Totchos

 

My husband is obsessed with nachos.  Of any kind, from anywhere, and he is even known to go into the kitchen late at night, grab some tortilla chips, throw on some shredded cheese, nuke it and enjoy that, like it's the best thing in the world.

I'm not in any way dissing on nachos, but I have to say that for me, potatoes trump everything else.  Give me potatoes in any way, shape or form, and I'll be a happy girl.

 

So these totchos, are my absolute favorite as a quick lunch, even a summertime dinner when you're not too hungry but are looking for something simple and delicious to fill your tummy.

They couldn't be easier to make, and you can add whatever toppings you want.

I kept these pretty simple, but I think next time I may kick them up a notch and see what happens.

 

Totchos

 

Ingredients:

1 (32 oz) bag of tater tots

1 cup sour cream

1 cup ranch dressing

Shredded cheese

Crumbled bacon

Green onions

Directions:

Bake your tater tots according to package directions.  In the meantime, combine the sour cream and ranch dressing.

 

When done, pull out of the oven, and spread on the sour cream mixture.  Add the shredded cheese, bacon and green onions and return to oven for a few more minutes, just until cheese starts to melt.

Serve immediately.

Creamy Garlic Bread

Anytime we have pasta, garlic bread seems to be a must around here.  My family immediately expect it, and because I love them, I abide.

This is a very easy homemade garlic bread that you can quickly whip up.  I typically make it in the oven but it is also delicious on the grill.  (anyone else looking forward to summer and cook outs?)

The bread to use is really up to you, I prefer making it with bread rolls, and usually I have Bolillos on hand which I purchase from Walmart, but sometimes I don't and in that case I'll use hotdog buns or hoagie buns.  I don't recommend making these with sliced bread, it just doesn't turn out the same way.

I don't measure for this recipe, I eyeball it and I suggest you do the same, basically go with your own taste.  However, I am giving you measurements below for a typical mixture I make when preparing this bread, just adjust according to the amount you're making, adding more or less.

You can make a big batch ahead of time, and freeze them for later use.

Creamy Garlic Bread

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
Chopped garlic, about 5 cloves (I use my homemade garlic paste)
Oregano to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I also use cheddar or mozzarella sometimes)
2 tablespoons cilantro and parsley, mixed (I use my homemade Cheiro Verde)
8 bolillos or other bread roll


Mix all ingredients well to form a paste.

Slice your rolls vertically, making slices about an inch thick, but not cutting all the way down.  Spread the mixture onto each slice, carefully so as not to pull the bread apart.

Cover tightly in aluminum foil and bake at 400 F, for about 15 minutes until hot and the cheese is bubbly.

If you're doing it on the grill, just wrap tightly in foil and pop on the grill for about 5 minutes.  You can pull them off and unwrap to see if they're done.  I like to turn them over a few times to get them really nice and crispy.

Hummus Veggie Dip

Last week, for our 4th of July barbecue, I decided to make a hummus dip as an appetizer.

You know how it is, you start the grill, things take time to heat up, food takes time to cook, so you gotta have some appetizers that people can munch on while chatting and drinking and so on.

I wanted something different, and since we are all fans of hummus, I thought it would be a good dip to serve, hoping that everyone would enjoy it.  That they did.

I got some requests for the recipe and my husband's cousin even said it was the best thing she had ever had.  Awesome!!!

There's nothing really to this recipe, if you can even call it that.  Basically you can use whatever veggies you have on hand or whatever your family prefers.  If you don't like tomatoes, leave them out, if you love spinach, throw that in.  You get the picture right?

So let me tell you how to make a super easy and delicious dip for your next get together.

Hummus Veggie Dip

1/4 cup serving:  88 calories

1 large package of plain hummus (you can make your own as well)
Olive oil
Chopped Garlic
Sliced olives
Zucchini
Cilantro and Parsley
Parmesan cheese

Optional: You can add tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, chopped onion, spinach, whatever you wish


In a casserole dish, spread the hummus dip evenly on the bottom. Drizzle on some olive oil on top and then start adding your veggies. I actually used a roasted red pepper hummus for this dip which was delicious.

I added chopped garlic, sliced olives, chopped zucchini, cilantro and parsley and then topped it with a little parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until veggies are cooked. Serve with tortilla chips, veggies or crackers.

Fried Okra

Crunchy, golden brown, delicious Okra.

There really is much you can say about this yummy side dish, or appetizer, whatever you wish.

Again, I had no clue what Okra was until I moved to the States, it's not a vegetable that is available in South Africa or Portugal, but boy is it one of my favorite things ever.

Okra is a pretty sticky vegetable to work with which actually makes it quite easy to coat.  You will find a lot of variations and recipes for making the fried okra.  Family recipes, favorite recipes all using either flour, or breadcrumbs or panko crumbs, some using just cornmeal, but I like to use a mixture of both flour and cornmeal.

