Jul 18, 2011

Sweet Corn Dip

Sweet Corn Dip

What a delicious summertime appetizer, snack, or side dish to a great entree like quesadilla's, panini's or like we did.....fish tacos!

Pair this dip with dippers, anything you like really....we used tortilla chips!


To make this delicious dip you will need:

3 (11 oz.) cans sweet corn niblets, drained
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo, regular or light
1/2 cup sour cream, regular or light
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
juice or 1 lime or 1 lemon

Stir together dressing ingredients. Fold in vegetables. Refrigerate for about 3 hours & serve with tortilla chips.

Strawberry Dreamin Smoothie




This is a very different type of smoothie. Almost a mix between a milkshake/smoothie/creamy drink. Instead of being made with juice like most of the others, it has a base of soymilk. I love the texture, taste, & odd flavor of soy milk in this recipe!

You will need:
10 ounces soy milk
2 scoops frozen yogurt
2 scoops frozen strawberries
Ice

*Optional*
A great modification to this is to add 2 scoops frozen bananas, it makes it even creamier!
If you decide to do that though, change the amount of soymilk to 14 ounces.


Enjoy!

Jul 2, 2011

apple pie

Back during Memorial Weekend I began my journey......
to make a pie & pie crust (the hardest part) from scratch.
My hubby LOVES pies, hands down his favorite dessert.
He doesn't like cake, cupcakes, cookies, but oh does he love fruit pies.
So, I asked him what pie he would like me to make and he said apple.
So off we went to make an apple pie!

I had good intentions, but as I began preparing the pie ingredients I realized that because it was a stressful weekend with the kids, I didn't have time to whip up a crust in time to meet friends for dinner. So I just bought pre-made crusts.

I diced up all the apples.....

Got the top crust all laid out & ready......
Boiled the filling on the stovetop......
Then I read the recipe & did as follows.....

Pour the hot mixture over top the entire pie (top crust included) & bake.
Well, I did that & the enture top crust basically disintegrated.
Awesome.
I baked it anyway & it came out looking O.k.a.y.....
but it didn't settle well & pretty much made apple soup.
First attempt at a homemade pie....FAIL!

Jul 1, 2011

Eva Longoria's Tortilla Soup

Eva's Tortilla Soup


I just got Eva Longoria's new cookbook & this is one of her signature dishes!
This is a wonderful recipe to make a light, hearty tortilla soup.
The hardest thing might be to find the ingredients- the ancho & pasilla dried chiles. But look in your store & if anything, you can always get them online.

To make this, you will need:

4 pounds chicken legs
4 pounds chicken thighs
12 cups chicken broth
4 dried pasilla chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 large white onion, diced
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp kosher salt
2 large bunches cilantro, leaves chopped

*Note this recipe makes 14-16 servings, I just halved the recipe & had some leftovers for the next day*

To make: In large stockpot, place chicken legs & thighs & broth in. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, then reduce heat & simmer until chicken is cooked throughout, about 30 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from pot & set aside to cool. Then shred the meat.


Place the pasilla & ancho chiles in medium saucepan & add cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat & simmer until chiles are soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the chiles & remove stems & veins. If you want it a little spicier, then keep the seeds. If not, remove all the seeds!

In a food processor, place chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, & salt. Process until smooth, adding ½ cup chicken broth to loosen mixture if its too thick.

Stir the chile puree & half of the cilantro into the broth. Bring to a simmer over low heat & let simmer 20-30 minutes. Stir in the reserved chicken & remaining cilantro & remove pot from heat.

When broth is simmering, line a baking sheet or plate with paper towels. In large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add a handful or two of tortilla strips & fry until just lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Use tongs to transfer them to the paper towels to cool & harden. Continue in batches until all tortilla strips are fried.
 
When you’re ready to serve the soup, place the lettuce, avocado, & queso fresco in separate bowls to make serving easier.

For each bowl, place a few tortilla strips & a scoop of lettuce in a soup bowl. Ladle the soup into the bowl & top with a spoonful of avocado, then sprinkle some quesco fresco on top & serve!!