Pecos Pasta

7 oz pasta
1 tbsp butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cans of chili
1 can of corn
1 tsp season salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

Cook pasta, drain. Melt the butter in a skillet and add bell pepper and onion. Cook until tender, but don't brown. Add chili, corn and spices. Simmer 5 mins add pasta and top with cheese. Cover until melted.

Mexican chicken minestrone

12oz cooked chicken cut into bite-size pieces
1tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tbsp vegetable oil
2 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup dried pasta (I used small shells)
1 14oz can Mexican style stewed tomatoes, cut up
Cilantro sprigs

In a bowl toss chicken with chili powder. Cook garlic in veg oil for 15 secs then add chicken and cook, stirring, 3 mins
Add broth 1 1/2 cups of water, beans and corn. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to simmer, covered 10 mins or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in tomatoes, heat through. Serve with cilantro.

Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry

Mmk so I'm not a huge fan of seafood. Not my forte. But I can eat some shrimp and maybe a tuna fish sandwich. I decided to make this for the Phil since he loves seafood and it was delish! Probably my favorite; coming from a non seafood eater. Try it. Love it. And it's super easy. It's a dinner for 2, so double and triple it to your heart's content.

Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Green onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp sugar
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I used 1/2 Tbsp of the jar of dry cilantro spice)
1 cup hot coooked rice

1. In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; set aside. In a small skillet, stir-fry shrimp in oil for about 2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

2. Stir sauce mixture; add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for about 2 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with rice.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I'm so glad fall is almost here and that means yummy soups! This soup is my mom's recipe and we always eat it in bread bowls which I think is a must for this soup. But regular ikea bowls work too :) Pictures aren't good cuz we were in a hurry to eat haha. Enjoy!


Cream soup base:
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp instant chicken boullion
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 1/2 C. milk

Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour, boullion, and seasonings until smooth. Remove from heat, gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over med. heat stirring frequently. Boil and stir for 1 min. Remove from heat and use immediately or keep up to 1 week covered in fridge. Can be frozen as long as 1 month; thaw in fridge.

Add to cream soup base over med. heat:
1 lb. velveeta cheese (cut up)
1 package frozen broccoli (cook before adding)

Stir until cheese is melted.

Southwest Veggie Quinoa

So, I know the title is weird, but quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a South American grain that is SUPER nutritious. It is a complete protein that is a whole grain, so its is high in fiber. Its kinda like couscous, but not as dry and crumbly. I heard about it a while back, and meant to check it out, then last week as we were perusing the bins at Winco, I saw it and bought a few cups.

I googled a recipe and found this one here. I modified it a little, and then modified it even more after making it tonight bc it was kinda spicy.

It turned out REALLY good. Even Dean liked it a lot. You could use any combo of veggies, but it has a southwest flavor, so I would keep the black beans and corn, and then experiment with adding others to it. We did zucchini tonight, but I think next time I will try asparagus (since Dean loves asparagus) and maybe grape tomatoes. Carrots would work, as would broccoli/cauliflower. Peppers (red or green) would also be a yummy addition.



Southwest Veggie Quinoa

1 t veg oil
1 onion (minced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1-2 c veggies (zucchini, asparagus, peppers, grape tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc)
3/4 c raw quinoa
1 1/2 c chicken broth (I used 1 1/2 c water and 2 bouillon cubes)
1 t ground cumin
dash of ground cayenne pepper (recipe called for 1/4 t, I used less than 1/8 t, and it was still pretty spicy)
1 t dried cilantro (or use 1/2 c fresh, and add it at the end instead)
1 c frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Saute onion, garlic and veggies until tender and slightly browned. Add quinoa, broth, and seasonings and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 mins. Add corn and black beans, bring back to simmer for a few minutes. Serve.

Calling for a guest post

I need Marnie to do a guest post on her carmel corn!

Beef & Bean Enchilada Casserole

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 4oz can diced green chili peppers
1 8oz carton of sour cream
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 6in corn tortillas
1 10oz can enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-in a large skillet cook ground beef, onion, chili powder and cumin until onion is tender and meat is no longer pink. drain. stir pinto beans and chili peppers into meat mix. set aside.

-in a small bowl mix sour cream, flour and garlic powder. set aside
place half the tortillas in a greased 2qt dish. (i cut them to fit) layer with half the meat mix, then half the sour cream mixture, and half the enchilada sauce. repeat layers tortillas, meat, sour cream, sauce. top with cheese.

cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35-45 mins or until bubbly.