We're back from vacation! As much as I love leaving and enjoying some time away, it's nice to be home again in my own bed with my cat. It was a fun trip visiting family and enjoying the beauty of The Dairy State. It's a place I grew up and have roots in, I was so happy to be able to share it with my husband for the first time and to get to have some quality time with grandparents.
Now that we're back I can get back to posting some delicious recipes for you all and enjoy just being home for a few days before I have to return to work. Let's start out with a simple, cold adult beverage that can be enjoyed any day of the summer!
Ingredients:
4 soft and ready to eat peaches pealed
1 bottle of sweet white wine
2-4 cups of ice (whatever your preference is)
On our trip we didn't really listen to a lot of music, which is strange and out of the norm for us but there is one song we did listen to that speaks to who my grandpa is, he has sung this song as long as I can remember:
Directions:
Cut your peaches up into chunks so they are easy to blend.
Place your peaches into a blender. Then add the rest of your ingredients, except the ice.
The introvert in me gets judged from time to time. It's bothersome and I never understand why. Some people take solace in gardening, others in shopping, some in hiking or like me, watching the character development in the tv shows or movies or books I love. I always hated the people who relished saying 'I don't watch tv'. I always had the suspicion that they don't actually hate tv they just LOVE saying that they don't watch it because it some how makes them better. Granted, I hate the slew of dumb sitcoms that are marketed towards people with an IQ level of a gnat, but some writing on television is a true art form. Scoff. Rant done. Stuff face with quesadilla.
Ingredients:
16 oz crab meat
6 flour tortillas
3 heaping cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 cup diced green onion
1/2 lime
sour cream
Since the new season of True Detective has been on and I heard this lovely song bird, I cannot get enough of her. She has the elements of a lot of singers I have already come to love aka Gillian Welch, Alison Kraus and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Enjoy:
Directions:
1/2 cup cheese on one side of each tortillas. Then add a good hand full of crab meat to each side with the cheese, sprinkle the diced onion on top.
Next fold the empty half of each tortilla over the top of the cheese side.
Grill on medium to low heat until cheese is melty or for about 3 minutes on each side.
Remove from grill and squeeze fresh lime juice over each quesadillas. Then dollop some sour cream on top.
Nothing says party on a hot summer day like sangria. The only thing I hate about sangria is when people add a lot of sugar. To me wine is already sweet, and then when you add all the fruit, it adds a lot of natural sugars to it. That's good enough for me, I don't need to add a cup or so more of granulated sugar, it's just a headache waiting to happen the next morning. I liked this recipe because it was very simple and used red wine. I'm not a big fan of the whites because I believe they are only meant to be used for cooking. The only white that proved to tasty that I can remember was one served my a local winery here in Spokane called Trezzi Farms. I highly recommend checking it out!
Ingredients:
4 plums, cut into 4ths and pits removed
2 cups seedless black grades, cut into halves
2 cups black berries
2 bottles red table wine or fruitier red blends
The artist featured in this post is Lana Del Ray. I never really got into when she first came out, I assumed she was just another wannabe pop star. But her classic femme fatal inspired lyrics and her incorporation of so many different genres, I am kicking myself for assuming anything. When I'm wrong I say I'm wrong. I have not been able to get this out of my head! Props to LDR:
Directions:
Place all of your fruit in an appropriate container.
Hello Saturday, I did not want to greet you so early. It's only 6 am and I am up and alert. Ew. Though I self describe myself as a morning person, I meant more around 730 or 8, 9 when I go to bed really late after a good night of talking about music with my husband. This brain had other ideas for today, other than letting me get my rest, so why not start out productive? I will do some chores... or I will sit here on the couch, staring at the coffee pot until I develop telekinesis and it pours itself for me and delivers me my morning cup of joe. The latter is totally plausible, I'm holdin' out for the x-men mutant ability. Anyway, let's get on to better things, like food that could be breakfast, lunch or dinner and was totally om noms.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound shrimp meat cooked
3 cups frozen corn
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
2/3 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
My husband showed me a band, not that long ago, that I instantly fell in love with, they remind me of so much and yet keep a sound that is uniquely theirs and I hope you love them too:
Directions:
Puree 2 cups of corn, egg and milk until well combined.
In a bowl mix together your dry ingredients. Then add your puree.
Next add your shrimp and last cup of corn.
In a skillet heat up some oil. Make patties from your mixture and fry them in the skillet. Cook until browned on either side.
I topped it with some sour cream and sriracha, I wish I had green onions!
Serve!
You can add pretty much anything to these guys instead of shrimp, you can go vegetarian and add fried mushroom or fresh green onions. Happy eatings everyone!
