Salad Bar

I can definitely tell it is summer here in Arizona with everyday temperatures over 110 degrees.  One thing I learned really quickly when I moved here is DO NOT USE the OVEN in the summer unless you absolutely have too. 

Bill and I got back from Chicago this week, and after eating all of the amazing food there we decided we needed to eat something healthy for dinner. In college I used to love to get food from our salad bar because I could choose what was going on my salad. I decided to use the same concept for dinner. I collected some of my favorite toppings and here was dinner! I went to the farmers market that morning too, so everything was really fresh and some of the items were from our garden too.  The best thing about this dinner is you can use whatever toppings you like. Very simple and delicious!

Grill chicken a few hours before ready to eat, so it is nice and cool on salad

Ingredients all prepared and ready to eat!

Just needs cheese...

All ready to eat

Summer Salad
2 chicken breast, grilled, cooled
Steak Rub-anyone you have
1 head of lettuce or spinach
2-3 radishes, sliced
1 can of Artichoke Hearts, quartered
1 cucumbers, sliced
8 large strawberries, quartered
1 large tomoato, diced
1 small red onion, diced
4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
Fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
Salad dressing-your choice


A few hours before you want to eat, pull out your chicken and spread steak rub on it. Turn on grill. When grill is hot, put on chicken and cook until done. Let chicken cool for about 10-15 minutes and slice. Put chicken in fridge.

 While chicken is cooking, place 4 eggs into saucepan and cover eggs with water. Bring eggs to hard boil and let them boil 1 minute. Remove eggs from heat (keep in water) for 10 minutes. Remove eggs from water and run COLD water on them. Place eggs in fridge to until cold.

When you are ready to eat, clean and place lettuce in bowls. Pull out all of the fruits and vegetables, and prepare them for the salad. Pull out eggs, remove shells and cut. Pull out chicken. Set up the ingredients on a platter and ooh la la...dinner! Top with your favorite salad dressing. Enjoy!

xoxo

Meggan

Celery Soup

Last week I made chicken salad and I had extra celery left over. I love celery, but there is only so much I can eat of it raw. I remembered when my parents were here in March my dad made a celery soup, so I decided to pull out the recipe. This is a GREAT recipe to use up the extra celery, so I don't end up throwing it away when it goes bad. I know it is over 100 degrees here right now, and hot soup does not sound the best, but it was delicious! You can always freeze to soup, and eat it when it gets cooler too! It is super simple to make, and REALLY healthy! And of course gluten free + dairy free!

Here is what you need!

Let the onion, celery + potatoes cook a bit

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Then cover, simmer and cook for  about 30 minutes

Puree the soup and enjoy!

Celery Soup

5 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 TBSP butter (I used my vegan Good Earth butter)
1 large onion, diced
1 large Idaho Potato, peeled and diced
1 bunch celery, trimmed, in 1/2 inch pieces (I used the leaves and everything)
1/4 TSP kosher salt
1/8 TSP white pepper (you can use black if you don't have white)
2 TBSP cream, optional (I used my almond milk and it was perfect + makes it dairy free)


Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir well to coat. Let the onion cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently then add the potato and celery. Stir frequently. Add the broth, salt and pepper. and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until celery is soft (about 30 minutes).


Puree the soup using a immersion blender (or food processor or blender) until smooth. If you use food processor or blender, do it in 2-3 batches. Enjoy!

xoxo

Meggan

Seafood Pesto Pasta

One of my favorite parts of summer is having a garden. I love just walking outside to pick what I need for dinner.  As we are trying to eat more organic, nothing is better than a home grown garden. I love the smell our garden produces especially as I am down in it picking our biggest tomato or picking fresh basil. One of my favorite things too is the smell basil leaves on your fingers. It is an aroma that will stay with you and of course I always want to make pesto when I smell it.

I feel that pesto is one of those staple summer foods. I ♥ pesto! I will put it on anything I can. I don't remember growing up with pesto, so I am not sure where my love for it began.  My first memory of pesto was actually at my Uncle Jeff's house when I was in middle school. We were over there for some family gathering and he had just made it. I remember watching him use the fresh basil from his garden and adding all of the ingredients.  I just remember how wonderful it smelled. Anything that smells good has to taste good too...right! I am sure my parent's made it when I was younger, but it is curious how our brains will tie something to a specific memory.

It is starting to get hot here in Arizona and pesto pasta just seemed like a perfect meal to make. I have a fantastic recipe from non other than my amazing MIL (mother-in-law). Pesto calls for Parmesan cheese, and since I cannot eat dairy I substituted it for my dairy free cheese. I use daiya cheese, and it is definitely the best I have found. I have found it at Sprouts and Whole Foods! It was fantastic! Bill had no idea until I told him ☺ which always is my test when I am cooking..."if Bill can't tell than it must be okay!"