Fried Okra

2 lbs Okra, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Buttermilk
Garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
Vegetable oil to fry

Drizzle some buttermilk over the okra, just enough to coat it well. Sprinkle on the flour and mix well to ensure that it's all coated. Sprinkle on the cornmeal and once again give it a good stir until all the okra is coated and doesn't stick together.

Fry until golden brown, remove onto paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I used to loathe tomatoes, like really loathe them.  Growing up, the worst thing you could do was give me tomato in any way, shape or form, it would actually make me gag.  I never quite understood why, but as I grew older I started liking them and now I absolutely love tomatoes.

When I moved to the States 19 years ago, it was the first time I had ever heard of green tomatoes, and especially fried green tomatoes.  Everyone raved about them, especially in the South but I wasn't quite sure that it was something I would enjoy, I mean I had started liking tomatoes but the thought of them fried wasn't exactly appealing to me.

Fast forward to about a year ago when I finally tried them and fell in love, they're now one of my favorite appetizers to get when we eat out.

A few weeks ago, the hubby and I went to the Farmer's Market and I bought beautiful green tomatoes and knew exactly what I would be making with them.
 

Fried Green Tomatoes

Source:  Divas can Cook

2 medium-sized green tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried basil
1 cup all-purpose flour (I added some garlic powder to mine)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1¼ cup yellow cornmeal


Slice tomatoes into ¼- 1/2 inch slices.  Place tomatoes on several layers of paper towels.
Mix together salt, sugar, black pepper and basil in a small bowl.

Sprinkle tomatoes generously with spice mixture ( may not need all of it) and let sit for about 10-15 minutes to allow the extra tomato juices to drain out.

Meanwhile, prepare your dipping station! In one bowl, add the flour.  In another bowl mix together the buttermilk and egg.  In the last bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and yellow cornmeal.

Start by dipping the tomatoes slices into the flour on both sides and shaking off the excess flour. (be sure to get the sides as well)
Lay the slices into the egg mixture until both sides are coated with the mixture and flour no longer shows.

Place the tomato slices into the breadcrumb mixture and press to coat both sides evenly.  Let tomatoes sit for about 5 minutes to allow the coating to set.

Heat oil in a skillet until hot. (Do a test with a bread crumb first to make sure the oil is at the right temperature. The breadcrumb should begin to fry evenly immediately when placed in the oil.)
Place tomatoes into the skillet, without crowding the pan.  Fry each side for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown.

Place on a cooling rack with paper towels below to absorb the excess oil that drips off.  Serve hot.

Pepperoni Rolls

Hello everyone, I'm sure you're quite surprised to see a post from me.  It's been a while, a couple of months actually but I've missed this little corner of the web, and most of all I've missed having a place for my recipes.

I've often been trying to menu plan only to realize that I have nothing new on the blog to look back on, not even my menu plans.

So, I need to get that fixed and am planning to start up again posting recipes and doing my Monday Menu Plan.  I don't know how many of you are still around, hopefully there are a few left?  If so, leave me a quick comment below so I know you're still here :)

I thought my first recipe back would be these quick and easy Pepperoni Rolls.  I was going to make them for my daughter's birthday last week and ended up not getting around to them because I already had so much food.

These are quick to make, bake up beautifully and are tasty, kids especially will enjoy these.

Pepperoni Rolls

Refrigerated Biscuits
Pepperoni Slices
Block of Cheese
Garlic powder, Italian Seasoning


Flatten the biscuits out, I like to use the palm of my hand for this.

In the middle of each biscuit place a slice of pepperoni and a little square of cheese.  Just cut the cheese into slices and then into squares.  Season with garlic powder and italian seasoning, then gather up the edges of the biscuits into a little pouch.

Place seam side down into a greased baking dish.

Sprinkle on some more garlic and italian seasoning, and last I like to sprinkle on grated parmesan cheese.

Bake at 425 for 18 minutes.

Serve with Pizza sauce.  Enjoy!!

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Beer......beer battered.  Enough said!!!

Of all the different batters for frying up goodies, I have to say that I think beer is my all time favorite.  Anytime I'm in a restaurant that serves any kind of beer battered anything, I order it.

So, when making ribs the other day, I served up some baked beans and then really wanted some onion rings, so beer battered it was, besides I have quite a few bottles of beer in the pantry from the family reunion, that I need to get rid of.

Super easy recipe, and the results are divine.

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Adapted from All Recipes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste
1 cup beer
3 large onions, sliced into rings
1 cup oil for frying


In a shallow bowl combine flour, egg, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Gradually add beer, stirring, until a thick batter forms. Add more or less beer depending on the desired consistency of the batter.
In a heavy frying pan heat oil (adjust amount, depending on the size of your pan, so that you have a couple of inches of oil) over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, dip onions in batter and fry, turning once to brown evenly on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

I love appetizers but I love them even more when I can just make a whole meal out of them.   These are very filling and definitely good as a weekend dinner.

They are seriously addictive and I dare you to eat just one or two and walk away, because I tell you, you will be eating them over and over and over and literally begging yourself to stop.  Or maybe that's just me, I don't know, I'm still trying to stay away from them but I may just lose that battle and go grab another one in the kitchen.

