Restaurant style bean dip

My son loves getting bean dip at the Mexican restaurant. He asked me to make it and he barely ever special requests food so when he does I try my best to make it happen. One of the first food blogs I ever started following had one that I thought looked really good and so I gave it a try a couple of summers ago. My son loved it and it is now a fun treat to make when we have guests over. It is very simple to make and everyone will love it. For the original recipe you can check it out at  Favorite Family recipes or just follow instructions below. 

Ingredients

1 can refried beans

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese or more if you like

Directions

In a medium sauce pan combine beans, sour cream, and hot sauce. Stir constantly until heated through. Don't bring to a boil and when heated throug add to a microwave safe dish. Add shredded cheese to the top. Microwave until cheese is melted. It took me 2 minutes. Serve with chips.

Let me know what you think. 

Pico de Gallo

I love pico de gallo because it adds a lovely freshness to your tacos, burritos, or anything Mexican you are having that day. It's great with chips and the next day with your scrambled eggs. I first discovered it when I visited Mexico and it makes my mouth water just thinking about all the ingredients blended together.  

Its great to make for a party. It doesn't take much time and your guests will be very happy. You can make it early in the day and serve later. Try it and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

1 Roma tomato diced

1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced

1 tablespoon cilantro chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

2 tablespoons red onion diced

1/2 lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to a bowl, stir and let sit for 30 min to 1 hour before using or serving.  You can double but I like to use this the day of because I find the fresh tomatoes get to soft over time. Double if 

Strawberry Freezer Jam

I have been wanting to make jam for many years but living in the city where there are no farms and no a lot of space in your freezer has kept me from doing it. Well this year we moved to Washington and finally have the access to many farms and plenty of freezer space. 

I grew up eating my grandma's strawberry jam. My sister told me that she follows the recipe on the box but my other grandma did it a little different because her's was a little runny but we never go to figure out just how she did it. Well I bought the Sure Jell box at the grocery store and compared it to a recipe I found on Betty Crocker's site.  I think I came up with just how she did it. I didn't follow recipe perfectly but quite close. 

I picked and bought 1/2 a flat of strawberries. That allowed me to make 11 small containers and 1 small container of strawberry sauce for ice cream. I think that means it officially cost. $1.20 per container of organic strawberry jam.  Not bad but I have to say I didn't do it to save money. I did it because I knew it would be fun and taste amazing. Well that is if it turned out as good as my grandma's. I think they both would be very proud of me. 

Ingredients

4 cups strawberries

4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1 package of fruit pectin (I used sure jell)

juice of !/2 lemon (I would only use if your berries are super sweet like mine)

Directions

Cut stems of strawberries and put all of them in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until you get consistency you like. Add 4 cups of sugar and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes and stir occasionally. 

Mix pectin and water in a medium size pan and heat until boiling and boil for 1 minute stir constantly. Then add berries to the pan and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly and turn off heat. Stir for another 2 minutes. Once sugar has dissolved it is done. 

Spoon mixture into containers and leave 1/2 inch space for the lid. Let sit for 24 hours at room temperature. Store in freezer up to 6 months or in refrigerator for 3 weeks. 

Restaurant Salsa 2

I made The Pioneer woman's salsa over a year ago and wasn't very happy with it. I felt it was bland and couldn't figure out what went wrong. I recently watched her make it again and decided to try it one more time. This time I read the reviews and cut the tomato part in half and add a little more onion, salt, and cumin. It turned out great. Definitely making it again. 

click on the link above if you would like to see her recipe. She is great and love testing out her recipes. Try this one and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

1 can (10 ounce) diced tomatoes with green chili's
1 can (14 ounce) can of whole tomatoes (drain the juice)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 jalapeno (seeded) unless it's small then add whole
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Add onion, garlic and jalapeno to food processor, pulse just a couple times. Then add both cans, cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin, lime and sugar. Pulse until you get desired texture. Taste and then let sit for a few hours or overnight. It gets better with age. 

Dipping oil

My mom came to visit me one year in NYC and I took her to Stew Leonard's where she discovered a dipping oil that they sold near the bread area. It was so flavorful and delish that she couldn't stop thinking about it once it ran out. She read the ingredients on the top of the container and it was full of garlic, herbs, and Italian cheese. She was determined to make her own and now she has been making it for years. I just had to add it to my blog because everyone loves it and always wants to know what is in it. She makes a large batch but I'm going to downsize it and if you want to make more then you can double it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon of fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (you can add your favorite Italian cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon

Directions

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until combined. You can add a little more of each until you get desired taste. You do want it to sit for at least an hour so all flavors come alive and blend. If you make a double batch keep in fridge and take out 10-20 minutes before using so its not cold. Serve with your favorite bread. I also like to add it to my pasta dishes.

