grilled cod

fish is the best.  the end.  (from food.com)

ingredients
2 T butter
2 T brown sugar
2 garlic cloves
1 T lemon juice
2 T soy sauce
1/2 t pepper
3 (6 oz) cod fillets

directions
heat everything but cod over medium heat, then marinate cod for 1-3 hours.  lightly oil grill grates and grill for 3 minutes on each side on high heat.

authentic mexican tamale pie...or just chili, if you like

my husband adores this recipe.  he even likes to eat it the next day mixed with eggs on a tortilla for a breakfast burrito.  also, he prefers the chili from this recipe as just plain chili.  i think it's all gross.  ;>  this comes from food.com and since it's a long recipe all-around, i'm just copying and pasting from the website since i'm feeling lazy right now!

• CHILI FILLING

• 1lb ground beef, lean
• 1⁄2lb lean pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
• 1tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1(15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1(8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2(15 ounce) cans black beans, divided
• 1large fresh poblano pepper, diced
• 1medium diced onion
• 2garlic cloves (pressed)
• 1chipotle chile, in adobo seasoning (diced and seeded, adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon adobo sauce (adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon ground cumin powder (adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon chili powder (adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon ground ancho chili(adjust to taste)
• 1teaspoon oregano
• 1tablespoon cocoa (I use Hershey's Dark cocoa)
• 12ounces beer, dark (or broth, (Use as needed)
• 1⁄4cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1lime, juce of

• TAMALE DOUGH

• 8 -10dried corn husks (optonal)
• nonstick cooking spray
• 3large poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and diced
• 2cups cornmeal or 2 cups masa harina
• 6tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3tablespoons sugar
• 2teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
• 1⁄2cup canned low sodium chicken broth or 1⁄2 cup vegetable broth
• 4cups baby frozen corn, thawed
• 1 3⁄4cups packed coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄8teaspoon ground black pepper

• Garnish

• sour cream (Cilantro Cream)
• cilantro

• DIRECTIONS

  1. PREPARE CHILI:.
  2. In a large pot brown ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic, breaking meat into small pieces. Drain of excess grease.
  3. Add poblano pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 cup beer and one can of black beans.
  5. Add ground cumin, chili powders, chipoltes, adobe sauce, oregeano, and cocoa.
  6. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to a simmer and cook for 35 - 45 minutes, adding more beer or broth as needed (keep in mind that the mashed black beans will be added as a thickner).
  7. Drain the remaining can of beans and lightly mash.
  8. To thicken, add the crushed black beans and adjust spices and liquid as needed.
  9. Bring to a simmer again for 5 minutes; squeeze in juice of one lime before serving.
  10. TAMALE DOUGH:.
  11. Place corn husk in large bowl and fill with warm water.
  12. Weight husks down with saucer and soak until soft, about 2 hours.
  13. Char chilies directly over gas flame or under broiler until blackened on all sides.
  14. Place in medium bowls, cover tightly with plastic.
  15. Let stand 10 minutes.
  16. Peel, seed and chop chilies, set aside.
  17. To make dough:.
  18. If using cornmeal, place in food processor and process until fine, 3 or 4 minutes.
  19. In food processor, blend cornmeal/Masa Harina, butter, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt until coarse meal forms.
  20. Add broth and blend in (mixture will be crumbly).
  21. Transfer masa mixture to large bowl.
  22. In food processor blend 2 1/2 cups corn, 1 cup cheese, baking powder, black pepper and 1 1/4 teaspoon salt until coarse puree forms.
  23. Stir puree into masa mixture until blended.
  24. Add the rest of the corn (1 1/2 cups) to masa mixture.
  25. Assemble:.
  26. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  27. In using corn husk; Remove from water, pat dry and line 9 x 11 shallow dish, overlapping to avoid leakage.
  28. Spray corn husk or baking dish (if not using husk).
  29. Spread half of cornmeal mixture on the husk or bottom of the dish.
  30. Spread warm chili on top of the cornmeal.
  31. Sprinkle green chilies on top of the chili.
  32. Evenly spread the remaining cornmeal mixture on top.
  33. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
  34. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  35. Remove foil and return to oven and bake additional 25 minuters or until the cornmeal is firm and the chili bubbly.
  36. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

simple salad w/ roasted carrots and pear vinaigrette

i had a salad sort of similar to this in a restaurant a while back and this recipe has come the closest to what i had there.  delicious and easy to make!  the vinaigrette recipe comes from allrecipes.com.

ingredients
your favorite greens
roasted carrots
roasted pepitas
shaved parmesan

for the vinaigrette
1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 C white wine (or substitute)
1 clove garlic
2 t dijon mustard
1/4 C white balsamic vinegar
1 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1/2 C olive oil

rosarita enchiladas

my children absolutely LOVED this recipe.  i'm sure it tastes nothing even remotely close to something authentic, but if i can get (one kid in particular) to ask for seconds and even thirds, it makes me VERY happy.  glad i opted to try this "lazy" version!

ingredients
1 pound ground sirloin beef (90% lean)

• 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
• 1 can (29 oz each) Rosarita® Enchilada Sauce
• 12 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend (2 cups = 8 oz)
• Sour cream, optional

directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook beef in large skillet over medium heat 7 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup enchilada sauce; blend well.

Place tortillas in damp paper towels; microwave on HIGH 1 minute or just until flexible. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture evenly on each tortilla. Top each with about 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and remaining 1 cup cheese, spreading evenly and covering tortilla edges.

Bake covered 30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

authentic enchiladas verdes

i have committed to fixing more mexican for my family because they love it, but i never tend to make it because i'm allergic to peppers.  i found this recipe at allrecipes.com.  the original recipe calls for 5 serrano peppers, but after making it once and finding that it was almost too spicy for everyone to eat, i reduced the pepper amount to 3-4.

ingredients
2 bone-in chicken breast halves
2 C chicken broth
1/4 white onion
1 clove garlic
2 t salt
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed
3-4 serrano peppers (depending on how hot you want it)
1/4 white onion
1 clove garlic
1 pinch salt
12 corn tortillas
1/4 C veggie oil
1 C crumbled queso fresco
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

directions
In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.

Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.

Pour oil in a frying pan, and allow to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.

Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.

nerds popcorn

such a fast, crowd-pleasing treat!

ingredients
8 C popped corn
1 box (1.65oz) nerds--any flavor works, but the pink and purple is my personal favorite
1/3 C sugar
3 T butter
1 T light corn syrup

directions
combine nerds and popcorn (in a bag or in a bowl--i use a bowl).  you might salt it, too, if you're into salty/sweet treats.  combine the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium.  boil 1 minute.  pour over popcorn and mix up fast before it sets.

banana/date cookies

a recipe from one of the very sweetest women i know!  AND, so easy AND healthy...er.

ingredients
3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats, you can pulse in a blender for a few seconds if you like
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup oil, I used olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
Optional: chocolate chips and nuts as you like

directions

Oven 350 degrees.  Mash bananas. Stir in Oats, dates, oil and vanilla. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I use parchment. Bake approx. 15 minutes, to barely browned.