Fried Rice

I got this recipe from my dear friend, Jen and adapted it just a bit. Jen loves to cook Asian food and has always inspired me to cook it more often. This fried rice is extremely easy to make and is so delicious. I made one BIG mistake while making this fried rice, which is, I forgot to make the rice the night before. I made it at lunch time and hoped it would be cold and dried out by the time dinner rolled around - it wasn't. The texture turned out a bit mushy but luckily, it still tasted really delicious...next time I will definitely make the rice the day before. I love the simple flavors of egg, green onion and bacon. The white pepper gave it a bit of a kick while the soy helped it be flavorful. It paired nicely with the Asian Chicken Breasts and steamed broccoli. This was a wonderful version of fried rice and I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for the great recipe Jen!

Fried Rice:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking
Adapted from Ming Tsai's "Blue Ginger" Cookbook

• 1-2 tbsp canola oil
• 4 cups cold rice - made the day before and refrigerated
• 3-4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1-2 green onions, white part separated from the green part
• 2-3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2-3 tbsp soy, to taste
• 1/2 tsp of white pepper

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel. Crumble and set aside.

Remove all but 1-2 tsp bacon grease from the skillet then add 1-2 tbsp of canola oil to the pan. Add the garlic, ginger and white pieces of the green onion to the pan. Sauté for 60 seconds then add the rice, crumbled bacon, green parts of the green onion (keeping just a few for garnish), soy sauce and white pepper. Mix the rice thoroughly.

Add the beaten eggs to a separate skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook for 10-20 seconds on each side, flipping it like a pancake, until thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and cut into small pieces (I used my pizza cutter).

Add the sliced egg to the rice. Taste and add more soy sauce or white pepper if needed. Remove from heat, top with the few remaining green onions and serve. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking. net

Asian Chicken Breasts

I recently made an Asian Pork Tenderloin for my husband's birthday. We all really enjoyed the dish so I thought I would try the marinade with chicken breasts. My husband grilled them to perfection while I boiled and reduced the marinade down to a rich and tasty sauce. It was a delicious dish and it paired nicely with fried rice (recipe to follow). We all really liked this meal - it was way better than takeout and much cheaper too.

Asian Chicken:

• 2/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of dark sesame oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1-2 tsp hot chili sauce
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 green onions, sliced (divided)
• 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• Olive oil cooking spray

Combine the first 7 ingredients (reserve a few sliced green onions for garnish) in a large zip lock bag, then add the chicken breasts. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

Grill the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Cut chicken into 1/4 inch thick slices and drizzle with sauce and the remaining green onions. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Roasted Vegetable and Kale Soup and a Giveaway

In an effort to keep the "scrapers" from stealing my recipes and photos I have changed my blog to show partial posts. I want to say a HUGE thank you to my pal Grace who helped me insert the html code for the partial posts into my blog. Thank you so much Grace!

My son was home from school with a terrible cough and cold. It was a really gloomy, cold and rainy day so I decided to make a big batch of vegetable soup. I found this recipe for Roasted Vegetable and Kale soup from Simply Recipes and decided to give it a try. I adapted the recipe just a bit to work with the ingredients I had on hand. It was really rich in flavor and full of roasted garlic goodness. I loved the flavor of the roasted carrots and butternut squash along with the creamy beans. My kids liked this soup (except for the kale) and I loved it; my husband, on the other hand, wasn't a fan - you can't win them all. I love that it was full of vitamins and minerals and made my sick little guy feel a bit better. I served this soup with a green salad and fresh baked bread. Thanks for another great recipe Elise.

Roasted Vegetable and Kale Soup:

• 3 carrots, peeled and quartered
• 1-2 cups of butternut squash, peeled, seeded cut into chunks
• 4 large tomatoes, quartered
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, sliced into wedges
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken)
• 4 cups of kale, chopped
• 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop all of the vegetables and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Mix the vegetables thoroughly. Make sure to place the cloves of garlic on top of the onion wedges or in the tomatoes to prevent from from burning.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown and tender.

Place the roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic along with the chicken broth (reserving 1/2 cup) in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Using an immersion blender, mix until thoroughly blended and smooth.

