Tex Mex Egg Breakfast

I always chuckle when something is labeled "Tex Mex".  Obviously it is a fusion of Texan and Mexican foods, and it involves some spicy smokiness, but otherwise it just sounds kind of goofy.  Well I done gone and used the spurs-and-mustachioed cowboy term for this delicious meal right here.  I heated leftover turkey taco meat, scrambled in some eggs, topped it with super sharp white cheddar and, viola!  Sides of buttery avocado, chipotle cheese dip, cherry tomatoes, and blue corn chips round out this spicy,  nacho-inspired breakfast.

There's not a whole lot more to know, except how I originally prepared the meat.  I tried out Trader Joe's brand taco seasoning packet and man was it spicy.  I was wincing a little. My kids could not eat it.  (Had to whip out a can of black beans).

What is this meal missing?  Sour cream.  I was out,  and too lazy to walk to the corner store so I suffered through without.  If I were you and I were making this dish, I would seriously consider adding Le Sour Cream to your Ranchero moment.  Maybe some diced fresh green onion to garnish.

Meat:

Saute diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat.  Brown salted ground turkey (or beef or tofu) for 8-10 minutes.  Add the seasoning packet and a cup of water.  Cover.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

mama's meatloaf

yo!! I'm just gonna get right to it & say that I make some seriously good meatloaf. Some have said it is the best they've ever had. My man plans to put my meatloaf on the menu at his restaurant. It's THE BOMB. I make it every couple of months and last night I was half watching Paula Deen (yep, that's right, I watch Paula...) and she was making meatloaf, and that was it, I had to have it. It was always a favorite of mine as a kid, and I still love it now. I guess there are those out there who find it incredibly disgusting, the name IS kinda gross, MEAT LOAF...sounds kind of like it could be made out of mysterious, unknown meat products & scraps of some sort. But not mine. I use all organic, all good, all meat meat, and it is dee-lish. This recipe makes 1 small loaf, perfect for 2 people, and usually there is a little bit leftover to make meat loaf sammy's for lunch the next day, yum!

You will need:

1/3 lb ground pork

1/3 lb ground beef

1/3 lb ground turkey

1 small onion or 2 shallots

2 eggs

2/3 cup bread crumbs

3 Tbsp ketchup

2 tsp worcestershire

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Sauce ( if you so choose to make it...)

1 cup fresh tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup any of the following that sound good or that you might have in your fridge:

mushrooms, red or green pepper, zucchini, broccoli, yellow squash, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

Pre-heat the old oven to 350 degrees. Saute your onion or shallot in a bit of oil until soft & translucent. Throw all your ingredients into a large mixing bowl, including the onion once it is ready. It's gonna look gross...

Mix, mix, mix!! I prefer to use clean hands to mix this, it just works the best. If your mix seems a bit too wet, add a little more breadcrumbs. If it feels a bit too dry, add another splash of ketchup or a tiny bit more egg. Once mixed, form the mixture into a loaf shape in the middle of a cookie sheet, or you could pack the whole thing into a loaf pan.

Now we come to my secret ingredient. This might be the reason my loaf is so darn good. This recipe comes by way of my mom & my sister & they both swear by this stuff. My dad does too, as a matter of fact, you won't see him grillin' steaks without it. You might recognize it from your mom or your grandma's pantry in like 1978, but they still make it and I keep some around for meatloaf making. It's the only thing I use it for. I've never made meatloaf without it. What, you ask, could it possibly be? The one, the only....Kitchen Bouquet. "Browning & seasoning sauce". Kinda weird. Mystery sauce.  But it's not all that bad, I mean, it doesn't have high fructose or MSG or any of that stuff. It's basically a blend of caramel and vegetables. All things in moderation. So anyways, that's all I'm gonna say in my defense of Kitchen Bouquet. On with the recipe...

After forming your loaf, paint the whole top of it with Kitchen Bouquet (but only if you want your meatloaf to be THE BEST ever). Paint it, and then toss it in the oven for about 40 minutes. Meat should be not pink, but not dry.

Finally, I like to make a super fresh "sauce" to top my loaf with. It is a nice contrast to this heavier meat meal. My sister gave me the idea and it really makes it awesome...