Quick tip, just use some gloves if you're going to be working with the Jalapeno's, don't do what I did the first time I made them which was use no gloves and then proceed to scratch my eye.  YEAH, not a happy moment.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

recipe from Food.com

12 -15 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (16 ounce) package thick cut bacon cut in half

Cut stems off of peppers and cut them all in half longways.

Remove seeds from peppers.

Fill each pepper with cream cheese and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each pepper half.

Place on baking sheets and place in 450 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until bacon is fully cooked. Remove and serve warm.

Homemade Salsa

Do you love Salsa???   I mean do you really love Salsa like we do????

I could sit and eat a jar of salsa in one sitting, literally, I have to control myself and hide the chips and the jar, or find someone to share it with.

But, I don't really care for store bought salsa's, one look at the list of ingredients in the back and it makes me cringe, if I can't pronounce it why would I want to eat it???

Here's the homemade salsa I make, it's SO quick, SO simple and SO delicious.  You can adjust the heat, you can make mild by omitting the jalapenos OR make it hotter by adding more.  Totally up to you.

Homemade Salsa

1 (14.5 oz.) Can Tomatoes and Green Chilies, undrained
1 (14.5 oz.) Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes, undrained
1 Tbsp. Jalapenos (I use the canned type, you can even use the ones that are for nachos)
1/4 cup (half a medium) Onion, diced
1/2 Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Sugar
Fresh Cilantro


In food processor place jalapenos and onions, both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, and cumin.  Process for a few seconds at a time, you don't want to puree it.  Add a few leaves of fresh cilantro, again, just go with how much you want in there or according to your family's taste.  We love cilantro so I add quite a bit.

Process all ingredients until well blended but do not puree. Place in covered container and chill. A couple of hours of chilling will help blend and enrich the flavor.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

I love serving mine in this beautiful dish that I purchased from this little store chock full of Mexican Handmade pottery.

Fried Zucchini

I love, no really, I LOVE fried zucchini, matter of fact anytime we go to a restaurant that serves it as an appetizer, that is what I get.

I don't make it because, well, I just have never thought of making it at home, and now I wish I had tried it a long time ago. It's so good, so easy and so

Neely's Fried Zucchini

Ingredients

* Peanut oil, for frying
* 3 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
* 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup water
* Ranch dressing, for dipping


Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Measure flour into a pie plate. In another pie plate combine panko, Parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, to taste. In a third plate add eggs and water. Dredge the zucchini in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the panko.

Working in batches, place the breaded zucchini slices in the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined sheet tray and immediately season with salt and pepper.

Beer Batter Onion Rings

Yummy, that's all. Nothing more to say!

BEER BATTER ONION RINGS

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1 c. cold beer
3 eggs

Slightly beat the eggs in medium mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Blend well with electric mixer. Use immediately to batter fish or onion rings for frying.

Hot Corn Dip

Oh boy, I think by the time I'm done making all the recipes from Trisha's cookbook, I'll be about 50 lbs heavier LOL

But I can't help it, they are so good, like this Hot Corn Dip that I'm actually munching on while I type, forget about making dinner, this is not only filling but SO delicious. YUM!

HOT CORN DIP
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Serves 12

2 11-ounce cans Mexican corn, drained
2 4½-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Corn chips, for dipping


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the corn, chiles, cheeses, and mayonnaise until fully combined.

Spread the mixture in the prepared casse¬role dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve the dip warm from the oven with corn chips.

Korean Pancakes!

While getting groceries at the commissary this past week, they had a Korean Cooking Class going on and the display tables were filled with delicious cooked food and ingredients for sale.

My first taste of the Pa jeon was amazing, it's this Korean Pancake made with all sorts of veggies. I brought home a bag of the Pancake Mix and made some to go with our dinner last night, it was a huge hit.

Now, they've made it easy for us to do this by selling the ready made dry ingredients, it's pretty much like our normal pancake mixes.....this is what it looks like:


If you're adventurous and want to make it from scratch, here is a recipe.


I used what veggies I had fresh on hand, so I did carrots, green onions and mushrooms, just cut them up into small pieces. I actually grated my carrots though so they wouldn't be huge chunks.

In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of the pancake mix and 3/4 cup of water, mix well until there are no lumps.


Add the veggies to the mix and stir well

In a skillet add about 3 tablepoons of vegetable oil, drop by the spoonfuls onto the skillet and cook on each side until brown.

I made smaller ones, but the directions say to use a ladle to scoop the mixture into the pan which would obviously produce BIG pancakes.


YUM!!!!

RED LOBSTER CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS!!!

2 C. Bisquick
2/3 C. milk
1/2 C. shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet.
2. Bake 8- 10 min until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder.
3. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

This is an extremely easy recipe and it always turns out good. Now I no longer have to wait until my next visit to Red Lobster, to enjoy these wonderful biscuits. Go ahead give them a try :)