossed in the packet of Italian seasoning, shook it up real good until the shrimp were evenly coated, and then poured the shrimp on top of the butter & lemon on the baking sheet.

Now bake at 350 for about 12{ish} minutes and then remove from the oven.  We served ours over brown rice and ohmiword…AMAZING!!!!

This shrimp dish was definitely full of flavor!  They would’ve been good on their own without any rice, but we didn’t have anything else to accompany them, so a bed of brown rice seemed like the perfect companion for these little guys!!!  From prep time to finish, this recipe took a total of *maybe* 20{ish} minutes?!?!?!  For real, people…could it BE any easier?!?!?! YUM!!!

A Buca Knockoff…I *Think*

I’ve never been to Buca di Beppo.  Am I missing out?!  Let me answer that.  I’m sure I am.   If it’s food I haven’t enjoyed…I’m SURE I’m missing out.  Dangit.  Why does our babysitter always have to be busy?  Since I know it would be in poor taste to leave my boys {3 & 4} home alone while Mr. Spouse and I head out for a night of wining and dining at the Beppo, I decided to bring the Beppo to our house.  There’s nothing that says “date night” quite like a knockoff in the comfort of your own kitchen.  I say this is a Buca di Beppo knockoff because that’s what the original poster says.  I’m goin’ with it.  And I gotta say, if this dish is any indication of what the dishes at Buca are like, then I need to find a new babysitter asap so that Mr. Spouse and I can enjoy their food PRONTO!!!!!

 

SPICY CHICKEN RIGATONI

adapted from a recipe by Kerry Hicks

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 tbsp. crushed red pepper {less if you aren’t a fan of hot & spicy}

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 chicken breasts, sliced

3/4 cups marinara sauce {I used Paul Newman’s Marinara}

1/2 cup alfredo sauce {I used Bertolli}

2 tsp. butter

1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed {I would HIGHLY suggest using more if you’re a fan!!}

1 lb. rigatoni, cooked according to package directions

Shaved parmesan cheese {optional}

 

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

First things first.  Cook the rigatoni according to package directions.  Meanwhile, slice the chicken.  I *think* I used 2 breasts…maybe 3.  But they weren’t very big!!  Use more or less depending on your preference!

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add red pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic. Saute it long enough to let it caramelize and get your kitchen smellin’ all yummy. 

Now add the chicken and saute until cooked through…about 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your slices. 

Once the chicken is cooked through, add the marinara to the skillet.  Mix with the chicken and then add in the alfredo.  Bring the sauces to a simmer and cook until the sauce has time to thicken just a bit.

Turn off the heat and add in the butter and peas.  While the original recipe called for 1/4 cup of peas, I can tell you that I definitely added more.  I don’t know why because peas aren’t my favorite veggie, but I couldn’t.get.enough of them in this dish!  I might have added a cup…maybe a cup and a half…of peas.  Next time I think I’d add even more!!!  Once the peas and butter are mixed well into the sauce, pour everything on top of the pasta and mix well.

Does it look amazing?!?!?  It SHOULD!!!  The flavors in this dish were OUTSTANDING!!!!!  And you know me…I LOVE a good pasta dish!!!

I’m a GIANT fan of shredded parmesan…we always have some on hand…so that’s what I used to top it all off.  YUM.  You can add a few more sprinkles of crushed red pepper to your dish, but I don’t like things so spicy that I’m crying as I eat, so I left that addition out.

If you’re a Buca di Beppo fan, I can’t tell you how close this comes to the original dish, but if it’s anywhere in the same ballpark, then you’ll LOVE it!!!!  Mr. Spouse says this deserves lots of play in our dinner rotation.  I would have to agree :)

Take it Easy

Now that my oldest has officially started T ball, it’s time to have a plan of action when planning my weekly menu.  One night of crockpot deliciousness a week is a must. We’re BIG fans of any kind of meat you can put in a taco shell, so when I found this recipe, it immediately made it on the menu.  We don’t have pork near enough in this little house and after eating this little number, I can’t for the life of me figure out why.  AMAZING.  Seriously.  So here’s another crockpot recipe to add to your arsenal of yummies.  Do yourself a favor and take it easy in the kitchen this week.  You’ll be so glad you did!