Put a bit of oil in your saute pan. Throw in your chopped fresh tomatoes and let 'em go on real low heat until they start to break down and release their liquid. Next add any other veggies you have chosen along with your garlic & tomato paste. Saute a few minutes more, until veggies are all good and soft. Top your meatloaf with this delicious little concoction and serve the whole thing with fried potatoes & a green salad. Soooooooo....good!!

Papa is very happy when mama makes meat loaf. It's a good day when it's meat loaf day, no doubt...

Crowns #2

Crowns! Yep, they rule. Make some now! You won't be sorry...

Refrigerator Quiche

Quiche! It's not just for fancy lunching ladies anymore!! Nope. It's dinner at my house, and these days, that ain't fancy. Although I do have these grand visions, for some other life when I'm much more organized and less tired, of having a very fancy quiche party. It's all high heels and aprons and delicious white wine and flowers all over my house. Someday....Right now its flip flops & frozen, not high heels and homemade pie crusts. Why?? BECAUSE I HAVE A BABY!! Ever had one? Well go try it and then get back to me. Now I'm not saying that ladies with babies can't wear high heels, and make everything from scratch, and climb the corporate ladder, and become president, and blah, blah, blah, if they so choose. So don't get all worked up. I'm just telling you that right now I'm in it, DEEP in it, with the getting used to being a mother thing, and homemade pie crust AIN'T HAPPENIN!! But, refrigerator quiche is, so here goes...

I call this refrigerator quiche because I started making it out of anything and everything that I might have in my fridge. I used to have a big problem of buying way too much food, and before I knew it things like lunch meat & spinach were going bad. OH NO! Starving kids everywhere! So I started making a big effort to buy LESS and to use up the odds and ends in various creative ways. Soups, stews, and, you guessed it, quiche! You can seriously put almost anything in quiche ,meats, veggies, herbs, cheese, etc...Tonight mine is made with frozen pie crust, although as previously stated, I have high hopes to someday get back to making my own. For the time being, as far as frozen goes, I really like these...

Here's the "recipe", if you can call it that. It's more just a guideline, and you add whatever you have in your fridge...

You will need...

1 pie crust (frozen or homemade)

8 eggs

Splash of cream or milk

Salt & Pepper

1 clove garlic

1 small shallot (optional)

A "handful" of any of the following (choose 4 or 5 ingredients):

-veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash)

-cheese, any kind really, crumbled or shredded

-lunchmeat (turkey, ham, chicken) or leftover meat from last night's dinner

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Chop your veggies and your meat pretty small. If you are using garlic, shallot, mushrooms, squash, or zucchini, I find these work best if you saute them lightly in butter or oil first. If using potatoes or sweet potatoes, fry them up until they are good and crispy before tossing them into the mix. Put all of your prepared ingredients into the pie crust, just throw them in! Whisk together your eggs & milk or cream. Pour eggs evenly over all of your ingredients. Salt & pepper to taste. Top with a little more shredded or crumbled cheese. Pop in the oven & bake for 45 minutes to an hour. The quiche is done when a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Quiche! Perfect with a crisp green salad or fruit salad, and lovely anytime of day...

P.S. Get Creative!! Remember, it's Refrigerator Quiche, so use what you have! Tonight I also threw in some fresh thyme. Last time I used feta & rosemary. You get the idea, have fun, and get fancy with it. Even if you ARE wearing flip flops.

P.P.S. Last thing, I swear! When we do have our very fancy (say that in a raspy, sexy, older woman kind of voice, veeeeeeery fancy) quiche party, you'll be able to recognize me because I'll be wearing these...

The perfect combo of bling & baked goods. Betty Homemaker & Beyonce. Yes!! Because that's how I roll, sometimes.

