Crock Pot Monday: Chili Colorado Burritos

My poor, neglected blog! School has been keeping me swamped, exhausted, and Strep-ridden this year :( . Boo! But I'm going to try harder to share some of the delicious recipes we have been cooking at the Farque household! This is one of them. Of course I found it on Pinterest and it is super easy. The meat cooks all day in the crock pot so it's really tender. Then you assemble the burritos when you get home, melt the cheese, and voila! Easy Mexican food at your fingertips. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of stew meat or other beef cubed
- 20 ounces of red enchilada sauce
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 1/2 can of refried beans
- 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas
- 1 cup or so of shredded cheese
- 1/2 of an onion, chopped
- small handful of chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) Season the beef with garlic powder, a little Greek seasoning, and a little Mexican seasoning (or whatever you have). Go easy on the salt since you'll be adding 2 beef bouillon cubes to the mixture.
2) Add the beef, bouillon, enchilada sauce, onions, and cilantro to the crock pot and cook on low for 7 or 8 hours. Mine cooked for about 8 and the meat was perfect.
3) After the meat is cooked, use a slotted spoon to get it all out of the crock pot. Use two forks to shred the meat and then put it back in the juice.
4) Turn your broiler on. Put some beef, refried beans, a little juice from the crock pot, and cheese in the tortilla and roll it up. Cover the top with more juice and cheese. Put under the broiler unil the cheese is melted.
5) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: Hickory Smoked Brisket

School is back in full swing...And so is Crock Pot Monday! I tried this super easy recipe in my slow cooker and it was delish! It's probably my new favorite way to cook a brisket. It was tender and juicy, and it had a slight smokey taste like it was cooked on a grill. Jason loves brisket and he absolutely LOVED this! We will definitely be having this again very soon. You can view the original recipe here, and a short video on how to put the foil in your crock pot.

Ingredients:
3-4 pound brisket, trimmed
1/4 cup of liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon of celery salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
a sprinkle of Tony's

Directions:
1) Line the bottom of your crock pot with foil. I used 2 pieces to make sure none of the juice leaked out.
2) Place the brisket in the crock pot. Pour the liquid smoke on top.
3) Sprinkle all seasonings on top.
4) Cook on low for 8-12 hours.
5) Voila! Seriously, it's that easy.

Try this soon!

  Get Cookin'!

Easy Chicken Marsala

Jason and I ate dinner at a very dear friend's house this summer. She made chicken cordon bleu with a marsala cream sauce. It was amazing! There's nothing better than great food mixed with great company! Ever since then I've been thinking of recreating her recipe. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and decided to go for it! This was my very first time to make chicken marsala and it turned out great! And surprisingly it was fairly quick and easy. I served it with some bow tie pasta- I will definitely be making this again very soon. I followed the recipe exactly- but my sauce didn't turn out quite like the one in the blogpost. It was a little too runny-- so I added some extra heavy cream, chicken broth, and instant brown gravy mix. That really did the trick! The recipe below is adapted from the original recipe on I found on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (The original recipe says to cut the chicken breasts in half and pound them. I skipped that step by buying HEB's chicken breasts that are "young chicken" and "thinly sliced")
- 1/2 cup of flour
- About 1 cup of veg. oil- depending on the size of your pan
- 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup of sweet Marsala wine (next time I might add a little less)
- 1/4 cup of chicken stock
- 1/4 cup of sherry or dry white wine (next time I might add a little less)
- heavy whipping cream, as needed
- instant brown gravy mix, as needed
- salt, pepper, thyme, basil, garlic powder

Directions:
1) Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place some flour on a plate and dredge each piece of chicken in it.
2) Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Pan fry each piece of chicken for 2-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Remove chicken and place them on a serving platter.
3) In a separate pan, melt butter and add mushrooms. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add marsala wine, white wine, chicken stock, and a few tablespoons of cream. Bring to a boil and then let simmer, allowing the liquid to reduce. At this point, taste the sauce and see what it needs. This is when I added a little bit of thyme, basil, and instant brown gravy mix (for color and thickness). I also added a little more cream to give the sauce more of a rich taste.
4) Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve. Voila!