Thai Cucumber Sauce

I love Thai food and one of my favorites is the cucumber salad. I bought a cook book many years ago because I wanted to learn how to make red curry sauce. This book also had a great recipe for cucumber salad. It is called Keo's Thai cuisine. The recipe is slightly different because I don't always have red chili's in the fridge and I use less shallots. Try it and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

1 cucumber 

5 tablespoons sugar

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 small pinch of red pepper flakes

half of a shallot sliced thin.

Directions

Peel cucumber but don't remove all of the peel. Slice in half. I liked to take the seeds out with spoon. Then I slice them. In a bowl add sugar and pour in boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add salt and white vinegar. Stir and then pour over cucumber, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Chill and enjoy later. 

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

A friend of mine brought this lovely salad to a picnic and I couldn't stop eating it. She told me she got the recipe from one of Barefoot Contessa's cookbook. I immediately found it on the food network and printed it out. I made it for my family reunion this summer. It is a great summer salad but you could make it any time of year. What makes it wonderful besides all the amazing flavors is that you can serve it immediately and can also sit room temperature for quite some time. 

I altered this recipe slightly because I don't like egg plant and feel the pine nuts were not necessary. If you want to follow the exact recipe click link above. 

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper (1 inch diced)

1 yellow pepper (1 inch diced)

1 red onion (1 inch diced)

2 garlic cloves minced

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 pound orzo pasta

4 scallions minced white and green parts

3/4 pound feta (1 inch diced not crumbled)

15 fresh basil leaves cut into julienne

For the Dressing

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/3 cup olive oil 

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss red, yellow pepper, red onion, garlic, olive oil on a large sheet pan with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes or until browned turning once with spatula.

While roasting cook pasta in boiling water for 7 to 9 minutes until tender. Drain and add to large serving bowl. Add roasted vegetables, scraping all the drippings from pan to bowl. 

For the dressing combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let cool room temperature. Add feta, scallions and basil leaves. Check the seasoning and serve room temperature. 

Enjoy and let me know what you think. I feel this is a great recipe to bring as to potluck  

Lin's Restaurant Style Salsa

Every year I go home for the summer I look forward to my brother-in-law's fresh salsa. This year I was surprised to see my sister Lindsy made one just as good but with canned tomatoes. I didn't think it would be as good but I was pleasantly surprised. What I liked most about it was the canned tomatoes made it taste more like restaurant style salsa that I grew up on. I also liked that I could use canned tomatoes and then I don't have to worry about the tomatoes being in season or too mealy.

It is ridiculously easy to make and quite affordable. Since I've been back from vacation I've made it 3 times and can't seem to keep in my fridge for longer than a week. Try it and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

1 (16oz) can of Hunts diced tomatoes

1 jalapeno seeded

1 lime

1 handful cilantro

1/2 red onion

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor add can of diced tomatoes. Then add jalapeno cut into about 4 pieces, squeeze lime, add cilantro, add 1/2 onion depending on how big it is cut up into four big pieces, add garlic, and salt. Pulse until you get the consistency you like. Taste and add more of what you like. 

My sister does not add garlic to hers but I just add one clove because I love the taste. You can choose to leave it out. I seed my jalapeno because it can get super spicy. Sometimes however I only add half of a jalapeno and leave seeds in. Red onion and garlic also add spice to this so you have to be careful that it can get too spicy. Add more lime juice to help bring the kick down a bit. 

Try it and let me know what you think. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I finally ran out of store bought taco seasoning. I had no choice unless I wanted to run to the store so I googled it and found a recipe on All Recipes. I quickly saw that I had all the ingredients and decided to give it a try. I was happy to see I could alter the spiciness because my son has had acid reflux and his stomach is very sensitive to spice. 

I was very pleased with the taste and to know just how much salt is going into it. What I loved was it wasn't as salty but still very tasty. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of Chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Add all ingredients and mix together in a small bowl. Brown ground turkey or beef and then add this mixture to the meat. Pour 2/3 cup of water to the pan and simmer until liquid cooks into the meat. 

Sesame Noodles

My step dad Jerry is the first person to make these for me. His neighbor made them for him and he fell in love and I believe he added the Hot Chili oil because he liked everything but his dessert spicy. My mom and I loved his version even more and the both of us make these oriental noodles a few times every year. 

