Chicken Taquitos or "Rolled Tacos" for the East Coasters

Taquitos are the fastest, simplest and yummiest food out there!

Ingredients
Cooked shredded chicken
12 Corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 F
First you have to fry the tortillas in oil just until they are soft and flimsy. Then you put them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Once the tortillas are cool enough to handle place about a tablespoon of shredded chicken in the middle of the tortilla and roll it. Once all the tortillas have been rolled, squish them all into a baking sheet or roasting pan and cook until tops are golden brown. Take them out, cover the with salsa or guacamole and Enjoy :)

They can also be made with shredded beef!

Italian Pasta Salad

This pasta is as Italian as the people from Jersey Shore :) The only Italian part of it is that it has pasta and Italian salad dressing... but whatever... I like the title :)

Ingredients~
Pasta
Italian salad dressing
Any vegetable you want :)

I usually add in whatever veggies I happen to have in the fidge. Today we had brocoli, bellpepper, onion, carrots, and parmesean cheese.

Mix it all together, throw in the fridge and once it is cooled you have a yummy pasta salad perfect to take on a picinic :)

Night Bandits in Base Housing

I wanted to live on base because it is safer... or so I thought! We have become victims of night bandits! Last night while sitting at the dinner table eating we noticed something in our yard. When we looked outside we saw a little black dog sneaking around. My hubby turned on the porch light and the sneaky little dog ran off with Pablo's favorite chew toy! Pablo is devasted :( I don't know know if he will ever recover from the pain this loss has given him.

But that's not all...

My Hubby came home from lunch today and asked what happened to a garden flag we recently put up. Hmmmm did the night bandit strike? Do we need cameras around our house? Or did we make someone mad? Conspiracy? We shall see. For now, we finally decided the doors need to be locked.

We miss you Garden Flag... wherever you may be :(

Fickle Weather

Today is a beautiful day and perfect to take Pablo for a long walk in the park. Weather, please stay like this! I can't take the cold anymore!!

Going to See Tom Petty!!!

WOO HOO! I'm going to see Tom Petty in July!!! This totally makes up for my funky day yesterday!

Are you serious????!!!

This is my anthem for the day

Today has been a very funky day! The weather was yuckie, Pablo ate my roses, and I have been in a wierd mood. I decided to make my favorite cake to cheer me up. I made my pineapple upside down cake like I have many times before, prepared some coffee, cozied up on the couch with my hubby, and waited. When the timer went off I ran to the kitchen and flipped over the cake onto my cake stand...

And this is what it looked like!


Where did the freaking pineapple rings go? I give up... I'm going to sleep and hope tomorrow is better.

LA Inspired Street Tacos

There is nothing better than getting a street taco off a taco truck after a Dodger game :)But I'm 3000 miles away from the taco truck :( But my version came out really good :)

Crate & Barrel why do you have to sell the cutest stuff!
I need....

First Day of Spring! Went to The Nation's Capital

Yaay Spring! I have been waiting for it to warm up ever since we PSC'd to Dover In December. It was a perfect 72 degrees so we decided it would be the perfect day to go to D.C. It's times like these that make me happy that I live on the East Coast and can see so many different places but I still would rather be back in LA :) We were able to go to the top of the Washington Monument, see the Capital Building, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Monument, and White House. Plus we went to the Holocaust Muesum and the Smithsonian. It was amazing to stand where so many historical figures have stood, and know that I was so close to President Obama :) The only bad part about the trip was all the rude and obnoxious people protesting against the healthcare bill. Now don't get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with protesting... it is just how you go about it. These people were going up to families picinicing and yelling at them saying how bad of a president Obama is and how we are all going to hell if we support the bill blah blah blah. Like honestly??? Is that necessary? Is it necessary to hold signs up of dead babies? There were so many kids there and they didn't need to see that. I believe everyone should be entitled to there opinion but how they were protesting wasn't helping recruiting people on their side... they were actually making people very mad. I guess next time we ever go to D.C. I will turn on CNN first to make sure the Tea Party lunatics aren't there :)


I wanted to recreate the scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest and Jenny run through the water :) If only my hubby was in his blues :)


I knew the Lincoln Memorial was big but I didn't expect it to be that big!



The White House up close and personal :) It was cool knowing I was so close to President Obama



The White House from the Washington Monument

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!

I made pizza for movie night :)

This is my "go to" pizza dough recipe. I use it to make pizza, stromboli, and calzones. It never fails me.

For the pizza dough you can buy it already made at the grocery store or make it like I do. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water in between 110 and 120 degrees
2 cups all pourpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar

1.In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes.

2.In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise about 30 minutes. And Ta Daaa! you have yummy pizza dough!


I added fire roasted tomato sauce, a little red pepper flakes, mozzarella, and a little Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Pop it in the oven at 425 degrees until the cust is golden brown. Take out and let cool down for a few mins. then eat!

Kettle Corn

Wednesday night is movie night at our house. We usually make a pizza, sit on the couch, watch a movie, and eat popcorn.