Peace Out...

make your own granola

homemade granola is one of the best treats ever, and surprisingly easy.
it takes a little effort to gather all of the ingredients, but if you have a decent bulk section at your local grocery store you'll be fine. sometimes  i will be surprised by how many of the ingredients i already have sitting on my shelf, and can throw together an impromptu batch without having to make a trip to the store. my favorite recipes are ones that are flexible, and can be easily customized to your tastes, whims, and what you have in the cupboards. granola is one of those recipes. you can really push the envelope with this recipe, make it how you like it! you could use any kind of dried fruit, nuts, or cereal grains. i think it would be good with dried mangoes and crystallized ginger.

this goes great with yogurt, milk, fresh fruit, and as a snack right out of the jar. the original recipe came from my boyfriend abram's mom, cindy lou, who made it regularly when he was a kid. i suggest doubling or tripling the recipe if you have granola lovers in your house.

granola

1 cup oats (can also use rye or wheat flakes)

1/3 cup wheat germ or ground flax or both

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

2 tbsp. shredded coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup raisins 

4 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 tbsp warm water

4 tbsp honey, rice syrup or agave

3 tbsp mild favored oil (i use walnut oil)

1 tbsp vanilla

preheat the oven to 350.

mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 

in a seperate bowl stir the warm water and honey together, and then mix in the oil and vanilla.do your best to evenly coat the dry ingredients with the wet mixture. use your hands to mix it all up in a bowl. the mixture should be sticky and moist. (i like to taste it at this point and gauge if it needs a little more sweetener.)

spread the granola out onto a baking sheet, if you made more than one batch you will need two baking sheets or to bake separate batches.

bake for 10 minutes, then pull pan out and stir. bake for another 5 minutes and stir again. bake for another 5 minutes if needed. it is easy to over-bake granola so I tend to take it out early rather than have it turn out too crispy.

 store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Crowns

Crowns are so darn simple to make. Just cut the crown shape out of construction paper, stapling or taping pieces to make it long enough. Lay flat. Add stickers, glitter, little jewels, scrap cloth, yarn, ribbon, anything. Size to head, tape or staple, and ta da!   Instant Royalty.

homemade yogurt

i've been making yogurt for almost two years now, and have never had two batches turn out exactly the same. i never mind this though, because they are always good. i always feel like heidi when i make yogurt.

it is simple to make and easy to customize to your likes. i am a super-sour plain yogurt lover (think nancy's), but most people aren't. i have never been able to get my homemade yogurt to be quite as sour as i would like, but i'm not complaining. its delicious by itself right out of the jar, with honey, granola, fresh fruit, in smoothies or in tsatsiki sauce! 

all you need is:

one or two tablespoons of plain yogurt

about a pint of milk or half & half (i like the thickness of half & half)

a clean mason jar with a lid.

you can heat the milk if you want, but its not necessary. if you do heat it, its best to keep a thermometer in and keep a very close eye on the temp. turn heat off around 110 degrees to preserve a bit more of the enzymes in the milk, but do not let it get above 180 degrees or it will burn. 

i rarely even heat my milk anymore, just pour it straight cold into the jar, along with the tablespoon or two of yogurt. i do a quick stir and put the lid on the jar. 

leave the jar in a warm place for 12 to 48 hours. i am lucky enough to have a spot warmed by a pilot light to culture my yogurt, which may speed up the process a little. try the inside of your stove or the top of the fridge. as it cultures i will often tilt the jar to gauge thickness and give it a sniff to test for sourness. to be honest i haven't noticed a huge difference between a jar left for 12 hours vs. 48 hours, have fun experimenting.

the yogurt will firm up even more in the fridge, so let it rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours before you eat it.

i have used nonfat and whole milk to make yogurt before, but its hard to get the thickness i like. you can add a few tablespoons of nonfat milk powder to your mix to thicken it up if you are looking for a lower fat version of this and using a watery milk.

this recipe can also be used to make sour cream or cream fraiche by using a tablespoon or two of either as the starter culture instead of yogurt. instructions are the same. sour cream is so good in soups, casseroles, baking, tacos, etc...

what i have learned about making yogurt is that it is easily adaptable, not too finicky about exact measurements or times. it is fun to experiment with, and you can always start a new jar with the last spoonful of yogurt from the previous batch. if you like a sweeter yogurt add some maple syrup, honey, or fruit jam to the finished yogurt after it has set in the fridge. i love a drizzle of maple syrup on yogurt.