 

CROCK POT BAJA PORK TACOS

recipe from Chef in Training

1 {3lb} Boneless pork tenderloin

5 {4oz} cans chopped green chiles

2 tbsp. taco seasoning, reduced sodium

1 tbsp. ground cumin

Corn tortillas

Optional toppings

lettuce

cheese

pico de gallo

avocado

Let’s get this party started.  Cut the tenderloin in half and place in crock pot.  In a small bowl, mix together chiles, taco seasoning, and cumin.  Pour mixture over pork, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until pork is tender and easily falls apart.  When it’s about ready, shred pork with a couple of forks.  I didn’t remove the pork from the crock pot to shred it.  I was able to shred it while it was still cooking.  Ohmiword…it was SO tender!!!!!

Place a generous heaping of pork down the middle of your corn tortilla.  First I added my toppings…cheese, avocado, and pico de gallo.  Then the pork went on top.  Mr. Spouse likes to serve tacos like this because he says the meat heats the cheese and helps it melt. So yes, I guess you could say there’s a method to the madness.  Either way, this recipe is all kinds of amazing.  I love me some tacos and know I think this recipe has moved to the top of my list of favorite taco recipes.  SO good!

The best part about this recipe was that it was ready when I walked in the door.  {Minus the two minutes I spent shredding it all up.}  So good, y’all!  And they were even better the next day!!!! 

Magazines Aren’t Just for Gossip & Fashion

I swore I’d post more often, but I’ve been eating out WAY too much to even think about the kitchen, so that hasn’t exactly happened.  My waistline…and ill-fitting pants…can prove it.  I love that I pin about 50 recipes a day and then decide to eat out when it finally comes down to it.  Story of our busy lives with kids!!!  I digress. 

Here’s a little recipe I found over the Christmas holidays.  I was browsing through a Rachel Ray magazine of my mother-in-law’s and this one screamed “TRY ME!!!”  I typed the recipe into my phone and forgot all about it.  As I was browsing through my little digital notepad the other day, I found it and immediately put it on the dinner menu.  I’m bummed I didn’t try this sooner because my taste buds have SERIOUSLY been missin’ out.  Thank you Rachel Ray and your heavenly little magazine!!!  Now Mr. Spouse can’t get mad at me when I tell him I’m reading a magazine…they aren’t just for gossip & fashion!!!  You gotta try it and see what I mean!!!

SHRIMP & ANDOUILLE PUFFALETTAS

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 roasted red bell pepper {straight from the jar}, coarsely diced

3 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt

3 tbsp. mayo

4 scallions, white & green parts, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil {or EVOO, as Rachel would say}

1 fully cooked andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup marinara sauce {I used Newman’s Own}

1 8oz. bottle clam sauce

1 31-40 count bag medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

 

Here’s what you’ll need to get started {the puff pastries were being camera shy}…

Okay, so if you’re anything like me, you probably see the clam juice and want to run the other way.  I know it looks wretched.  And sounds even worse.  BUT…I’m a seafood lovin’ girl and I’ll try anything once.  DO NOT let this little ingredient scare you away.  It shouldn’t.  It only enhances the flavor of the amazingness that follows…

First up, let’s go ahead and preheat your oven to 400.  Make sure you thaw out your puff pastry sheet, too.  Remove ONE of the roasted red peppers from the jar and throw it in your food processor.  Add the greek yogurt, may, and half the scallions, too.  Pulse the ingredients until blended and transfer the sauce to a small bowl and set aside.

   

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and unfold the puff pastry shell out onto a slightly floured surface.  Roll it out with a rolling pin to smooth out the folds.  I skipped that part.  I couldn’t find my rolling pin because I’m pretty sure my boys were using it as a weapon of mass destruction at the time. Instead, I just used my hands to press it all out and then I cut the sheet into 2x4ish inch rectangles.  Place on the baking sheet and bake until puffy & golden brown, about 15-17 minutes.

