Fresh Tomato Salsa
Fresh Tomato Salsa ~ light, spicy fresh tomato salsa with a hint of lime and no cooking involved. Also called pico de gallo ~ it’s a delicious appetizer with tortilla chips or topping your favorite Mexican dish.
We planted our garden again this spring and watered and fertilized all the plants; probably watering more this year than I can ever remember because of the stretches of 90+ temps.
We lovingly cared for these little sprouts like they were our children, anxiously waiting for the first sign there would be a harvest and watching as some of the tomato plants grew as tall as me. Don’t be too impressed ~ I’m only 5’2″.
Our reward for all this tending is lots of tomatoes. I’m talking Lots.Of.Tomatoes. We’ve eaten them in pasta salad, sliced on BLT’s and even a goat cheese-tomato appetizer. Some have a future in marinara but for now, our favorite is this Fresh Tomato Salsa with a basket of tortilla chips and a couple of margaritas.
Easy Spicy Beef Chili
Easy Spicy Beef Chili ~ loaded with beef, beans and vegetables, this chili packs just right amount of heat + 3 secret ingredients that take it to the next level.
If you’re thinking you’ve seen this recipe before ~ you have ~ I’ve updated the photos on this classic, crowd pleasing favorite because it’s fall and whether you’re a fan or not, it’s football season and friends, in my book, those two go together like peanut butter and jelly.
You don’t have to like football to enjoy all the amazing food people create when they gather to watch a game or three. Football food is almost a competitive sport in itself.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
One Pan Chicken Enchilada Casserole ~ layers of boldly flavored chicken, black beans and tortillas layered then topped with cheese and baked until warm and bubbly.
Most days I love cooking. It relaxes me in a way that very few other things do, but even food bloggers have nights we come home, put on comfy pants and just want to dinner to magically appear on the table.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole is simple, quick, really delicious and everything cooks in one pan. Layers of tortillas, seasoned chicken, black beans, enchilada sauce and cheese. Lots of cheese. It’s about as close as I can come to magic. Make it for dinner tonight for your family or add a pitcher of margaritas and a side of guacamole for easy entertaining with friends.
Grilled Spicy Chicken Wings
Wing eaters fall into one of two categories: drummy or flapper. In our house, it works out perfectly because I fall squarely in Camp Drummy. My husband is a Flapper Guy, though if there’s an extra drummy or two, he won’t let them escape. I love sweet-spicy wings and the inspiration for these Grilled Spicy Chicken Wings came from extra bottles of Jack Daniels I found one day at home. We don’t drink JD, but my daughter created a recipe a while back for Jack Daniels Brownies that she sometimes makes at our house ~ moist, fudgy brownies with a salted caramel drizzle ~ and the bottles ended up being left behind. It’s literally impossible to stop at one of these brownies! I keep “encouraging” her to guest blog this recipe ~ maybe a little nudge from you would help. I have no shame…
Shrimp Tostadas
I’ve probably told this story before, but in my single girl days I lived on Taco Bell cuisine ~ it is considered cuisine, right? I have no shame in saying this. It was cheap (still is) and good (still is) and in those days I wasn’t much of a cook. Win-win-win. I had a couple of favorites from that neon lit menu board that saw me both at meal time and for late-night snacks. One favorite was the bean burrito. The other was the bean tostada. Are you seeing a pattern? Though I still have a sincere appreciation for Taco Bell, my tastes have evolved (thankfully) and so have my cooking skills (“yes, thankfully” said my family in a loud chorus!) but I still love a good tostada, especially this Shrimp Tostada.
Mardi Gras Shrimp and Rice
The start of Mardi Gras. . .Fat Tuesday. . .Paczki Day. . .a rose is still a rose by any name. I’ve never been to New Orleans ~ yet. It looks like so much fun though so it’s on my list of things to do. In honor of Mardi Gras, today I’m making a weekday version of Jambalaya – a spicy sausage, shrimp and rice dish I’m calling Mardi Gras Shrimp and Rice. Jambalaya often includes chicken and some vegetables too. The dish is lightened up a bit because I’m not using sausage and if shrimp doesn’t make your sails fly, feel free to just use chicken. In other words, this is a very loose interpretation ~ but delicious nonetheless. Maybe when I get the New Orleans one day I’ll rethink the whole interpretation/weekday version, but in the meantime. . .
Spicy Thai Meatballs
I’m not quite sure where 2015 went ~ I swear we were just ringing it in days ago ~ yet another New Year’s Eve is upon us. It’s probably obvious I lo♥e Thai food and have been on a kick lately, so it should come as no surprise that I’m finishing 2015 with another yummy Thai recipe, this time in appetizer form ~ perfect for New Year’s Eve get-togethers ~ one-bite Spicy Thai Meatballs. Meatballs are such a great appetizer. My nephew shared his mozzarella- stuffed meatballs with a rich, red tomato sauce with us Christmas Eve. So yummy, cheesy and definitely high-five worthy we all went back for seconds. Meatballs are also economical ~ one pound of ground meat makes so many! ~ easy to prepare and let’s face it ~ they look just as pretty when they arrive at the party as they do with just one left in the bowl. The same can’t be said of all appetizers. Ahem, yes, I’m talking about you, layered dip ~ starting out looking as pretty as a prom date when you pick her up, but a hot mess by night’s end – chips embedded, gaping holes, pools of liquid (the dip I mean, not the prom date). Trust me. You’ll be happy you opted for easy, one bite Spicy Thai Meatballs and in spite of (or maybe because of) this being a season of overindulgence, these Spicy Thai Meatballs are made with ground turkey, so if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight, get fit or just eat healthier so you’ll feel better, that’s just one more reason to try them.
Spicy-Sweet Salmon
With all due respect to Three Dog Night (here I go dating myself again), One is NOT the Loneliest Number. Today I’m bringing you Spicy-Sweet Salmon, a single-serve meal that easily converts to date-night, girls-night, I’m-a-deer-hunter’s-widow-night or oh hey, work friends check out my leftovers turned lunch but pulleeease keep your hands off.
