She can cook, part 2

So I forgot where I was going with this... oh yeah. Recipes. Proof that I cook. Validation of my mothering skills. Right. :P

Ok, so breakfast burritos... super easy, and lasts all week, if you let it. Very, very yummy. I am eating the last one right now. Yes, as I type. I am multi-tasking, what?!

Breakfast Burrito Filling

About 1 lb. ground pork sausage/fake veggie sausage

1 cup of corn (white or yellow)

1 cup of black beans (if you use dried beans, cook them first)

1 cup of salsa (no chopping tomatoes, onions, peppers etc. at 8 in the morning!)

about 3 Tablespoons of taco seasoning mix (*Hanging head in shame.. yes I use mix*)

6-8 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk

Soft tortillas

Fry up the sausage however you like to. Make sure it's adequately crumbled, and drain it. Put it back into the pan, add about 1/2 cup of water and the taco seasoning. Mix it together, and cook on high until the water is pretty well reduced. Don't forget to stir it often, or else you will have meat stuck to the bottom of your pan. Not fun.

Turn down the heat to medium, medium high. Add in the corn, beans, and salsa. Cook a bit, stir a bit, etc. Move all of that mixture in the pan already to the side, or into a separate bowl.

Pour the eggs into the empty (or empty part) of the frying pan. Scramble a bit, make sure it's cooked well enough to your liking. Stir back in the meat mixture and cook some more.

That is the filling. Add shredded cheese, sour cream, refried beans, lettuce, taco sauce, hot sauce, whatever, into the tortilla and fold and enjoy.

I either put the whole bowl of filling in the fridge to fill tortillas as I want one (leave in the fridge a week, tops), or fill some tortillas with with the filling and toppings (I don't do lettuce), wrap them up in foil and throw them in the freezer. Preheat an oven 400 degrees, and cook for about 30-40 minutes, or you can freeze them in plastic wrap and cook in the microwave for hmm... 3-5 minutes, I'd say, on high.

Pizza Salad

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cream cheese

1-2 cloves of garlic, diced fine

1 tsp. onion flakes (I'm not sure if that's what they're called, that's what I call them)

1 tsp. parsley

Any other herbs you like... dill, chives, basil etc.

Assorted veggies, diced or shredded

Shredded cheddar cheese

Pizza crust (cooked)

Process sour cream and cream cheese in a food processor or blender (a hand mixer would work, too). Add in the garlic, onion flakes and herbage. Blend until well combined. Spread on a cooled pizza crust. Top with the veggies and cheddar cheese. Chill for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight, to let the flavors blend.

That's it! Cut into pizza slices (or small squares for a party) and serve.

More recipes to come. I'm sure you're all waiting anxiously. :)

She can cook, too...

This weekend was a good cooking weekend for me. I have a few recipes I tried that were awesome, so I will share.

The first is a muffin recipe that is so yummy and easy. I think I'll be making them today once I get my bum off of the computer. It's even easier because I made up some bags of the dry mixture in the muffins, so I just have to mix them with the eggs, milk and fruit.

Oatmeal Muffins
(Oven 375 degrees)

-1 3/4 cups all purpose baking mix (Bisquick or Jiffy)
-1/2 cup quick cooking oats (hint: the packets of oatmeal are exactly 1/2 cup, I used a few flavored ones in the mixes I made.)
-1/2 cup sugar plus enough to sprinkle over tops of muffins
-1 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
-3/4 cup of milk
-1 large egg, beaten
-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (or 1 Tbsp. oil + 1 Tbsp applesauce)
-1 cup of fruit (blueberries, mashed banana, chopped strawberries, diced peaches etc.)

Line 12 muffin cups with liners, or spray with cooking oil. Combine baking mix, oats, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, beat together the milk, egg and vegetable oil.

Stir wet mixture into dry mixture just to combine. Add fruit and stir. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way with batter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.

Bake in the oven for 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.



Ok, so now my kids are demanding food. More recipes later.

It's (Peanut Butter) Jelly Time!!!

At the request of a reader (I have a readers! :D) I am posting my juice jelly and tea jelly recipes. Enjoy, lady!

Juice Jelly
(5 half pints)
4 cups of 100% juice of any kind, must be unsweetened
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 package of regular powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups of sugar

Pour the fruit juice and lemon juice into a big, heavy pot (soup pot?). Sprinkle with pectin, let stand for a couple of minutes. Stir to dissolve. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in sugar and return to full rolling boil, stirring often. Boil hard 1 minute with constant stirring action. Remove from heat, quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process in boiling-water canner for 5 minutes. Remove from water and cool on racks until set.



Tea Jelly
(4 half pints)
2 1/2 cups water
6 tea bags whatever flavor you like
1 cup unsweetened WHITE grape juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package regular powdered fruit pectin
3 cups sugar

Combine water and tea bags in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and measure 2 cups of tea. Place tea in a big soup pot, add the grape juice and lemon juice. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam, ladle immediately into jars, with 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim and threads with a clean damp cloth and adjust lids. Screw band down evenly and firmly until resistance is met and you can fit a fingertip between the jar and the band.

Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Mmm. Home made jelly.