I had a seafood medley (shrimp, scallops + calamari)  from Trader Joe's in my freezer ($5.99) and gluten free pasta in the cupboard. For our sides we had caprese salad (I don't have cheese on my salad) + zucchini all from our garden. This entire meal was gluten and dairy free!  We had one of my favorite Oregon wines too...Evolution from Sokol Blosser. Our entire meal (minus the wine) was less than $10 and we got 3 meals out of it! The wine doubled our meal price, but as my FIL (Father-in-Law) says "Life is too short to drink bad wine!"

Here is what you need!

mmm...i love pesto!

Pesto
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil (stems removed), washed and dried on paper towels
1/2 cup olive oil
3 TBSP freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used my dairy free cheese)
2 TBSP pine nuts
3 small gloves of garlic
1/2 TSP salt or to taste
1/4 TSP ground white pepper


In the bowl of food processor, place in all ingredients. Pulse until well blended and smooth. 

Makes about 1 cup

Seafood Pasta

Cook pasta according to package.

Add olive oil to a saucepan. When warm, add seafood and cook 3-5 minutes or until opaque color. While cooking add salt + lemon pepper to taste.


Add pesto to pasta. DO NOT ADD ALL OF THE PESTO. Keep adding pesto in small doses and mix until all pasta is covered. Add seafood and mix. Enjoy!

xoxo

Meggan

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Well I officially on summer break, so one of my goals is to blog more! I have tried some amazing recipes recently, and I need to share them with. My first recipe today is perfect for hot summer days!

With it being a 100 degrees today, I decided I wanted a nice cold salad for dinner tonight. This has become one of my favorite salads, and it can definitely be a complete meal. The best part is it's healthy, gluten free + dairy free! Quinoa can be expensive, so I recommend getting it at Costco. You will obviously get a lot, so if you have never had it before Trader Joe's had great price for organic quinoa in smaller box. All of the fruit, veggies and herbs were on sale, so I made this enter salad for less than $5. We will get at least 4 meals out it, so it is a VERY cost effective meal! 

The first time I saw this recipe it made me think of something I would take to a family potluck. As many of you know, my family is LARGE so for every family gathering everyone brings something to share. From pastas to salads, we never run out of food! I will have to make this next time I am in Oregon ♥

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

1 mango, peeled and diced small
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 TBSP canola oil (vegetable oil works too!)
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled (about 3/4 cup raw)
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 finely diced jalapeno peppers (optional)


Mix everything together. Put in the refrigerator to cool completely + serve cold if possible. Enjoy!


xoxo

Meggan

Seafood Pasta

I found the recipe in my  at blanchard's table  cookbook, and it was wonderful. The recipe calls for shrimp but I adapted it. I love seafood, but living in Arizona it is always very expensive! At Trader Joe's I found a frozen seafood medley (shrimp, scallops + calamari $5.99), which actually worked well. Obviously fresh seafood would be better, but you learn to adapt quickly when you are on a budget :)

Also, since I am watching my gluten intake, we used Gluten Free pasta. If you have never used GF pasta, it is worth trying. It cooks a little differently than normal pasta, which caused our sauce to be a little creamer than expected, but we love it. Bill even ate it (and had seconds) which as you know passes the "make it again test!" Since I used GF pasta ($2) the meal was a little more expensive than it would be if you used normal pasta. The entire meal was about $8.50, but we got 3 meals out of it! We were lucky enough to use lemons from our tree and basil from our garden! One of the MANY pluses to having a garden!!

Penne with Shrimp, Garlic, Lemon + Basil

1 pound penne (or whatever pasta you have lying around!)
3 TBLS olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 TSP dried red pepper flakes
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half lengthwise (or Trader Joe's Seafood Medley)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1 TSP salt
1/4 TSP freshly ground black pepper
             Freshly grated Parmesan cheese 


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil in high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender. Drain well and return to the pot.


While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, pepper flakes, and shrimp, and cook stirring, just until the shrimp turns pink (2-3 minutes).


Once the pasta is back in the pasta pot, add the shrimp, lemon juice and basil, and toss well. Add the salt and pepper, adjusting to taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Serve immediately with plenty of Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

xoxo

Meggan

Delicious Chicken Tacos

Here is another fabulous pioneer woman recipe pioneer woman chicken tacos! Usually I alter recipes a little, but this one didn't need any altering. Bill and I absolutely loved them, and they were easy to make!  We of course had our homemade salsa bill + meggan's salsa and lettuce from our garden! We had plenty of leftovers too, so we had them two nights last week.

Fabulous Chicken Tacos 
16 whole Corn Tortillas (small Size) 
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Pieces 
Salt, Cumin, Chili Powder To Taste (or Use Taco Seasoning) 
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil 
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies 
1-½ cup Finely Grated Cheese  
Sour Cream 
Hot Sauce (Chulula Or Other Brand) 
2 cups Thinly Sliced  Lettuce 
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced 
Canola Oil, For Frying Tacos

Season diced chicken liberally. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes. Dump in the diced green chilies. Stir and cook until chicken is totally done inside. Turn off heat and set aside.