Cut the carrots and butternut squash into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Take the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth and pour onto the baking sheet; scrape up all the tasty brown bits from the pan then pour into the soup. Add the kale, bay leaf, remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme and more salt and pepper if needed to the soup. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until the kale is tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Add the white beans, roasted carrots and butternut squash to the soup. Simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Discard bay leaf before serving. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this post - For the Love of Cooking.net


GIVEAWAY:

See's Candies is offering one of my readers a gift certificate for $25.00 and it will be delivered in time for Mother's Day. They have some amazing Mother's Day Gifts and candies for sale right now.

All you have to do is leave a comment here, on this post, no later than Thursday by 5:00 p.m. (Pacific time). I'll be announcing the winner this Friday, May 1, 2009. Good luck!

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Roasted Marinara Sauce

Before I get to the recipe I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who left such kind, supportive and helpful comments. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of my readers. My husband and I worked hard this weekend sending letters to the website hosting companies in regards to the scrapers stealing my work. We are hoping they will shut down these sites. After thinking about it, I decided to "out" these scrapers because they are scraping other people's work as well. Please check out the sites to see if they are using your material or that of someone you know.

1. http://best-recipes.info/
2. http://myhealthyspirit.net/
3. http://dayung.co.cc/ (site may have explicit material)
4. http://phpmaniac.co.cc/ (site may have explicit material)
5. http://food.hide4dz.biz/

I would also like to say a big THANK YOU to Kim from KimDeC who helped me out with my new template. My husband and I couldn't have done it without your help Kim - we really appreciate you taking the time to help us. I also wanted to say thank you to my amazing husband who helped me all weekend with my new template and dealing with these scrapers - thanks Chad!

Now on to the recipe. I recently received a package in the mail from Foodbuzz. I was so excited to see this ravioli inside. With my daughter's soccer games two nights a week, I need to have quick and easy recipes to prepare. I had left over Roasted Tomato, Onion and Garlic Marinara in the refrigerator and decided it would be perfect on top of the agnolotti... I was right. I loved this meal. Not only was the ravioli really delicious with an excellent mushroom flavor but it was quick and simple to make. We all really, really loved this dish. I am sure the agnolotti would be great with jarred marinara if you don't have time to make the roasted marinara.

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Roasted Marinara Sauce:

• 1-2 packages of Wild Mushroom Agnolotti
• Roasted Tomato, Onion and Garlic Marinara
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Fresh parsley, chopped

Prepare the roasted marinara and let simmer 2-4 hours. Prepare the pasta per instructions then drain. Place on serving plate and top with marinara, fresh Parmesan and chopped parsley. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Razor Clams

Time to vent. I found out today (thank you so much for your help Kathy) that my blog has been the victim of many blog scrapers. Not only are they taking my entire posts, recipes and photos but they are not giving me credit or a link back to my site. They are using my recipes as their own to make money. It's not just a couple of recipes but at least four different sites have nearly EVERY single recipe and photo that I have ever posted. It's discouraging, frustrating and hurtful that they would try to get credit for my recipes and photos. I love this food blog very much and I work hard to maintain it. It's upsetting to me that people would do this just to make money. Does anyone know what I can do to prevent this from happening? Now, on with the recipe...

One of my very favorite meals is fried razor clams. I don't eat them often because they aren't very healthy but when I do eat them, I savor every last bite. Our dear friend Jake recently went clamming on the Oregon coast and he surprised me with a bag full of these tasty morsels. I was so excited to fry them up! I thought I would be really good and just cook them in olive oil, but halfway through cooking I realized it just wouldn't do, so I added a bit of butter and I am so glad I did. They turned out crispy and delicious. My entire family, including my two kids, LOVED them. I made two sauces for dipping that turned out delicious. My sister, Dana makes an incredibly delicious cocktail sauce that's really easy to make because it only has two ingredients - ketchup and wasabi. I also made homemade tarter sauce with fresh dill and lemon. I served this dinner with rice and Green Beans with Feta and Dill. It was a wonderful meal that satisfied all of us. Thank you for sharing your delicious razor clams Jake - we loved them!