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Blackened Salmon with Southwestern Cream Sauce

Jason and I were shopping at HEB today and an employee was cooking and giving samples of this recipe. Jason tasted it first and LOVED it so of course I tried it too. It was so good that we decided to buy the ingredients and cook it tonight for dinner. It turned out great! And it was so easy. We will definitely cook this again.

The sauce was the best part! The base is the HEB green sauce shown below. I had never used this until now- it's yummy!

Ingredients:
- 2 salmon filets
- a tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream
- 4-5 tablespoons of HEB's "that green sauce"
- lime juice
- a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter
- seasoning: salt, pepper, blackening seasoning, southwest seasoning

Directions:
1) Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet.
2) Season the meat side of the filets. Cook the filets in the skillet, meat side down for about 5 minutes with the lid on (depending on how thick the filet is).
3) Flip the filets once they start to blacken and cook on the skin side for an additional 5-6 minutes with the lid on, until the salmon is fully cooked.
4) In a small sauce pan, combine the green sauce, sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice on low until warm. Do not turn the burner too high or the sour cream will curdle (yuck). Taste the sauce and see if it needs more heat (add more green sauce) or if it's too hot (add a little more sour cream). I also put a little black pepper and chipotle pepper in the sauce for an extra kick.
5) Remove the filets from the skillet and top with the sauce.
6) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice

Not a great picture but a GREAT recipe! This is straight from the Pioneer Woman. My sister tried it first and she gave it raving reviews so I had to try it too. I'm a sucker for fried rice and this has become my favorite fried rice recipe. A few days after I made this, I tried it again but with shrimp. It was delish, too!!

Ingredients:
- 1 can of pineapple rings in 100% juice (the PW used fresh pineapple but I didn't have any on hand)
- 2 cups of rice, cooked
- 6 pork chops (or 1 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp)
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 6 tablespoons of soy sauce (I added more than this)
- 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of Sriracha
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 eggs
- 1 small jar of pimentos
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed veggies
- I also added some shredded cabbage

Directions:
1) Cook rice and set aside.
2) Grill or saute pineapple rings until they have grill marks. Then cut up into bite size pieces and set aside.
3) Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops in the pan. Saute on both  sides until they have nice color.
4) Throw in the onions and cook them with the pork chops.
5) Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and Sriracha. Stir it all around and let it cook and bubble up for a few minutes.
6) Remove pork chops and set aside, while the sauce and onions cook for a little longer. Then pour the sauce and onions over the pork chops and set aside.
7) Add a small amount of oil to the same pan and heat over medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
8) Then crack the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them. Add veggies and a little more soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir around for a couple of minutes.
9) Pour the pork chops, sauce, and onions back in the pan and serve.
10) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

The Best Cornbread Ever

This recipe is literally the easiest and most delicious cornbread I've ever tasted! It's supposedly a mock recipe of Boston Market's cornbread. If you've ever eaten at Z'Tejas, it tastes very similar to their skillet cornbread. Melt in your mouth! It's the perfect combination of sweetness and corn.

Ingredients for an 8 in round pan:
- 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix
- 1 box of Jiffy yellow cake mix

Ingredients for 9x13 pan:
- 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix
- 1 regular yellow cake mix (the normal Betty Crocker size, not Jiffy)

Directions:
Simply mix both boxes according to the directions and combine the batter. You can use a large mixing bowl and combine both boxes of mix and all other ingredients at once. Bake at 350 degrees until done, about 30 minutes. Yum!

  Get Cookin'!

Maple Glazed Chicken with Jalapeno Salsa

    

This is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman, and like all of her recipes it's delish! This recipe reminded me of  the very first recipe I blogged: Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa. It has all of the elements- sweet, spicy, smokey, salty, and fresh. A culinary delight!

Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup of maple syrup
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of pineapple juice
- a few pineapple rings (I used the kind in the can)
- 1 whole jalapeno, diced finely
- a large handful of cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Combine the syrup, soy sauce, and pineapple juice in a small pan. Bring it all to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium and let it bubble up and reduce. Set aside to cool.
2) In a small bowl, combine the chopped pineapple, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and set aside. Optional: You can grill the veggies before chopping them to give the salsa some extra flavor. This is the way I did it- so yummy!
3) Lightly season chicken breasts and grill until they're done.  Baste them with the maple concoction towards the end of the grilling time.
4) Top the chicken with the salsa and dig in!

 Get Cookin'!

Simple Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I have been so busy lately that I just cannot find the time to blog about all the new recipes we are trying! We are in the "home stretch" when it comes to school-- only 7 more Mondays! I'm really looking forward to taking it easy this summer and cooking! Who wants to come for dinner? 

I found this recipe and I adapted it a little. I didn't add the rice but next time I think I will. Oh, and more cheese!! This was really simple and yummy. We eat lots and lots of Mexican food- LOTS! Chile Rellenos (stuffed poblanos) are one of my favorite things to order! 

Ingredients:
- 4 poblano peppers
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 cup of frozen corn
- 1 cup of salsa
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- shredded cheese (we actually used queso)
- chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) Prepare the peppers. Slice them in half and remove the seeds and ribs.
2) Place the peppers in a baking dish, skin side up. Broil about 7 minutes, then flip the peppers and broil about 7 more minutes. After about 14 minutes, check the peppers and continue cooking until desired softness. Peppers should be slightly tender but still a little crunchy.
3) While the peppers are broiling, brown the meat and then add then taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and salsa.
4) Mix in some cilantro to the meat mixture and then spoon some on top of the peppers. Top with cheese. Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: Buffalo Chicken

Super simple and yummy! I was a little skeptical of this recipe at first,  but we ended up eating it two days in a row! If you like wing sauce and/or buffalo wings, you should try this.

Ingredients:
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 package of ranch seasoning mix
- 1 bottle (12 ounces) of Frank's wing sauce

Directions:
1) Mix together the whole bottle of sauce and the seasoning mix.
2) Put chicken breasts in the crock pot and pour the sauce on top.
3) Cook on low for 5-7 hours.
4) When chicken is fully cooked, shred with two forks. Serve on buns. Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Restaurant Style Steaks

I saw this post on a food blog and I thought it was so interesting! I have eaten at many "fancy" steak houses and I have always noticed how different their steaks taste from home cooked steaks. I knew they used a different method-- but I didn't think that cooking them in a cast iron skillet was the trick. But it is! Jason and I decided to try it. We were skeptical at first but oh my! This was delicious. And surprisingly so easy. The steaks came out so tender and full of flavor. They really did taste just like a steakhouse. Sometimes I really want that backyard, grilled taste. But other times I want more of the steakhouse taste and I'm so glad we tried this! We will definitely make this again.

Ingredients:
- 2, 8 ounce filet mignons
- 4 teaspoons of kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of thyme, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions:
1) Take 1/2 stick of butter, softened, and mix with garlic, chopped herbs, and lemon zest. Form into a log and refrigerate.
2) Generously season the filets with the salt and pepper, approx. 1 teaspoon of each per side.
3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then heat the other 1/2 stick of butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet to a screaming hot temperature (on the stove).
4) Sear the filets in the pan for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until a nice brown crust has formed. While the steak is searing, continue to spoon the residual butter in the pan on top of the meat while it's cooking.
5) Once both sides are seared, place the entire skillet in center of the over for about 8 minutes, depending on how thick your steaks are. 8 minutes will give you about a medium steak.
6) In the last minute of cooking, take the log of butter and slice a nice thick piece to place on top.
7) Voila! It's that simple. Really. And so, so delish!

  Get Cookin'!

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops

We made this last night for dinner and just looking at the picture today makes me wish we had leftovers! These were so good. I love, love, LOVE grilled pineapple. And it goes so well with pork! This really is an easy meal-- it made me want to turn up some reggae music and stick my feet in the sand! Oh summer, I'm so ready for you! : -). And yes, that is some mac and cheese you see in the background. Jason loves it so we have it often. He's easy to please!