Have all other ingredients—grated cheese, sliced lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, and hot sauce—ready.

Also have a plate ready, as well as a stack of five or six paper towels to hold in your hand.


Frying the Tacos
BE CAREFUL...THE OIL IS HOT & SPLATTERS (i know from personal experience)
 
To fry the tacos, heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Place some chicken in the middle of a tortilla, then fold tortilla in half. Clamp the tortilla shut with a pair of heat-proof metal tongs, then carefully lay the taco—one side down—in the oil. As you lay it in the oil, use the tongs to hold the top side down for a few seconds to form it in place. Once it stays put, repeat with two other tacos. Turn tacos after 30 to 45 seconds, or when each side gets light golden brown (not too brown.)

One at a time, remove tacos from the pan with tongs, holding sideways as you remove them to allow oil to drip out of the sides. Place the taco in the stack of paper towels. Fold the sides and corners around the taco to tightly hold it, then give it three or four shakes to remove excess oil. Remove it from the paper towels and place on a plate. Repeat with other tacos in the pan.

As you continue frying the other tacos, have someone carefully place some grated cheese inside the tops of the tacos (gently pry them open just enough to place the cheese in). Then just let them sit until ready to serve—the cheese will melt as it sits in the warm taco.

To serve, garnish in this order: a smear of sour cream, dashes of hot sauce, shredded lettuce, diced tomato. You’ll need to slightly open up the tops of the tacos to get all the garnishes in there.
Tacos will be hot for a minute or two after frying, so don’t rush into eating! They’ll stay nice and warm for a little while after frying. Enjoy!


xoxo

Meggan

Posted by Ree on March 31 2011

Something my dad would cook!

My dad is always finding different healthy recipes to try, and when I saw this my first thought was "my dad would love this recipe!" I originally got this off a gluten free website, but of course I adapted it to make it my own! For all my gluten free friends out there, if you don't follow this site, she has some great recipes! http://glutenfreegirl.com/roasted-vegetable-salad/

I had a ton of vegetables from the farmers market I wanted to use, so I just roasted all of them and added them to the recipe. I had bought kale too for the recipe, but I ended up eating it all before I made it. I am sure kale would be fabulous in this too! I cooked the beets the night before just to make it easier (and I wanted to make sure I did not forget to use them!), but you could cook them the same day, and just put them in a little earlier than the rest of the veggies.

When you cook the brown rice, I HIGHLY recommend using 1/2 water + 1/2 white wine (whatever you have opened). It makes the brown rice even more DELICIOUS! TRY IT...

Try this meal cold too! I had it the next day for lunch, and I LOVED it cold. It reminded me of a nice summer salad I would eat on a hot day ☀

Dad's Vegetable + Rice Salad
4 beets-any color, scrubbed, leaves trimmed
4 carrots, cut into bite size pieces pieces
12 asparagus
3 zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
8 pieces kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
Olive Oil
3/4 cup kalamata olives
salt + pepper
cheese- goat or fresh mozzarella (I used my dairy free cheese)


2 cups of cooked brown rice or quinoa


1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch kosher salt and cracked black pepper
red pepper flakes-to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


Coat beets lightly with oil. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and cut into large slices.

Put the carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini and asparagus onto the baking sheet. Toss them with the oil and salt and pepper. Toss them in the olive oil until they are coated. Put the baking sheet into the oven and roast the vegetables until they are browned on the bottom and softened, about 20 minutes. If you use kale, throw in the kale pieces and toss the vegetables on the sheet again. Roast until the kale is a bit wilted, about 3 minutes.


While the veggies are cooking, go ahead and make the vinaigrette. Grab a small jar with a lid. Pour in the lemon juice, mustard, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Shake the jar. Add the oil. Shake the jar. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust the ingredients if necessary.

Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and toss them with the brown rice, the cheese, and the kalamata olives. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss. Enjoy!

xoxo

Meggan

We can pretend we were eating somewhere tropic...

Last week, I decided I needed to see what I had in my freezer, and I needed to use it! I found two haddock filets, and I had bought pineapple was on sale ($.99 each) and organic mangos ($1.00 each). I decided I needed to make something tropic! Living in AZ you can always find limes at a good price (usually they are off our tree), and cilantro is always cheap. At the farmers market I had picked up avocados and tomatoes, so I of course added them to the mango salsa. I also picked up kale...all I can say is delicious!

I wanted to marinate the fish in a lime + cilantro marinade. I learned something new while making this dish too...if you marinate the fish too long in the lime juice it will "cook" it and it becomes ceviche! So here it is...Our delicious tropic dinner ☀

Mango Salsa
1 mango-peeled + cut into bite pieces
1 avocado- cut into bite size pieces
Cilantro (handful)- chopped
1 jalapeno- chopped
1 lime- juiced
1 tomato- chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together and put aside.