Razor Clams:

• 10 razor clams, removed from shell and rinsed
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Panko crumbs
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Olive oil
• Butter (not pictured)

Place the flour in a bowl and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place the eggs in a bowl and beat. Place the panko crumbs in a bowl. Dip each razor clam in the seasoned flour, then egg, then panko, making sure to coat evenly. Set aside on a plate. Repeat process until all clams are coated. Place the plate of clams in the refrigerator for 20 minutes then remove from the refrigerator and let them rest on the counter for 10 minutes. This will help keep the breading on the clams when you cook. I made both sauces (recipes below) during this time.

Dana's Cocktail Sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1-2 tsp wasabi, to taste

Add a bit of wasabi to the ketchup at a time and taste until it's as spicy as you desire. Place in the refrigerator so flavors mingle.

Tarter Sauce with Lemon and Dill:

• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise (I used light)
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon, more if desired
• 1 tbsp dill pickle, diced
• 1 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and re-season if necessary. Place in the refrigerator for flavors to mingle.

Back to the clams...

Heat a bit of olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is HOT, add the clams, cooking a few at a time. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, don't over cook or they will be tough. You will need to add more oil and butter when you add the additional clams to the pan. Drain on a paper towel then serve with fresh lemon, cocktail sauce and tarter sauce. Enjoy.

Note: I am leaving the amount of butter and oil up to you. I didn't measure, I just did it by eye. I tried not to use too much because I didn't want them to be greasy but enough to give them a beautiful golden color.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe

If you are not reading this post on http://lisaus.blogspot.com/ then the site you are reading is using illegally copied material from my site. These recipes and photographs are copyrighted and are the property of For the Love of Cooking.

Green Beans with Feta and Dill

I was searching through my favorite sites, Tastespotting and Foodgawker, for a side dish idea. I saw this amazing looking green bean side dish and knew it would be perfect to serve with my razor clams (recipe to come). I adapted the recipe a little to suit our tastes and we all LOVED it. Both of my kids asked for seconds and gobbled every last bite. I loved the dill flavor and thought it paired nicely with the razor clams and rice. I look forward to making this again - soon.

Green Beans with Feta and Dill:

• 1 lb. fresh green beans
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/4 small red onions, sliced thinly
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

In a small bowl add the chopped shallot and minced garlic along with the red wine vinegar and olive oil, whisk well and set aside to let the flavors mingle.

Trim the ends of the green beans, if desired. Place in a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes, I like mine tender but still crisp. Drain and place in ice cold water to stop them from cooking and to keep them bright green. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the sliced onion, fresh dill and salad dressing to taste. Toss until evenly coated. Place in a serving dish and sprinkle the top with feta cheese. Serve and enjoy.

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Mexican Rice Casserole

An old friend used to make this Mexican rice casserole for me all the time. I started craving it the other day and decided to try and recreate it myself. We had friends coming for dinner and I figured this would be a great meal for a large group. My friend would use a can of Mexican tomato sauce that was really spicy but it wouldn't be good for the four kids eating dinner so I opted to use regular tomato sauce. (If you aren't serving kids, I recommend the spicy tomato sauce for added flavor and kick). I also decided to throw in some black beans, cilantro and extra seasonings. It turned out really delicious - we all loved it (except for my daughter - picky kid). I topped it with sour cream but also served it with salsa and guacamole on the side. It was quick and easy to make and there was little clean up. I served this casserole with my Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and they paired nicely together.

Mexican Rice Casserole:

• 1 1/2 cups of white rice, prepared per instructions
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 96/4)
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
• 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 3-4 tomatoes, sliced thickly
• Sour cream (topping)
• Salsa (topping)
• Guacamole (topping)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice per instructions. While the rice is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Cook the beef for 3-4 minutes then add the diced onion and all of the seasonings. Stir until well combined and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the beef is cooked through and the onion is tender. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for an additional 60 seconds. Add the cooked rice, drained and rinsed black beans, tomato sauce and a bit of cilantro (reserving some for garnishing) to the beef and onion mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, taste and re-season if needed.

Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray and pour the rice mixture into the dish, spreading it evenly. Place the tomato slices on top of the rice mixture then top with cheddar cheese.

Spray a piece of tin foil with cooking spray (so the cheese won't stick) and cover the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Top with a dollop of sour cream and the remaining chopped cilantro. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

If you visit my blog you know I love Mexican food. I needed to create a delicious salad to go with the different Mexican entrees that I make. This salad is a great combination of textures and flavors and is a favorite in our house, especially with my kids. It's light, crunchy and full of flavor and the cilantro lime vinaigrette gives it a nice zing. I love that it's easy to make but tastes so delicious. It goes well with any Mexican food as well as chicken, beef or seafood.