It's been a hell of a past two weeks, my back is out and I am out of actual work until further notice. Then in trying to save for our trip the husband and I have taken steps back on certain things such as groceries (because who wants to stop buying records? Not us). So not only am I limited in my movement but also in my kitchen. This is major sucksville. Not even a nap made me feel better, and I LOVE naps! I must get on to better things! So I turn to my slow cooker again. My little robot stove, I pledge my love to you! And to the fajitas you so graciously serve me!
Look at them, sitting there, being all delicious.
Ingredients:
2 lb beef chuck roast
2 cups of your choice of tomato salsa
2 large yellow onions cut into strips
1 orange, red, yellow peppers cut into strips
olive oil
1 tsp cumin
tortillas
fresh cilantro
sour cream
I am sure I have posted her music before but this weeks album is her self titled. St. Vincent, I do believe this is your best work (and hair) to date and I can't stop this album, put that shit on repeat! It's so funky, digital and weird just how I like her and the lady is still a complete baller on the guitar/ composing, I'm a little jealous.
Directions:
In your slow cooker place your onion strips, then your roast, then top with your cumin and salsa. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
When the roast is done, in a skillet fry up your bell pepper until soft (I hate how mushy my slow cooker makes red bell peppers).
On a tortilla place the roast mix, some bell pepper and then top with cilantro and sour cream.
I feel like a slob. It's been almost a month since I last deep cleaned my bathroom and the dishes are piling up, the laundry needs to be done and I need to vacuum. But when you're sick, then your spouse gets sick, things just get away from you and there's nothing you can do, you need to get better to get back to work. To top it all off it's been rough trying to keep up with menu plans with my constant back pain as well, I actually ate chicken noodle soup from a can for breakfast a couple of days ago. How sad. Lately I have been lacking in inspiration in the kitchen due to the lack of energy and things have been boring in the William's house this week, grilled cheese, picking up a pizza to take home, ect. ect. ect. I hate, despise and loath weeks like this and I feel the need to get off my toosh and do something already! This recipe is really coming back with a bang, so good, so strange, so DELICIOUS!
Ingredients:
4 hot dog buns
4 hot dogs
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup red cabbage coleslaw mix
1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
1/2 cup cucumber diced
2 tbsps peanut butter
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp red chili paste
1 tbsp honey or agave
1/8 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
cilantro for garnish
I have been falling to sleep with some comforting videos on youtube of my lady Judy Garland, one of the greatest performers and emotional singers of all time, I grew up with her voice and loved watching her dance across the screen, actors back then were worked to the bone and had to be triple threat and I love watching them, so here you go a classic performance by the late and great JG:
Directions:
In a large bowl combine 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp chili paste, 1/2 tbsp honey, sesame oil and sugar. Then toss with your slaw, cucumber, carrots and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Next in a small bowl, combine your peanut butter, soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/2 tbsp chili paste, 1/2 tbsp honey and your olive oil. Whisk together until creamy.
Cook your hot dogs. Drizzle your peanut mixture on each bun, then place your hot dogs on top. Heap some slaw on top, then sprinkle with cilantro.
I tried and tried to avoid this stupid cough everyone has been getting but I suppose it was inevitable. So don't judge me but it's 9:30 and I am still in my bed, pantsless, with cough drops, tea and tissues. I HATE being sick. Not being able to do everything you want to do because your body is drained from coughing, sneezing and having a stuffy nose is literally the worst. But don't mind me and my illness I am here to share something happier with you, SAMOSAS! They're like a pirogy but with Indian flavors and I tell ya, they are delicious. Gimme gimme gimme!
Inredients:
1 tube crescent rolls
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small potatoes washed, peeled and diced
2 carrots washed, peeled and cut into medallions
1 small yellow onion diced
3 tsps minced garlic
1/3 cup frozen peas
5 tsps soy sauce
2 tsps curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp tumeric
a drizzle of honey
dash of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp water
This won't get out of my head, thanks Michael Fassbender... But really, it's from a good flick and you should go see it #solikeable:
Directions:
In a large skillet fry your potatoes in olive oil until you can slightly pierce them with your fork.
Next add carrots, onion, garlic and peas. Fry until potatoes are softened and onion is translucent.
Then add the rest of your ingredients excluding the crescents. Set aside.
Preheat oven 375 degrees.
Take your crescent rolls and roll them out, taking two connecting ones, pinch them together so they are sealed (should make 4 large flat crescents). Then scoop your potato mixture into the middle of each crescent but not too much because you need to pinch them shut. Once your done scooping your mixture then pinch the sides together to make a pouch over the potatoes.
