Down and Dirty Tuna Salad

OK, let me start by admitting there is nothing “down and dirty” about this tuna salad–it’s just so quick, I can make it on the fly. Like so much of my cooking, it changes depending on what I have on hand. Right now, that isn’t much!

Food Share, Episode 2

By the end of the festival, we were beginning to get low on food stuffs, but still managed to create something amazing. (For the first episode, click here)

Simple Vodka Cream Sauce with Smoked Fish

Returning from nine days on the road, there was almost nothing in my kitchen. The roomie is away for the weekend, so I’m cooking for one. Figuring out something to eat that wasn’t on the menu for the past week and a half was a high priority this evening!

My cousin sent me home with some smoked kokanee salmon, so I did a google search on what I could make with it. One rather complicated vodka cream sauce caught my eye, but I never go to that much trouble. Instead, here is my simple version of a delicious and filling meal (this recipe is enough for one, but can easily be doubled, tripled or more):

Food Share, Episode 1

For the past week I’ve been on a literal and metaphoric spiritual journey, three days of which included a wonderful weekend at the Wild Goose Festival in Corvallis, OR. I have all the necessary gear to cook over a camp fire, but don’t own a camp stove, so I “advertised” for help with this dilema an Facebook and connected with another festival goer who had the necessary cooking stuff. (What I did take was my coffee maker and rice cooker! Yep, there was an electrical outlet near the campground)

Part of what made this experience so much fun was sharing food. Since this was simple, basic cooking, I’m not going to couch it in terms of a recipe, per se, but more in regards to the sharing of food and feeding the collective spirit.

Green Chile Pesto with Penne

I have a bad habit of making things up and never writing them down…ergo, a blog in which to keep track. This one is not for everyone, but it rang my bell! Here’s what I had:

Banana Bread Pudding

I got home from nearly a week on the road and found a chunk of banana bread I hadn’t finished before I left town (thanks to my new roomie, I have lots of baked goods these days!). I wondered if I could make bread pudding with it–it was beginning to be a bit stale, but wasn’t molded. So I tried it and I think I have a new favorite treat!

Watermelon Margaritas

Yes, you have noticed that I like margaritas. I am constantly searching for the next great ‘rita. For tonight, this is it. We had a huge watermelon that the two of us couldn’t finish, so margaritas fit the bill.

Summer Posts

Feel free to sing along!

Taco Salad

A friend posted a cute idea on Facebook–taco salad cups made with corn tortillas on the back of a muffin tin! I had the right leftovers tonight, so I made taco salad. MM MM GOOD!

Lemon Juice Margarita

I have been craving a summery margarita, but I didn’t have any limes or limeade in my kitchen. I did, however, have lemon juice. So after some experimentation (quite fun!), I came up with this.

Homemade Chunky Marinara

Last night I found myself wanting pasta with my baked chicken, so I scrounged through the cupboards and the fridge to see what kind of sauce I could make. There was a big can of tomato sauce I bought on sale recently and several veggies. Chunky marinara it was!

Just so you know–this should cook for AT LEAST three hours, so don’t start it when you get hungry.

S'mores on the Grill

This is not my recipe, so I thank my friend Blake’s wife for an idea that I can try, and which fits with my grand plan here at the blog. Yes, I will have to buy these ingredients (because I don’t keep sugary things in the house), but it’s a simple recipe with few ingredients and easy to explain to just about anyone.

Baked Chicken Sandwich

I love a good chicken salad sandwich, but there is only one chicken breast sandwich out there in the world of food that I think is worth eating–the plain Jane Chic-Fil-A standard. What is it that makes that sandwich special? Well, it’s the pickles and something else–a spice in the batter perhaps?–but I’ve come up with a baked chicken version that made me pretty happy the other day.

In the freezer–leftover sesame seed sourdough hamburger buns and a package with two remaining boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Rainy Days and Mondays...

Well, surprisingly, we are having both in New Mexico. And wouldn’t you know it, I watered the garden today.

Mexican Roast

I’ve been eating the most wonderful leftovers this week, but before I can talk leftovers, I have to first post the original dish. This is not a “whatever you can find” sort of dish–it takes a bit of planning to get it just right–but it’s so good I often wonder why I don’t make it more often.

Similar to a pot roast, my mother has always called this a Mexican Roast.

Pork Roast with White Wine Apricot Compote

Last year my sister gave me two huge packages of frozen apricots. I found about two cups left in the freezer and started thinking about what I wanted to make with it. I happened to have a medium size pork roast just waiting for something amazing. And I noticed about a cup of Gewurtzraminer left in the bottle. That is the base for a gorgeous meal.

Allergen-friendly Rice Pudding

I’m sure it’s possible to be allergic to the ingredients in this delicious and simple dessert, but it is safe for the big three: dairy, wheat, and legumes (peanuts et al).

Back in the day, when I was running the bed and breakfast in Texas, I had a houseful of folks from all over the world. Between my vegetarian horse back rider and the Scottish lady who couldn’t eat any of the big three listed above, I was challenged to create breakfasts and desserts that would appeal to everyone. This rice pudding was a hit with all!

Throw-together Summer Salad

I’m not a big lettuce eater, so the idea of salad tends to leave me a little cold. But I love a salad full of chunky veggies in a light dressing. This one is simple, quick, and can really involve whatever is in the fridge.

The Computer-less Blogger

How does one blog when one’s baby…er, that is “computer”, is at the Apple Store? One does not. Sometimes it is rather strange to realize how much we rely on this tech that has taken over our lives.