Lime + Cilantro Haddock
4 limes-juiced
2 garlic cloves-crushed
Cilantro (handful)-chopped
salt + pepper

Preheat the grill. Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over fish. Let marinate for 10 minutes (don't do it more or it will cook it). Place fish on foil and cook over grill for 10 minutes or until done. Let sit for about 5 minutes to let all of the juices rest. When ready to eat, top with with mango salsa. Enjoy!

Grilled Pineapple
1 whole pineapple

Peel the pineapple and cut into slices. Place on grill away from direct heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to flip the pineapple half way through. Enjoy!

Lemon Kale
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch of Kale
Juice of 1/2 of lemon
salt + pepper
Nutmeg- just a little-freshly ground if possible

Turn on heat to medium and place olive oil in large saute pan.  Chop Kale into bite size pieces and place into pan. Squeeze lemon juice over kale and stir. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Make sure to mix the kale every few minutes. Cook about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Tip of the Day: Plan your meals around what is on sale!

xoxo

Meggan

Everyone needs a place to make drinks!

Bill and I spent the month of March putting together our bar! For those of you who have been to our house, it is located in the Arizona room (right behind the kitchen wall). This is something we have talked about doing for the last year, and after many conversations (and of course spreadsheets) we finished it last weekend, except for putting on the toe-kicks. We LOVE our new ice maker, and we have found any excuse to use it!

Here it is...with no countertop or ice maker.

 Here it is DONE!

Chili in April???

First of all...I am sorry for my absence on the blog. My computer has been down for the last 6 weeks, and the computer I was using was S...L...O...W! My computer is fixed...and so my blogging will continue!

NOW...Who would of thought that we would be eating chili in April. Usually at this time, we are in the 90s and starting to dread our hot summer months, but today we got a great break. Cold and rainy!! Bill and I had a busy day, so this morning I decided to make some chili in the slow cooker. When we came home late this afternoon, it smelled fabulous! I love my slow cooker, and how easy it can make my life!

 Here is what you need to make this delicious chili...

 Oops..forgot to add the tomato sauce to the picture.

Arizona Chili

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 large garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
1 large onion
1 bell pepper-any color
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
1/3 bottle of beer 
1/2 tsp dried basil
5 (or more) tsp chili powder
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
red pepper flakes-to your taste
red pepper-to your taste
splash of red wine


Cook turkey and sausage. Drain the meat and add to slow cooker. Now, add the rest of the ingredients to slow cooker. Make sure you are tasting the chili as you add spices, to make sure it is to your liking. Cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

You can't have chili without cornbread! I have been REALLY limiting my gluten, and I have been of off dairy since February. The recipe calls for butter and milk, and if you can have those then PLEASE use those instead of Almond milk and non-dairy butter. I LOVE Bob's Red Mill products, and I have not had a mix I have not liked. They even pass the "Bill" test :) We had this cornbread with dinner tonight, which was fabulous!

Cornbread 
Red Mill's Cornbread Mix
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/3 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs 


Follow directions on package! Enjoy!


xoxo

Meggan

Pork Chops + Carmalized Onion Sauce

This is one of the first recipes I found a couple of years ago (Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8 Great meals for couples or crowds)that Bill ever requested me to make again. We love it, and I love the fact it is so versatile and it the recipe is only made for 2.  You can use pork, chicken or veal...whatever is in your fridge! Depending how long you let the sauce cook down, you can have leftover sauce to use again for another meal (using it as burger topping is delicious). This time I cooked it the sauce cooked longer than normal (Bill got stuck at work) so it was thicker than we were used too, but we both loved it this way! Sometimes being stuck at work is a good thing...not very often, but sometimes...

Pork with Caramelized Onion Sauce

4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
5-6 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt + Pepper
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter- or whatever you use as butter
2 bone-in loin pork chops


For the caramelized onion sauce, preheat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and thyme sprigs, then season them with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the garlic, and continue to cook for 1 minute, then add the vinegar and chicken stock. Bring to simmer over high heat and cook until the liquids have reduced by half (about 3-4 minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the thyme twigs, and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts.


Once the onions are on their way, preheat a second skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the chops liberally with salt and pepper and add them to the hot skillet. Cook the chops for 5 minutes on the first side. Resist the temptation to move the chops in the pan, as it will slow down the browning. Flip the chops and reduce the heat to medium. Cook them on the second side for 8-10 minutes or until the desired done-ness. Transfer them to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to rest for a couple of minutes. Serve the chops topped with some of the caramelized onion sauce. 