Now, let’s move on to the meat.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the sausage.  Cook on medium heat for about 5ish minutes. 

Add green pepper and scallions to the sausage & olive oil.  Cook for about 3ish minutes, stirring as you go.

Pour in the bottle of clam juice, shrimp, and the marinara.  Stir until all ingredients are well combined and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the green pepper is crisp and tender and the shrimp are cooked.  I guess I forgot to take a picture of this after I added the shrimp, so don’t forget that step!

When the pastry shells are cooled off, split each rectangle in half {like a sandwich…not right down the middle.}  You should have a top and bottom for each rectangle.  Place a generous amount of the andouille/shrimp mix into the bottom of the halved pastry shell.  Don’t be shy.  Now take that yummo roasted red pepper/mayo/yogurt sauce you set aside earlier and pour some of that on top.  OH.MY.WORD.

Now top that with the other half of the pastry shell and lookie there…a little shrimp & andouille puffaletta!

I can’t even begin to explain how great these are.  For real.  I know we all don’t have the same taste palettes, but seriously….you’ve gotta try this at least once.  Especially if you’re a fan of the seafood/sausage persuasion.  The combo of the sausage/shrimp mix and the pastry shells are seriously OUT OF THIS WORLD.  If you’re wondering why I used caps, it’s because I’m screaming as I type.  Yes…it’s THAT good.  Mr. Spouse was trying to make this dish last as long as it possibly could, so he stopped making little “sandwiches” and topped both halves with the sausage/shrimp mix….eating them open-faced is just as delicious and pretty dang genius.  After taking a few bites of these little puffalettas, I said, “OHmiword.  Seriously.   My favorite new recipe!!!!!”  I could not get over the flavors!  Mr. Spouse agreed 100%.  He rated this 5 out of 5 stars.  So did I :)

The Secret’s in the Sauce

Since making these delicious sliders back in December, I’ve been itching to try them again.  When I came across this recipe, I decided to go a different direction.  I’ve always been a pot roast kinda girl, and anything that can be cooked in a crock pot gets my approval sight unseen.  This recipe is pretty much amazing.  Great for dinner…an appetizer…or even something special to take to a party.  We couldn’t get enough.  Truly.  The key to these little sliders is the sauce you MUST make to accompany it.  Don’t skip it.  It’s what makes the slider!!

CROCK POT POT ROAST SLIDERS WITH CREAMY CHIPOTLE SAUCE

(1) 3-4 lb. beef roast

1 cup water

1 cup salsa {I used Joe T. Garcia’s, Mild}

1 envelope onion soup mix {I used Lipton}

1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix {I used Good Seasonings Zesty Italian}

1 envelope Au Jus mix

King Hawaiian rolls

Swiss cheese slices

CREAMY CHIPOTLE SAUCE

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. chili sauce {I used Heinz}

2 tsp. creamy horseradish sauce

Since Mr. Spouse is in charge of all crock pot meals, I didn’t get a picture of the ingredients prior to cooking.  However, this one is pretty dang easy.  Whisk together the water, salsa, and the 3 envelopes {onion soup, Italian dressing, Au Jus}.  Place the beef roast in the crock pot and then pour the seasoning mix on top.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 

Before you’re ready to prep your sliders, mix up the creamy chipotle sauce.  Just combine the sour cream, chili sauce, and creamy horseradish sauce in a small bowl and mix together until combined. 

Slice the rolls in half and place a slice of cheese on one half and then slather on the chipotle sauce on the other.

The swiss cheese was pretty fantastic, but I’m thinkin’ that pepper jack would’ve been stellar, too.  Now, I skipped this step because I wasn’t fully reading the recipe, but you can take the bottom halves of the rolls {with the cheese}, place on a baking sheet, and broil for about 2 {ish} minutes or until the cheese is melted & the edges are slightly brown & crisp.  Like I said, I accidentally skipped that part, but ohmiword…they were still AMAZING. 