They are great to bring to a picnic, pot luck or to just make as a side dish. If you don't like your food spicy you can just add more sesame oil. I will be honest they really are not that spicy. It just adds perfect amount of kick. My extended family loves these noodles and asks me to make them every year. This recipe is very easy and to make it even easier you can make the sauce the day before and add it to your noodles at least an hour before serving. You want the sauce to sit in the noodles to let them soak in all the flavors. You can add chicken to this but I personally don't like it because the chicken soaks up to much of the sauce and then makes the noodles to dry. 

Try them and let me know what you think. They are super easy and your friends will devour them. 

Ingredients

1/4  cup sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of chili oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sesame seeds

8 scallions chopped

1 lb vermicelli

Directions

In a large stock pot bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package. You don't want to over cook them. In a bowl mix together first 5 ingredients and whisk until combined. Let it rest.

Once noodles are cooked cool them immediately. I usually put ice cubes on top of them to get them nice and cold. Once they are cold enough I let all the water drain off completely and then add them and sauce to a large bowl. Add chopped scallions and sesame seeds. Let sit in refrigerator for about an hour. 

Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast Flakes

I found a new recipe for popcorn that I love more than my other popcorn post. I honestly didn't think it was possible and I really never believed I would find one that is actually good for you. I was at a friends house and she was making popcorn for her son's baseball game. She said it had nutritional yeast on it and I almost gagged just at the name alone. I smelled the these flakes from the a bag and thought GROSS. But I am always willing to try just about anything. I took a couple of bites and all of the sudden I couldn't stop eating it. She was nice enough to make me a bag and I took it home to my mom to try. I knew I could never tell my mom what was on it or she would never try it. After she ate 3 handfuls and told me it was good I then divulged the ingredients to her. She loved it and bought us a popcorn maker so we could make it whenever we wanted some.

This recipe given to me by Cindy Sawyer also founder of Towelocs If you have never heard of these you should click on the link and check out this great product. They make life easier for all you moms out there who are tired of picking up the towel after your kids pull them off the ring to dry their hands.

Recipe
2/3 cup of popcorn kernels
2-3 tablespoon grape seed oil
1-2 teaspoons of salt
3 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Directions
I pop my kernels in an air popper but if you don't have one you can put the kernels in a brown paper lunch bag and pop them in the microwave for about 4 minutes (Don't add oil).

Once the kernels are popped add a little oil, a little flakes and salt. Mix well and then continues to add a little more until it is all covered well and taste. You might want to add more or leave some out depending on your taste.

The best part is this popcorn is quite good for you. Nutritional Yeast has vitamin B12 and used by many Vegans as a substitute for cheese. If you don't like cheese flavored popcorn you probably won't like this. I tried it on many of my family members and the only ones that weren't impressed was those who don't like cheesy popcorn. Give it a try and I am warning you now it is hard to stop eating it.

Guacamole

I could eat Guacamole every day. Me and avocados have a special bond. Lately they have been on sale in the stores so I think I made this twice last week. I had made some of my quick salsa and just added it to the avocado with some fresh cilantro and salt and pepper. That is what I love about this dip...it is very versatile and easy. Try this recipe and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados

1 tbs chopped cilantro

1/2 tomato diced and seeded

2 tbs red onion diced
1 garlic clove minced

salt and pepper to taste

dash of lime juice

Directions

In a large bowl add all ingredients and mash up with a large fork. I don't like my guacamole like paste. I like it to be chunky so I just mash mine with a fork until I get my desired consistency. Taste and then add   more salt and pepper if needed. Serve right away with your favorite chips. 

Roasted Asparagus

I didn't start liking asparagus until I was 19. Now I eat it like it is chocolate. One of my favorite ways to make it is to roast it in the oven with a little Parmesan cheese melted on top. My little Brody loves it just as much as me. The best part is the some of the cheese is gooey and some gets crunchy. Give a try and I bet you will make it like this over and over. 

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus with ends cut off.

2 tbs Parmesan cheese

1 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper (just a dash)

Directions

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the ends off of the asparagus and wash. Dry them and lay them on a cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and toss around to get oil on each one. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper on top and bake for 10-15 minutes. Then add Parmesan and roast for 1-2 more minutes.