I am on spring break this week, so hopefully there will be more blogging...I am trying a new recipe tomorrow that looks delicious!

xoxo

Meggan

Slow-cooker pork tacos

I love slow cookers, but I do not use ours enough. Our slow cooker is definitely temperamental...it cooks way warmer and faster than any recipe calls for. I am still trying to figure ours out, but in the meantime, I did cook a fabulous meal on Sunday! Not only did Bill think it was good, but Curt (brother-in-law) came over for dinner and enjoyed it too!

I have had this recipe on our fridge since Thanksgiving, and finally I got around to cooking it! I don't usually like recipes that call for "random" ingredients...ie...Mexican oregano...do they make their oregano special down there???, but Sprouts does have spice-by-the-bulk, which means you can buy the only what you need of the "random" spice! Also, we bought two pork shoulders at Costco in January and had one in the freezer. Have I told you how much I LOVE Costco...especially when there are coupons (which there were for the pork!). We made more salsa (http://eatplaysave.blogspot.com/2011/03/salsa.html), but added the left over chipotle chillies in too. Definitely made it more spicy, but it was delicious!

Slow-cooker tacos 

3lb pork shoulder, trim excess fat
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 can chipotle chilies in adobo
2 large dried chilies (ancho, guajillo, New Mexico, pasilla)
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. Mexican Oregano (go to a place where you can buy just what you need of this!)
1 cup broth (beef or chicken)

1. Put all ingredients into a slow-cooker. Cook on high for 5-6 hours (we did ours 2 hrs. on high...3 hrs on low...temperamental slow-cooker), stirring and flipping meat occasionally.
2. Remove meat and set aside.
3. Strain remaining liquid into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce liquid until noticeably thickened.
4. While liquid is reducing, shred meat into small pieces.
5. After liquid is thickened, add meat back into liquid.
6. Serve in steamed corn tortillas with normal taco toppings (tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream & salsa).

Tip of the Day: Buy your "random" spices from place that buy in bulk. It will save you money when you only have to buy what you need!

xoxo

Meggan

salsa

It has been a very busy week here in Arizona! My aunts came in the last weekend of February then Bill's parents on Wednesday...on top of that my computer broke for the second time this year.

We ate out a lot over the last week, but I did get some cooking in. On Wednesday as Bill worked a long night, I decided I need to make some salsa because 1.  we LOVE salsa 2. we were out of salsa. Our original salsa recipe came from non other than the pioneer woman, but as we have perfected and adapted it, we made it our own.

Salsa is very cheap to make, and when you make a big batch it is even more cost effective. Our entire cost for meggan + bill's salsa was under $3. I always keep my eyes open for sales of the canned tomatoes because I know how much we love our salsa. The other day at Frys the cans of Rotel, plum tomaotes and fire roasted tomatoes (all brand names) were $.50 a can! The other ingredients are all things we have keep in our pantry besides cilantro, which is $.60 a bunch.

meggan + bill's salsa
1 can (14.5oz) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
1can (10 oz) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
1 can (14.5oz) Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1/2 cups Chopped Onion
2 clove Garlic, Minced
2 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cup Cilantro or more to taste
1 whole lime, juiced or more to taste

This is a very large batch. We use a 12-cup food processor, but you could use a blender too.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, fire roasted, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—we do about 10 to 15 pulses. Make sure you have a whole bag of tortilla chips ready for testing because once you start, you won't be able to stop. Adjust as needed with seasonings. 

Our FAVORITE chips with salsa is Kirkland Organic Corn Tortilla chips. Once you try them, you won't eat anything else!

meggan's mango salsa
1 mango, chopped
1 avacado, chopped
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoon honey
1 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon tabasco or more to taste


Combine all ingredients. Test with tortilla chips and adjust as needed. 

Tip of the Day: make your own salsa!


xoxo

Meggan

Using our cookbooks...

For our wedding, we received 20 cookbooks...I kid you not! I have been trying to use them, but with so many I sometimes I just get overwhelmed.  My new challenge for myself is to use the cookbooks as I look through the deals of the week. I like recipes that use common ingredients rather than the randoms that I will never use again, which can add to my challenge. This week Haddock (white fish...like cod) was on sale at Sprouts for $3.97 per pound (1 pound was perfect for us). When I saw this,  I went to a cookbook I knew had fish recipes in it and began to look around...

For one of my showers, I received a wonderful cookbook at blanchard's table from my amazing MOB2( Mother of the Bride 2). Here is a little background on my MOB2... first of all she has a real name, Yvonne. Yvonne has been on of my mom's best friends since before I was born. Yvonne and her husband never had children, so my brothers and I became her surrogate children. When Bill and I became engaged, Yvonne immediately jumped in as my MOB2 and helped us with planning. In May of 2010, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but that did not stop her! She continued to help us with designing our reception even through her chemo. She even scheduled her chemo around our wedding, so she would be sick on the day of. On top of being so amazing, she is a great cook. So the cookbook means more to me than just a cookbook I received as a wedding shower gift...it is a cookbook I will always treasure from my MOB2.