Now place a generous helping of pot roast onto on half of each roll.

Place the other half of the rolls on top of the pot roast and get ready to sink your teeth into one of the most delicious little sandwiches your taste buds have ever met :)

Like I said before, DON’T be shy with that creamy chipotle sauce.  I promise you’ll see why when you try it for yourself.  Even though this pot roast is definitely good enough to stand on it’s own, trust me when I say that the secret’s in the sauce!!!!!

I’ll Have What She’s Having

Remember that line from When Harry Met Sally?  Pretty sure I accidentally watched that movie at a friend’s house when I was younger…WAAAAAY before I had ANY clue what the heck Meg Ryan was doing in that scene.  I thought she was having a siezure.  When I found this recipe on Pinterest, I about fell out….totally reminded me of the line, “I’ll have what she’s having.”  Chocolate-y, caramel-y. gooey marshmallow-y goodness…it just looked too dang good to pass up.  Recently, a couple of the girls on my team passed a certification test so I figured it was the perfect time to test out the recipe to gift {and eat for myself, too…of course!}  The title of the recipe says it’s better than sex.  I won’t comment on that…I’ll let you be the judge!!!

 

BETTER THAN SEX CHEX MIX

8 cups {1 box} chocolate Chex cereal

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

6 tbsp. butter or margarine

3 tbsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups {halved}

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup caramel bits

1 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp. coarse sea salt {all I had was fine sea salt, so I used that instead}

That’s quite the line up of fat inducing greatness.  Trust me when I say it’s worth every.single.calorie.  Just incase you’re having trouble finding the Chocolate Chex cereal, I found mine at Target & Kroger.  Right next to my favorite, Cinnamon Chex.  Yum. 

First up, let’s go ahead and pour the entire box {8 cups} of cereal into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup.  Microwave on high for 1 minute, remove, and stir.  Pop it back in the microwave for another minute{ish}, remove, and stir again. Toss in the baking soda and stir until dissolved.

   

Pour the brown sugar mixture over the cereal and stir until evenly coated.  Take a few bites.  And then a few more.  Put the cereal mix into the microwave and heat on high for about 3 minutes.  Stir the mixture every minute. 

When the cereal mix is removed from the microwave, spread it all out in an even layer onto a wax paper lined baking sheet.  Then sneak a few more bites.

Let this cool for about 10 minutes and when it’s cool to the touch, break it all up into bite-sized pieces.  Now take your marshmallows and spread them evenly over the cereal.  Do the same with the peanut butter cups.  You don’t have to cut the pieces in half, but I did because I don’t like biting into large pieces of candy.  Wha?!?!?!  I know. 

If you haven’t sampled it yet, what are you waiting for.  Do yourself a favor and take a bite.  In a small microwavable bowl, mix together the cream and the caramel bits {you can find these next to your chocolate chips and such in the baking aisle}.  Microwave for about a minute.  I removed mine at about 30 seconds to stir and it was the perfect consistency.  You don’t wanna burn it, so keep your eye on it!  Once it’s nice and gooey, drizzle it over the cereal mix.  I used a spoon to drizzle and it worked perfect. 

Now heat the chocolate chips in another small microwavable bowl {without the cream} and heat it in the microwave for about 40 seconds to a minute…make sure to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn.  Remove and stir.  Then drizzle.  Do the same with the white chocolate.  Wash. Rinse. Repeat. 

As you can see, some of my drizzles were more like downpours, but it was amazing just the same.  While everything is still nice and melt-y, sprinkle on the sea salt.  OH.MY.WORD.  Pop the baking dish into the fridge until everything has a chance to set & harden.  Don’t forget to grab a handful to sample while you’re waiting.  Once it’s ready, remove and ENJOY.

Trust me when I say you’ll DEFINITELY want what she’s having :) 

Better than sex?!?!?!  You be the judge!!!!