Salad:

• Romaine lettuce
• Handful of grape tomatoes
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 small baby bell peppers - red, yellow or orange, diced
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup sweet frozen corn, thawed
• 1 tbsp raw or toasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 tbsp cotija cheese
• 1 handful of tortilla strips for salads
• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below) to taste

In a large salad bowl add chopped lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, bell peppers, black beans, corn, tortilla strips, pumpkin seeds and cotija cheese. Top the salad with the vinaigrette to taste and serve. Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Use am immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the dressing. Let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes before using.

Click here for printable recipe

Breakfast Skillet

I have been fighting a terrible cold for over a week and I've had no desire to cook big meals. I was craving a skillet breakfast so I decided to make it for dinner. My kids don't like eggs so I made them French toast to go with the tasty breakfast potatoes. I piled up a plate of potatoes with cheese, bacon crumbles, green onions and an over easy egg on top for me and my husband. It was extremely tasty and we both enjoyed it. Sometimes breakfast for dinner is the best!



Breakfast Skillet:

• 4 slices of bacon
• 10-12 red baby potatoes, diced into bite size pieces
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red, orange or yellow pepper, diced (I used a bit of each)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 eggs (I made one for me and two for my husband)
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Slice the potatoes into bite sized pieces and place in a pot of boiling water to par cook. Boil over high heat for 7 minutes, remove from heat and drain. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the bacon is cooked, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel then crumble into pieces and set aside. Remove all but 2 teaspoons of bacon grease from skillet then add the potatoes.

Cook the potatoes over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper to the potatoes and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 60 seconds then turn the heat to low.

Coat a small skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Crack the egg into the warm pan and season with salt and pepper. Once the white of the egg is no longer transparent, add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for about 1 minute or until the yolk is clouded over. Don't over cook or the yolk will be hard.

Layer the potatoes on a plate, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, next add some bacon crumbles and green onions then top with an over easy egg. Serve with hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!

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Kung Pao Chicken

I have always been intimidated by cooking Asian cuisine. I think it's hard for me because I like to cook my food low and slow while most Asian cooking is hot and fast. My friend Kyle recently had us over for dinner and she made Szechuan chicken. It was so good it made me want to try cooking Chinese food. I found several recipes for Kung Pao chicken on the Internet. I got the general recipe down and adapted it to work with the ingredients I had on hand. I was worried to use seasoned rice vinegar when most of the recipes called for rice wine vinegar but there was no need to worry because the sauce was extremely tasty. It was spicy and full of flavor while the chicken was tender and juicy. My husband and I really enjoyed this meal. Since the dish was really spicy, I took some of the chicken and cooked it with teriyaki sauce for the kids - they really liked it. I served the Kung Pao chicken over white rice and with steamed broccoli on the side. It was a fantastic meal that was quick and simple to cook. I am so excited to trying cooking another Asian recipe soon.


Kung Pao Chicken:

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced into bite sized chunks
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don't want it really spicy)
• 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• White rice, prepared per instructions

Prepare rice. Combine chicken and cornstarch in a bowl and toss until evenly coated. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in another bowl and set aside for later. Heat a large skillet or wok with sesame oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is smoking hot add the chicken and stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions (leaving a few for garnishing) to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar mixture to the pan along with the cooked chicken and peanuts. Coat the chicken and peanuts with sauce and heat thoroughly. Serve over rice and top with remaining green onions. Enjoy.

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Lemon Blueberry Muffins

It was a very cold and rainy day today and the kids and I were bored. Since I can only handle so much Zingo and Candyland, I suggested we make muffins. Both kids wanted blueberry muffins and I thought we should add lemon too. When looking for recipes, I ran across one from Food and Wine that looked good because it didn't use a whole stick of butter and only a little bit of oil. After consuming so much Easter candy, I thought healthier muffins would be a good thing for all of us. I have discovered that cooking and baking with kids is a lot of fun, however, it is a much slower process than cooking by myself. Unfortunately going much slower made the blueberries start to melt and the muffin batter turn purple. Luckily, my daughter was absolutely thrilled to have such pretty purple muffins - all things happen for a reason I guess. I loved the extra zest in the muffins, it really complimented the blueberry flavor. They were really delicious, especially fresh from the oven, slathered with butter.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of frozen blueberries, plus a few extra for the top of each muffin
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Finely grated zest of 2 small lemons
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 packets of raw cane sugar, for the top of each muffin

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a muffin tray with baking spray then set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the blueberries. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, oil, lemon zest and the lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until blended; do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the muffin tray then top with additional blueberries and sprinkle raw sugar on each muffin.