In the cookbook, I found a recipe that called for swordfish, but I replaced it with the Haddock. This is a fantastic recipe...simple and delicious! I would definitely recommend EVERYONE to make this!

Sweet-and-Sour Swordfish with Onions, Raisins, and Tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1/3 dry white wine
2 tsp dried oregano
2 cups canned whole plum tomatoes with their juice
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley-we did not use because we did not have any.
4 swordfish steaks (each about 8 oz and 1 inch thick)-we used the Haddock instead

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat and cook the onions until soft but not brown. Add the wine, reduce the heat and cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the onions are very soft. Increase the heat to medium, add the oregano, and cook for 2 minutes.


Add the tomatoes with their juice and break them into pieces using a spoon. Bring to boil, then simmer gently until thickened, 4-5 minutes. Add raisins, brown sugar, salt, pepper and parsley.


Brush fish with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and cook on the grill, in a sauté pan, or under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side (until the fish flakes). Divide most of the sauce on dinner plates and place fish on each. Top with remaining sauce. Enjoy!

The entire cost of our meal was just under $6.00. I did not have to buy anything specific for the recipe besides the fish, which makes it more cost effective.

Tip of the Day: Use recipes that use common ingredients...it will save you a lot of money.

xoxo

Meggan

Fish Tacos

I think I have said it before, but Bill & I love mexican food! We definitely have mexican food at least once a week, and tonight was the night. We had our favorite Fish Tacos (Entire meal $5)!

Today I was at Whole Foods, and discovered they have organic corn tortillas for $.99 (12 count).  We also buy cheese from Costco (2 1/2lb. Tillamook medium chedder $6.79). We shred the cheese when we need it, which is much more cost effective (and when you buy pre-shredded cheese they have to add more preservatives to it...boo!)

Fish Tacos

corn tortillas
Fish (we buy breaded cod from Trader Joes, but you can use whatever is on sale).
Organic black beans ($1.19 at Trader Joes)
shredded cheese
tomatoes
avocados
sour cream
Bill's Sauce (the best thing about the tacos...recipe below)

Prepare fish as indicated on box. Cook black beans. Spread Bill's Sauce on tortillas and place fish on top. Place the toppings on. Enjoy!

Bill's Sauce
1/8 cup Mayonnaise (we scoop & don't really measure)
2 tbls. Ketchup
2 tbls. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 tsp. Srirachas or more to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together. Bill says "it should be pink, not white, not red...pink"


Tip of the Day: Buy your cheese at Costco...it will save you a lot of money!

xoxo

Meggan

curry turkey or turkey curry...

 We get a lot of recipes from Marty (MIL) because she is a great cook, and anytime Bill requests food it usually something his mom makes ☺So the first time I heard of Curry Turkey (or as I keep calling it Turkey Curry), I knew where to get the recipe. Bill LOVES his mom's food because she uses real things in it (REAL cheese, meat, bread) as opposed to me who is having to cut a lot of things in my diet. Poor Bill is now too...because I am the cook of the house! Anytime I can substitute the real thing in for him, I am so don't feel too bad for him yet ☺He is also getting better at eating my (too healthy) food...He did eat homemade gluten free pizza with me a couple weeks ago...8 months into our marriage, and we are making great progress ♥ We will see where this week takes us, as I start to cut dairy too. I am not sure how he is going to handle soy cheese and almond milk...could get interesting in the Hornaday house ♥

Here is the delicious recipe (for gluten free people-cream of chicken does have gluten).

Marty's Curry Turkey

Left over turkey cut into bite size pieces
2 Cans of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
Hot Curry powder (if you like spicy)
Tabasco-as much as you like
1/4 tsp of ground ginger
White wine-whatever you have open
Brown rice
Chopped onion
Sliced banana
Raisins

Start cooking rice. As it is cooking, pour the cream of chicken into pan and add turkey, curry, Tabasco and ginger. Mix together. Add wine to thin as needed and simmer slowly. The longer it cooks the better.

Serve over rice. Top with onions, bananas and raisin. Enjoy!


xoxo

Meggan

Goat Cheese, Spinach + Turkey Quesadilla

It is a stormy day here in Arizona, so I decided to see what I had in the fridge to make some warm comfort food. Of course we still have turkey left over from last weekend, which we need to finish up soon. I had some of my favorite cheeses...Goat cheese and Parmesan, and I also had some spinach that could be used up too.

Here is what I created...

Goat Cheese, Spinach + Turkey Quesadillas

2 corn tortillas
Goat cheese
Parmesan cheese
Spinach (handful)
Turkey (or whatever leftover meat you want to use)

Take 1 tortilla  and place in pan. Slice goat cheese and parmesan cheese (as much as you like!). Put cheese, turkey, and spinach on tortilla then put second tortilla on top. Grill first side until browned (about 5 minutes) then flip. Keep cooking until cheese melted and tortillas browned. Delicious!