Tonight we are watching The Hurt Locker... Again :)



We always make homemade popcorn because we don't want to eat all the junk they put in microwave popcorn. I want to change it up a little bit and make yummy Kettle Corn!! I thought it required a lot more ingredients it only takes 3.

Ingredients~

1/2 c. popcorn
1/4 c. granulated sugar
oil- Just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
salt to taste

Turn stove inbetween medium and hot. You dont want it too hot or you will burn the sugar and that is never tasty! Add in popcorn and sugar. Put just enough oil to coat the kernels. Stir mixture and cover. When the kernels are popping besure to shake the pot around a little. when the kernels stop popping as fast take off burner, stir a little, and let sit for 5 mins. After the popcorn has cooled, break up the large pieces with your hands, and add salt to taste. Enjoy :)

Dear Hubby

My birthday is in a few months and I really need these inorder to cook you delicious meals :)

Note to Self...

It is difficult to cook when you are disabled
While going down the stairs this morning my puppy, Pablo, went inbetween my legs and sent me tumbling down the stairs. I sprained my ankle pretty bad but I'm having a few friends over for dinner tonight so with a little asprin I can deal with the pain :)

Brownies ala Mode

I made brownies ala mode tonight for dessert! I used Martha Stewart's recipe and the Brownies came out amazing! I topped with homemade whipped cream, hot fudge, and maraschino cherries. They were like heaven!

Ingredients For Martha Stewart Super-Fudgy Brownies
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs

* I added a tablespoon of espresso to the batter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside


2. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove bowl from pan. Add sugar; mix to combine. Add eggs, and mix to combine. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened (do not over mix). Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top



3.Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Using paper overhang, lift brownies out of pan; transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, using a dampened serrated knife, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days

Los Angeles Alley Dogs!

When my mom married my stepdad was when we starting venturing out into parts of Los Angeles we had never been before. The parts he took us weren't always the cleanest or the prettiest but as I found out they are the places with the best food. We used to go to the garment district and flower district or the Allies. They get so crowded with people and there are too many languages being spoken that the entire time you feel lost in a different country. The best part of the weekend trips weren't the cheap clothes we would buy but the Alley Dogs. I miss them so much! My sister even cried over one :)



The Alley Dog or what some people call a Danger Dog are hot dogs sold on the side of the street by vendors. The hot dogs are simple, bacon wrapped with sauteed onions and bell peppers. On top of that you can get ketchup, mustard, and mayo. They look disgusting and I'm not going to lie the first time we ate one I was a little weary because the area is sketchy. But they are so good and to me considered my comfort food. With the weather bad on the East Coast right now the Alley Dog brings me back to the Garment District with my family :)

Ingredients
hot dogs
bacon
onions
bell peppers

Directions
Saute onions and bell peppers in oil until soft. Once the bell pepper and onions are soft cook the bacon wrapped hot dogs in the same pan until the bacon is cooked all the way through. Top with mayo, mustard, and ketchup and enjoy! :)

Huevos Rancheros with Traditional mexican refried beans

I have been craving huevos rancheros for a few weeks and since there isnt a decent mexican resturaunt around here I made my own.

Ingridients for Huevos Rancheros
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can Rotell diced tomato and green chili
4 corn tortillas
2 large eggs
monterrey jack cheese
oil for frying

Directions
In a medium sauce pan combine Rotell and enchilada sauce. Let simmer for about 10 mintues. Sauce should have thickened a little.

In a skillet fry tortillas until golden brown. Then fry eggs however which way you eat them.

Place 1 torillas on plate and add egg, some cheese, and a little bit of sauce. Put other tortilla on top, add sauce and cheese. Then you have huevos rancheros!

Traditional Mexican Refried Beans

Ingredients
2 cups cooked pinto beans
2 slices of bacon
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
salt to taste

I boil my own beans, however, you can buy pinto beans in a can like Sun Vista. In a skillet cook bacon until crispy. Once bacon is cooked, discard and add onions into the bacon grease. Sautee the onions until translucent.


In a blender, puree the beans and add to the onions. Be careful because it will splatter. Bring to a simmer and stir consisently.

When the beans look like this they are done. Just top with cheese and they are ready to eat!

Ina Garten's Blueberry Crumb Cake

There is nothing more relaxing after a long and stressful day at work than drinking a macchiato while baking and listening to Bob Dylan :)



I love Ina Garten! She is super sweet and all of her recipes are simple but delicious. She is an inspiration to me because she taught herself how to cook while her husband served in the military... hmmm sounds like someone I know :)


This cake came out perfect! Crunchy buttery top and sweet and delicious cake! This would be perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee. I love Ina Garten and her recipes never disappoint. The recipe called for fresh blueberries, however, the grocery store had really funky ones this week so I used frozen.


Ingredients
For the streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,

crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.



While doing the dishes my Hubby snitched another slice :( sneaky sneaky

Homemade Farmer's Cheese or Queso Fresco

I have been wanting to make homemade cheese for a while! I finally did it and it came out great. I get a little weary buying products from the stores because I don't trust all the crap they put in it. I love knowing that I made it and I know exactly what went in it and can pronounce everything too :)

Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk
1/4 cup white or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1.Pour the milk into a large pot, and heat until the temperature reaches 195 degrees F. Make sure to stir constantly to prevent scorching. When the milk reaches the temperature, take off burner, and stir in the vinegar and lemon juice. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

2.Line a strainer with cheesecloth, and set over the sink or a large pot or bowl. The milk should have separated leaving and a yellowish liquid that is whey. Stir the salt into the milk, then pour through the cloth-lined strainer. Let the curds continue to drain in the strainer for 1 hour. You can trash the whey or save it to drink like my hubby does.
3.Once the cheese is finished draining place in a plastic container and it will last 7 days.

Spicy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

My Hubby and I had a tradition of going to Denny's in Santa Monica on the 20th every month at midnight. Now that we live in the middle of nowhere we can't continue our tradition since there isn't a Denny's here :( So I decided to make what we usually order at Denny's. It came out so much better than Denny's :)

Ingredients~
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 small ciabattas
lettuce
1 tomato
2 tablespoons ranch
Franks Red Hot Sauce for Buffalo Wings
Monterrey Jack cheese
Garlic butter

Grill Chicken Breast until cooked thoroughly. In a bowl add 2 cups of Franks hot sauce. Place chicken Breasts in hot sauce and coat both sides well. Cut ciabatta bread in half and smear garlic butter on sliced half. Toast until golden brown. Once toast is done it is time to assemble! Smear a tablespoon of ranch on ciabatta bread, add lettuce and tomato. Place cheese on top of chicken then put the chicken on the bread. Then Tada! you have yummy Spicy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches!

Chicken Parmigiana

This evening we had a romantic candlelight dinner. I made chicken parmigiana It was the first time I ever made it and it came out super yummy! The only problem was I left it a little too long in the broiler so it was a little too toasted :) It is now my Hubby's favorite dinner.

~Ingredients~

* This recipe is only to serve two people

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pound
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs but I make my own
2 large eggs
1 can tomato sauce
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese ( please don't use the smelly cheese in the green can!)

You have to make a little assembly line :)

In a bowl (of course!) beat egg with a little bit of water, salt, and pepper. In another bowl put bread crumbs. To make my breadcrumbs I get 4 pieces of white bread and toast it really well. Then I throw it into the food processor and add pepper, red pepper flakes (only if you like spicy food)garlic salt, onion salt, parmigiano reggiano cheese, and oregano. Blend it up and tada you have breadcrumbs!

Wrap chicken in plastic wrap and pound it thinly. I used my husband's hammer :)
Then dip chicken into the egg, into the breadcrumbs, double dip back in the egg, and again into the breadcrumbs. This is were double-dipping is ok :)



I don't know why the right one is darker than the left one :(

Now you can either bake the chicken at 350 F for 25 minutes or you can fry it for 7 to 8. After it is cooked then you top it with fire roasted tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Place in broiler for about a minute. Don't forget about it like I did :) Finally all you have to do is place it on top of pasta. I hate any kind of pasta so I ate mine sans pasta :)



After he is finished studying his CDC's we are going to snuggle up and watch Lady and the Tramp :)

Tomorrow I am going to make Ciabatta bread for Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches :)
By the way, I am really upset at Barnes & Nobel! I drove forty minutes to get there only to find out they do not carry any Julia Childs cookbooks! Errr I guess next time I will call first :(

P.S I really really need a Rachel Ray Garbage Bowl. It is a necessity in life :)

Jakob Dylan!!!

I'm going to see Jakob Dylan in Baltimore!! And I get to drag my Hubby with me :) Last time we went to see Jakob my hubby wanted to leave early because "his feet hurt" I think he is was just a lil mad that I was goo goo ga ga over Jakob :) Cant wait for April to come!! Then we will probably see Bob Dylan in the summer! I can't wait!

Stromboli for Dinner!

I make homemade pizza atleast twice a week so this week I thought I would change it up a little bit. Since we are on the East Coast and live so close to where the Stromboli was created we just had to have it :) It didnt poof up as much as I thought it would but hey I'm not Italian so it isn't my fault my pizza isn't perfect :)

For the pizza dough you can buy it already made at the grocery store or make it like I do. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water in between 110 and 120 degrees
2 cups all pourpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar

1.In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes.

2.In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise about 30 minutes. And Ta Daaa! you have yummy pizza dough!

Now for the Stromboli!
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Roll out the dough as if you were going to make a large pizza. Then you add your favorite tomatoe sauce mozzarella cheese and whatever toppings you would like.





I added pepperoni, Capicola ham, bacon, bellpeppers, and onions. Fold in the corners and roll the dough.

You can brush the dough with egg to make it shiny but I used garlic butter to add extra flavor. Bake until golden brown. I baked my stromboli on an oiled pizza stone because I didn't have a cookie sheet big enough.



MANGIA!!



*Side note... try not to eat a piece right out of the oven because the sauce is freaking hot!



Sooo Yummy! Now if only I knew how to make gelato :)