Salsa

I made 3 new recipes for the super bowl. This salsa was one of them. I have to say I was a little worried it wouldn't turn out very good. I have never seen salsa made with canned tomatoes and my brother in law makes the best salsa I have ever had and it is made of all fresh tomatoes. However, this recipe comes from a blog that I am always checking out and dying to try her stuff. Ree Drummond has a blog called The Pioneer Woman and a new show on the Food Network. I have a list of recipes I want to make that I've either seen on her show or blog. This is the first of many that you will see on my blog. Just so you know I never post the recipes I didn't like. I do have to say that when I made this I wasn't impressed. Being the busy mom who decided to make 3 new recipes I didn't completely read instructions to the recipe and made this right when  my guests arrived. When I tasted it I found it was a little bland and was missing something that I couldn't pin point. I was bummed that it didn't remind me of the Restaurant Style Salsa that she had named it. However, I served it to my guests and they all liked it. I stored the rest in the refrigerator and tried it the next day and wow it was dramatically different. It was now full of flavor and had a nice little kick. So I do recommend you give this delish recipe a try but just make sure to make it ahead of time so all the flavors seep into the tomatoes. 

Ingredients

1 (28 ounce) can of whole tomatoes

2 (10 ounce) can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chillies

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 whole jalapeno quartered and sliced

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 c. Cilantro (more to taste!)

1/2 whole lime juice

Directions

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Salad

I LOVE Salads. If I was told I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life I would choose SALADS. I Love the very complex salads to the very simple ones. When I moved to NYC I was appalled that most restaurants only served Greek or Caesar. In Seattle their salad spot on the menu is always very creative. For quite some time I've toyed with the idea of opening my own cafe that would serve food that represented the Seattle girl who loves that NYC influence. So it would have Sandwiches like a French dip, Rubens that you could actually get your mouth around, salads with and Asian American flair and others that had fresh buffalo mozzarella. Salads are great because you can put anything in them. I am a mom and wife and very busy so I don't make salads that are elaborate very often. This salad you see here in my basic go to for every night. 

Once I started Weight Watchers about 2 years ago I made sure to have a salad with almost every dinner. It is always a basic salad mix of leaf lettuce and romaine with whatever I have on hand. Most of the time it is just tomato and red onion but in this salad I had some green pepper that I added. Sometimes I have cucumber and add feta. The reason I eat salad with every dinner is because I love it, it is a great filler which keeps me from eating too much pasta, bread or rice, and it helps keep me regular. I hope that wasn't too much information :) 

I usually have a little vinaigrette dressing. The zesty Italian is one I grew up using and still love very much. I also love Stew Leonard's Balsamic. Don't get me wrong I do make my own vinaigrette but often I am so busy and the store bought in the fridge taste almost as good. I also love Ranch, Blue cheese, and Caesar,  but my gut says no, no, no. As you read my future blogs you will begin to see more salad and sandwich choices because they are what I am really good at and love to eat. Try to add more salads to your dinners and I guarantee you will feel lighter and more regular over time. 

Granola

I love granola but find that most of the stuff you buy in the store is too dry and bland. A friend of mine made granola when Brody was at her house. Brody didn't really like it but I ate the entire bag before we got home. She gave me the recipe that she got from the New York Times. I added the nuts and berries I like and changed the quantities slightly. It is very easy to make and once you taste it, you wont want to buy granola in the store any more. One of the shocking ingredients is olive oil. I thought it would add a weird after taste but it doesn't at all. Try it and let me know if you think it is delish.

Ingredients

3 c old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 c. roughly chopped pecans

1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. maple syrup

1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl add oats, nuts, coconut, syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix it all together and then spread it on to a cookies sheet in an even layer. Bake for 40 minutes. Every ten minutes go in and stir it to keep the browning evenly. Once it is well toasted remove from oven. Add cranberries and toss one more time and let cool.

These make great holiday gifts to give a hostess or a teacher.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Roasted Vegetables with Linguine

I found this recipe out of one of my cooking magazines. It is very easy to make, low in calories, vegetarian, and quite delish. You have to roast the tomatoes for 45 minutes to an hour so it is best to make it when it is cold outside. The original recipe was made with just plum tomatoes but since then I have added squash and zucchini. You can add whatever vegetables you like best. The recipe calls for 10 tomatoes but I only used 5 last night because I only wanted to make half. If you are feeding 6 adults then you should roast 10-12.

Ingredients
10 - 12 plum tomatoes
zucchini chopped
squash chopped
1/2 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs Italian seasonings or what ever you like
salt and pepper
1 lb Linguine

Directions

Cut tomatoes in half and place them cut sides up on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Mix olive oil and all other ingredients in bowl. Spoon 1/2 the mixture on top of the tomatoes. Roast these in a preheated oven of 400 degrees for about 45 to 60 minutes until tomatoes are soft and slightly brown. Cook pasta until al dente. Smash roasted vegetable with remaining oil mixture and then add pasta and toss until all the pasta is coated. plate and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese.

I hope you like and let me know what you think.