This could be new FAVORITE thing to eat!

xoxo

Meggan

Bok Choy??

Bill + I joined a organic co-op about a year ago. Once a week, we go to a lady's home in Scottsdale and pick up a large paper bag filled with organic fruits and veggies, which we LOVE. In my quest to be healthy, I am trying to eat as much as organic as my wallet will let me. Some weeks it is definitely more than others ☺

In the beginning of our co-op experience, we were getting food we were familiar with until one day I saw some weird green leafy thing that kind of looked like an onion, but at the same time it looked like lettuce. I was completely baffled by it, and had to refer to the list given to me to identify what it was I was looking at. Apparently it was called bok choy, which I had never heard of until I saw it in our bag. I had no idea what to do with it. So of course the first thing any girl does is call her mom and her mother-in-law to see what they do with it. Marty (MIL) said she had used it for an oriental salad, so I thought I could try that...I like salad!

I found a recipe my grandma had given me, and substituted the shredded cabbage for bok choy. They are both green, so it should work was my thought...

I got lucky and it did! This now one of our favorite salads (I even get requests from Bill, which means something in my book ♥) This is what we are having for dinner tonight!



Oriental Bok Choy Salad

2-3 small heads of bok choy
4-5 green onions
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
1 pkg. ramen noodles, crumbled (we use chicken flavor)
1 can Mandarin Oranges
2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked, shredded

Dressing
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil (depends on how much dressing you like on your salad)
6 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. noodle seasoning

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients and whisk together.  Pour over salad. Enjoy!


xoxo

Meggan

Sunday Project

On Sunday I decided to tackle our food cupboard. We have a TINY area, which usually just meant throwing stuff into it, and hoping it does not fall out. I was getting so sick and tired of it, so I decided to organize it with my favorite gadget...my label maker! I bought BPA free plastic containers from Costco (38 of them for $19) using my $5 off coupon. It took me less than an hour, and now I LOVE looking at it now. It also helped me to see what I actually had for canned food, and what I need to get next time I go to the grocery store.

I erased my before picture...oops! Here is it what it looks like now ♥

 

Tip of the Day: Take some time and organize one thing in your house that is driving you crazy! It will make you feel better when you do!

xoxo

Meggan

Turkey in February...yum!

Yesterday Bill and I smoked a turkey for dinner, and it was fabulous! One of the best things I have learned, is buy meat when it is on sale and freeze it to use at a later time. This year we had Thanksgiving at our house, so we bought one turkey for the big day and another to cook at a later time. We bought our 14lb turkey for $4.50...such a good price! This turkey will last us for the next two weeks, and we will use it for everything from sandwiches to Curry Turkey (Bill's Favorite). I also bought Yams at Sprouts this week for $2...our entire meal was $6.50. We have discovered the key to a good turkey is brining the turkey. We soak it in the brine using a 5 gallon bucket for 24 hours...delish!

We were very lucky to receive a smoker as a wedding gift, but if you don't have a smoker...your charcoal or gas grill will do.

                                   Kona is making sure the turkey is okay!


Here is our Recipes...

Brined Turkey

2 gallons of water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar

Bring ingredients to a boil. When it is completely cooled, pour over turkey and place back in the fridge for 24 hours.

 Make sure to rinse the bird completely before you cook it.

Paula Deen's Mashed Sweet Potatoes
 10 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (We used Yams)
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer or until the potatoes are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, drain well. Return the potatoes to the Dutch oven and add the butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Beat at medium-low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Cook's Note: For more sweetness, add more honey.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mashed-sweet-potatoes-recipe/index.html


Tip of the Day: Next November buy an extra turkey to use at a later date. It will give you meat for the next two weeks for meals!

I will post our recipes for left over turkey this week!

xoxo

Meggan

I ♥ Frys

If you have not been to Frys this week, you need to check it out! There are some great deal out there, my favorite being "Buy 1 get 1 for a penny deal!" for alcohol. Who doesn't love a crown and coke, especially when you can get two bottles (750ml) for $28. This should last us for awhile!

Since moving to Arizona, I have fallen more in love with Mexican food. I would eat it everyday if Bill would eat it too, but he likes some variety in his meals :) This week at Frys, you can buy Mission Flour Tortillas and Herdez Salsa for $1.88. Foster farm chickens are $1.77lb, and Kraft shredded or Bar cheese 3 for $5. Perfect ingredients for Grandma's Chicken Enchiladas...


Grandma's Chicken Enchiladas
3-4 cups cooked chicken
1 16oz jar salsa
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
grated cheese
6-8 tortillas

Preheat oven: 350 degrees


Place chicken, cream cheese, 1/2 of salsa and 1 cup of grated cheese in a microwave-safe dish. Place in  microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir and place chicken mixture in tortillas, fold over and place seam side down in dish. Cover with remaining salsa and cheese. Cook for 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and enchiladas are heated through.