Bake for about 20-23 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm slathered in butter. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Baked Shredded Beef Taquitos

We had friends coming for dinner and I wanted to make something tasty and casual. I loved the Shredded Pork Taquitos so much that I thought I would try them with shredded beef. I rolled them a bit smaller than I did the pork and they turned out delicious and much easier to eat. All of the kids and adults loved them. I made homemade guacamole, salsa and cilantro lime sour cream for dipping. We served the baked taquitos with a Southwestern salad my friend Kyle brought and it was a perfectly delicious meal.



Shredded Beef:

• 1 1/2 lbs of round roast (chuck roast is flavorful but isn't as lean)
• 1 7 oz can of whole green chiles reserve the juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1-2 cups of beef broth

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Combine seasonings and rub onto the meat thoroughly. Sear the meat in the olive oil on all sides. Spread the green chiles over the roast. Add beef broth, reserved green chile juice and chopped garlic. Cover pan and place in oven. Cook 4-5 hours until the beef shreds easily. Check on roast every couple of hours to make sure there is plenty of liquid... if it's low add more broth. You can also cook this dish on the stove top or in a crock-pot. Shred the meat and mix into the remaining liquid. Taste and re season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

Baked Taquitos:

• Corn Tortillas
• Shredded beef
• Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towels for 1-2 minutes in the microwave to soften. Place a bit shredded beef in the center of the tortilla then roll. Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet that's been coated with cooking spray. Finish rolling the rest of the taquitos, then spray each of them with cooking spray and bake for 5-6 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Note: You can also add shredded cheddar cheese or cotija cheese to the taquitos. Be sure to place the cheese on the tortilla first then the meat. It will help keep the cheese from leaking out while baking.

Dips:

• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Cilantro and lime sour cream (recipe below)

Cilantro Lime Sour Cream:

• 1 cup of sour cream (I use fat free)
• 1 tbsp sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped (chop some extra for garnish)
• Juice of one lime

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, onion, garlic, cilantro and lime juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator until you need it.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Pizza Bread

We have been so busy lately with school, swimming lessons for both kids, and my daughter's micro soccer league two nights a week. I have been looking for quick and easy recipes for lunches and dinners. I found a par baked loaf of ciabatta bread at Trader Joes and thought it would be excellent for a panini but at the last minute decided to use up leftover turkey pepperoni and sauce to make pizza bread for lunch. It was really simple to make and my kids loved it.

Pizza Bread:

• Ciabatta bread
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Turkey pepperoni
• Pineapple chunks
• Dried basil (not pictured)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the par baked ciabatta bread on a baking tray and bake for 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice in half lengthwise and spread pizza or marinara sauce on each half of the bread. Sprinkle with mozzarella on each side then top with turkey pepperoni, pineapple and a bit of dried basil.

Bake on a pizza tray for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy. Slice and serve. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Roasted Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes

My very favorite food would have to be potatoes - can you tell I am originally from Idaho (the potato state). I found these baby Dutch yellow potatoes in the store and it was love at first sight. They were the smallest most perfect potato I've ever seen. I knew instantly that I would roast them using only olive oil, seat salt, pepper and garlic powder. These potatoes are creamy and delicious on their own and I didn't want to ruin their flavor. I was right - they tasted like candy. The whole family loved them but especially me. If you ever see these little beauties in the store - BUY them! They are not only the perfect side dish but they are extremely easy to make. I personally can't wait to go get more.

Roasted Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes:

• Baby Dutch yellow potatoes (as many as you want)
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Par cook the potatoes in boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Remove from the water and let cool.

Place the par cooked potatoes in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil (you don't need much) then season to taste with sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and garlic powder. Mix the potatoes, olive oil and seasonings thoroughly. Roast in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until crackled and fork tender. Serve and enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe