A couple recipes in honor of Cinco de Mayo...

Here are a few of my favorite things...Try one and explore the Mexican culture in Honor of Cinco de Mayo today!!

Queso Fundido

Prep Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 20 Minutes

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 12

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Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage (such As Jimmy Dean Or J.C. Potter) Or Chorizo
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 whole SMALL Bell Peppers (any Color Combination), Seeded And Finely Diced
• 1 pound Monterey Jack, Grated (OR Mozzarella, Or Other Stringy Melting Cheese), Grated
•  Sprinkle Of Chili Powder
• 3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 1/4 cup Cilantro, Chopped
•  Tortilla Chips For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook and crumble the sausage until brown. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off any excess fat. Add onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the veggies are soft and golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

To build the skillet, place 1/3 of the cheese in a medium-sized ovenproof skillet. Add half the sausage. Add another third of the cheese, then as much of the veggie mixture as you'd like (you may have a little left over.) Add almost all of the remaining cheese, the rest of the sausage, then whatever cheese you have left. Sprinkle the top very lightly with chili powder.

NOTE: Depending on the size of your skillet or baking dish, you may have some ingredients left over. Just build so that the ingredients roughly reach the top of the skillet; they'll shrink quite a bit once the cheese melts!

Place into the oven and start watching it about 4 to 5 minutes in. You want to bake it until the cheese is totally melted, hot, and slightly bubbling...but before the cheese starts to firm up/harden. (In other words, you still want the cheese to be extra gooey.)

Remove from the oven, top with the diced tomatoes, sprinkle on the tomatoes, and serve immediately with tortilla chips!

NOTE: Be sure to have everything ready so you can serve the queso fundido pretty much right out of the oven. It's best when piping hot!

IMPORTANT: Wrap a cloth around the skillet handle so guests won't burn themselves.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

My very own Guacamole recipe

1 avocado, mashed with a fork

tomato, diced

onion, finely diced (about 1/4)

chopped garlic, about 1 tsp.

lemon juice, couple splashes

salt, couple shakes of the shaker

cilantro,about 2 tsp. dried or a handful fresh, chopped

This recipe is very much to taste. I like more tomato than some in my family and I like the onion to be very finely chopped. Too much garlic stays with me all night :) But, I love cilantro, so probably put m ore in. Slowly add and taste test, so you get it just like you want it. Stir all together and serve with Doritos or Tostitoes if you prefer.

Here are a few of my favorite things..... Chicken Fajitas 

from: 

(http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/01/chicken-fajitas.html)

Servings: 4

ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts (cut into thin slices)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 lime (~2 tablespoons of juice and zest)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 onions (sliced)
• 1 green bell pepper (sliced)
• 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
• 1 handfull cilantro (chopped)
• tortillas
• salsa (optional)
• guacamole (optional)
• cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

directions

1. Marinate the chicken in the oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in the fridge for 30 minutes to a few hours.
2. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side. (Reserve the marinade.)
3. Heat the oil in a pan.
4. Saute the onions until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the peppers and the remaining marinade and saute until the peppers are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.
7. Assemble fajitas and enjoy.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

How about a new recipe to try and use up some of that rhubarb coming up in your yard? I personally love rhubarb, but I do know it is a bit of an acquired taste.  Here's a different recipe I ran across on Pinterest that sounded yummy! The honey in this one should help to temper a bit of the tartness of the rhubarb and really make it good.

 The recipe can be found on Midwest Living's website...http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/muffins/honey-rhubarb-muffins

Honey-Rhubarb Muffins

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Honey-Rhubarb Muffins

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• Yield: about 21 muffins
• Prep 20 mins
• Bake 35 mins

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ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sour milk*
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 recipe Whipped Honey Butter (see recipe below)

directions

1. For topping, in a small bowl, cut butter into granulated sugar until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.
2. For muffins, line muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, oil, honey and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternately with sour milk, stirring after each addition until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Gently fold in the chopped rhubarb and the chopped nuts.
4. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans. Serve warm or cool with Whipped Honey Butter. Makes about 21 muffins.

note

• * To make sour milk, place 1 tablespoon vinegar in glass measure. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup.

Whipped Honey Butter

ingredients

• 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/4 cup honey

directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine butter and lemon peel. Gradually add honey, beating with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Let butter spread stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving.

nutrition facts

(Honey-Rhubarb Muffins)

sodium (mg) 172, cal. (kcal) 270, fiber (g) 1, Fat, total (g) 14, calcium (mg) 20, vit. C (mg) 1, chol. (mg) 24, iron (mg) 1, sat. fat (g) 4, vit. A (RE) 52, pro. (g) 3, carb. (g) 35

So you want to be a writer.

     Have you ever dreamed of becoming a writer, but didn't know how to go about it? Or possibly, you do write. All. the. time. But, you just aren't getting where you hoped. Or you do write, but it's for work purposes and leaves you feeling unfulfilled and wanting to let your creativity loose. Maybe you just think about writing and then life gets in the way. Or maybe, you don't like to write at all, but enjoy learning how others have developed their craft.
     Behind every great author is an equally great story of how they got there. Stephen King wrote his memoir, On Writing,  where he talks of being rejected and not giving up; and in this article, http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/04/27/ann-patchett-on-writing/ Ann Patchett tells how she makes great art and what she feels is the single most important aspect of writing.
     Whatever your take on the craft of writing is, give it a read, and see where you end up. Then let me know what you think...

A Book Trailer on a Tuesday...One you should read

     If you liked Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or Girl on a Train by Paul Hawkins then, The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson is your next favorite read! Full of twists and turns and unexpected darkness, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end! For a keep you up late kind of a novel, give The Kind Worth Killing a try today!