In addition, my roommate has been quite sick and so there has been little cooking at this house. I hope to be back in the kitchen soon. In the meantime, I’ll just be happy to have my computer back home where it belongs.

Chinese Takeout

Some days all you can do is admit defeat. When the second meal this week went in the trash, I just sat down and cried. I can’t really afford to throw away food.

Fortunately, takeout is pretty cheap, even here in the boonies. Unfortunately, my fortune isn’t going to help me win the lottery.

Steak and Olives

When I was a kid, one of my favorite meals was something my mom cooked in the electric skillet called “Steak N Olives”. She served it over rice, although I prefer egg noodles today.

I don’t have an electric skillet, so I’ve had to make some changes to the recipe, but this is so good, it’s worth the wait.

Green Enchiladas, Las Cruces Style

I grew up on the Mexican border, and so for me enchiladas are a certain thing: They consist of three or more tortillas dipped in red chile (enchilada sauce), laid flat on a plate, with cheese and onion sprinkled between each layer and on top. Enchiladas are not a casserole. Only gringos eat them with meat in them.

So I was never a big fan of the “green chile chicken enchilada” which I feel came from somewhere NOT along the border (outer space, perhaps?). Then I had lunch at My Brother’s Place, a crazy good Mexican food restaurant in Las Cruces. I went to school with one of the brothers’ kids. She always said he was a good cook. She was right!

His green enchiladas were just what I had always wanted, and my version is worth going out and buying the kinds of chile I need to make it work.

Every Day is Earth Day

Originally posted on Creation's Song:

I can remember being pretty little–four, five maybe. Digging my fingers into the dirt in my mother’s garden, my sisters pudgy hands playing right next to mine, her face (and likely mine as well) covered in streaks of mud. We “helped”, you know. Helped with the planting, helped with the weeding, with the harvest.

In those days, the farm was about 40 acres of horses, steers, cotton, and alfalfa with a little garden patch. As multi-generational agriculturists, my family was somewhat offended by the idea of Earth Day. In our world, where the land and the animals were a sacred trust, every day was earth day.

People who live in cities think they know more about how to protect the world than farmers and I will admit that the two or three corporate farms in America are not really doing their part. But the real farmers and ranchers, the men…

Read the rest here

More Blogroll

I’m adding to my blogroll–more food, some fun, and some of the stuff that turns my brain on. Enjoy.

Buffalo Wings

This was so simple, it was almost criminal. I didn’t have everything an online recipe called for, so I made this up from what I actually had in the kitchen. Through trial and error, I also discovered that one coat of the breading cooked up nicer and tasted better than two coats (as I would do for fried chicken).

Experiments in Gardening for the Green Thumb Impaired

We’ve reached stage 2 of the gardening experiment and I am thrilled to report there has been movement and change! Which, considering it’s a garden, seems to be the point.

Peanut Butter Drops or Bars

I have tried to steer clear of white sugar and corn syrup for nearly 10 years now (having been diagnosed with chronic fatigue, it’s the only thing I’ve found that helps me keep my energy levels up). But sometimes I really crave something sweet!

So when we were kids, we had this great peanut butter candy recipe that used tons of sugar AND corn syrup, and then added already sweetened peanut butter. But I don’t have any of those things in my house. What I have is…

Homemade Hamburger Help...er, Packaged Dinner

I never remember to buy those expensive package meals, but I bet I can come up with something just as good (better?) on my own. So what’s in the kitchen?

Bringing up Baby--Carrots, That Is!

No new food today–lunch was pretty boring: a leftover hamburger patty mixed in with some mac and cheese.

Instead, I’m bringing pix of the soon to be vegetable garden!

The Great Easter Hamburger

I wish I remembered to take a picture when I concocted this afternoon’s non-traditional but totally delectable Great Easter Hamburger.

Whatever was in the kitchen was not enough, so I actually headed out to the produce department for some extras. I’ve been craving a great burger and today I got exactly what I wanted!

A Word About Gravy

Gravy. Mmmmmm….one of the centerpieces of my cooking repertoire. Good “white” gravy is a thing of beauty, but most gravy is a sad reminder that most people and restaurants would rather just use a mix.

Since I pretty much always have the stuff you need for gravy in the house, it’s a go-to when I am going to be a lazy cook. Fry up some bacon? Make gravy. Fried chicken? Make gravy. Have extra bread? Make gravy.

And, if I might crow for a moment: I make DANG GOOD GRAVY!! So what’s the secret? Rue.

No, not the character in The Hunger Games. Rue is a really basic cooking trick that can serve as a base for lots of good stuff (like homemade mac & cheese). Here’s what you need:

Italian Sausage with Tomato Sauce and Linguini

The other night we scoured the cabinets and freezer, and came up with the following:

Swiss and Shrimp Muffins

The roomie came home with a pound of cocktail shrimp. We came up with this amazing concoction:

Rib-meat Soft Tacos

With lots of veggies in the fridge, it seemed like a good time to use them up. And tacos are always an easy fix.

The Beginning of a Blogroll

I own at least a dozen blogs, many of which have served their purpose and live lonely lives out in cyberspace, and others which I constantly promise myself I will come back to.

But I always question one thing–do I or don’t I include a blogroll?

Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole

You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to make an easy tuna casserole. You probably have everything you need for this one in your cabinets right now!

Turkey Noodle Soup

Leftover turkey is such a pain! Well, recently I had a piece of turkey left over that I was getting sick of eating on. Making soup in the crock pot was easy–and the great thing is, you can use any veggies you have!