This is one of my favorite recipes and it is easy to make! You will get plenty for leftovers, so really you are getting at least 2 meals out of the one recipe. This is my favorite way to cook! Can't wait to make these soon!

Tonight, we are heading to dinner club at the Itule's...another great way to try new recipes. More on this tomorrow :)

Tip of the Day: Make enough food so you can take some to lunch the next day!

xoxo

Meggan

Eggplant (my new favorite veggie)

So today I made my venture to Sprouts to pick up some things for the week :) They had a fabulous deal on all natural chicken, which fit in perfectly to our menu today. I purchased an eggplant ($.99) and Bill had leftover rice. Our entire meal tonight cost $3.07. I was able to split the chicken and freeze half, so we will be able to eat it at another time.

If you have never cooked eggplant, this is the week to try it! I have a fantastic recipe from The Newlywed Cookbook...

eggplant antipasto with pine nuts & herbs
2-3 eggplants about 1 1/2lb.*
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 small bunch of fresh mint
  half chopped. half in sprigs*
1 small bunch of fresh, flat-leaf
  parsley, half chopped, half sprigs*
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper


Slice the eggplants lengthwise 1/2 inch. Score both sides of each slice with a fork. Sprinkle with salt. Let drain on a rack for 20 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.

Heat a ridged stovetop grill pan until very hot. Wipe pan with olive oil using a wad of crumpled paper towels or a heatproof brush. Brush each slice of eggplant with olive oil. Press the eggplant down firmly on the hot pan and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, in batches if necessary, until grill-marked, tender, and aromatic. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, add the pine nuts, and toast gently until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Sprinkle the cooked eggplant with chopped mint, chopped parsley, pepper, and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Loop the slices on serving plate, add the pine nuts and sprigs of mint and parsley, and serve.

*I only used one eggplant, and cut the recipe accordingly. Also, we did not have parsley or mint on ours because we did not have any in the house. Still turned out delicious!



Tip of the Day: Try a new vegetable...you may be surprised how much you like it (I keep telling this to Bill!)

xoxo

Meggan

Wednesday grocery shopping.

Tomorrow is Sprouts double ad day! Sprouts Farmers Market runs their ads from Wednesday to Wednesday, which benefits the shopper. You can purchase items from their new ad and last weeks ad. It can be a little busy in the store, but it is worth it.

With Valentine's coming up on Monday, I definitely want to check out the Lobster Tails ($5.99 each). I need to make sure they are big enough, but it is a great price! Otherwise, I will purchase the Filet Mignon (all natural) for 40% off. Of course, Sprouts has a great deal on fresh vegetables. I will definitely purchase some eggplant ($.99) each to make for dinner on Monday.

Onions are on sale for $.49 LB. so I know I will be making some onion strings next week too. Bill loves onion strings and one of my favorite websites has an amazing recipe. If you have not heard of the Pioneer Woman, you must visit her site...here is the recipe.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/03/onion-strings-oh-yeah-baby/

Tip of the day: Go to Sprouts on Wednesdays (open 7am-10pm).

http://sprouts.com/home.php

xoxo

Meggan

What are you doing tomorrow?

One of my goals as newlywed is to make our dinner menu for the week ahead. It helps with my shopping, and if I know what is on sale I can plan my menu accordingly. As a newly married couple, we do not go out to eat very often, which saves a lot money. I know it is very convenient to come home from a long day at work and pick up something to-go or grab your significant other and head out to a restaurant, but think of all the money you could be saving by cooking at home.

TOMORROW is one of the best days to go grocery shopping for meat. Most stores start their new adds on Wednesdays, so I have found that Tuesday is the best day to buy meat. A lot of meat on the  shelf will have a sell by date of Wednesday, so you will find it marked down. I like to buy organic meat whenever possible, and this is when I stock up. As long as you buy it and either freeze it or use it by the date you will be fine.

When freezing meat take it out of its original meat tray (if you didn't buy it from a butcher) and wrap it in saran wrap. Then place the meat in a freezer zip-lock bag. Don't forget to label it with what type of meat it is and the date you bought it!
 
Tip of the Day: Go to Frys (or whatever store you shop at...I just really like Frys) and buy your meat for the week. Don't forget to throw it in the freezer if you are not using it for Tuesday's dinner!

Here is our menu for the week!

xoxo

Meggan

lets get this started...

At happy hour on Friday, I was sharing my favorite topic with my friends...how to save money when you go grocery shopping! I am one of the few people in the world that loves to grocery shop, but there has to be strategy to it. I am hoping to be able to share my knowledge and love of food, and of course...saving money. This is one is for you Jill + Kate!