Ingredients:
- 4 boneless pork loin chops
- 8 oz. can of sliced pineapple in juice
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- a good sprinkle of cayenne pepper
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- salt and pepper- a good sprinkle on each pork chop before grilling

Directions:
1) Mix together the honey, mustard, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and minced garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice.
2) Brush mixture all over both sides of the pork chops and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3) Grill pineapple slices on each side for about 2 minutes, until grill lines appear. Grill pork chops until done, approx. 5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness).
4) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce

This was DELISH! My photo didn't turn out as pretty as the one in the original post, however, it was super yummy. It had two of my favorite things- lots of spice and lots of fresh garlic!  The whole cooking process took about 10 minutes. This is one of the many reasons I love shrimp! We made some fried rice with these shrimp-- the meal really hit the spot for my Chinese food weakness! I will definitely make this again soon. Try it!

Ingredients:
- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of chili sauce (I use Sriracha). I love this stuff!! Maybe use a little less if you don't like spicy food.
- 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons of Chinese rice wine
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1 green onion, chopped
- fresh asparagus (optional)

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and sugar and set aside.
2) In a wok, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Stir fry the garlic until fragrant. Chop the asparagus and add to the mix. Cook until tender.
3) Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes.
4) Add the sauce mixture and stir so the shrimp are fully coated. Season with black pepper and top with green onions.
5) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Alice Springs Chicken

This was really good! It's supposed to be a mock version of a recipe from Outback Steakhouse.  It was different than most of the other grilled chicken recipes I've tried. It had a lot of flavor and I loved the mushrooms (even though I'm not really a mushroom person). Next time I think I will add some onions and/or bell peppers when I saute the mushrooms. Also, I used regular bacon but I would suggest using the thick sliced bacon because it will hold up better. This recipe is definitely a keeper! You can view the original post here.

Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 bottle of Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt marinade
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1 cup of mushrooms, diced
- 2 cups of shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup honey mustard dressing

Directions:
1) Marinate the chicken in the Lawry's marinade for at least 30 minutes.
2) While the chicken is marinating, cook the bacon in a large skillet. Set aside and the saute the mushrooms in the bacon fat until softened.
3) Grill the chicken until done.
4) Preheat the broiler on your oven. Place cooked chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of honey mustard on cooked chicken. Top with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. Broil until cheese is melted. Voila!

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Panko Crusted Tilapia

This is a really easy week night meal! Tilapia is such a mild fish and you can do just about anything with it. I was really craving some fried catfish filets but I didn't want to go through all of the trouble of frying. I remembered that Jason and I ate dinner at a friend's house one night and she cooked something similar to this that was really good-- so I decided to go for it! I have to admit that this is a simple dish with very simple flavors (it's not my typical taste bud explosion dinner). But you can easily make a remoulade sauce, tartar sauce, or even a garlic butter sauce for dipping to enhance the flavor. The panko (Japanese style bread crumbs) gets a little crunchy when baked. I will definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
- 4 tilapia filets
- 1/2 cup of melted margarine
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 cup of unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, Greek seasoning, and a pinch of salt

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking pan with cooking oil.
2) In a shallow dish, combine melted margarine, garlic powder, and lemon juice. In a separate shallow dish, combine panko, Old Bay, Greek, and salt.
3) Dip each filet in the butter mixture and then roll around in the panko mixture, completely covering each filet.
4) Place filets on a baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes, until flaky. I baked my filets for about 14 minutes, and then flipped them and continued baking for another 5 minutes.
5) Remove from oven and squeeze a little lemon juice on the top of each filet.
6) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Grilled Lobster Tails

Tuesday was our very first time to cook lobster. We "splurged" a little since it was Valentine's Day :-). We bought the tails only from HEB. We went through tons of ideas on how to cook them, but we finally decided on a simple recipe that called for lime juice and a splash of tequila. It turned out so good! And it was easy! I can't wait to cook this again.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 stick of butter (for 2 tails)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons of lime juice
- 1 teaspoon of tequila
- sea salt and pepper

Directions: (I'm going to borrow some pictures from the original post- you can view it here.)
1)  Split the tails down the middle using a large knife. Starting at the end opposite the tail, gently pull the lobster tails meat out from the shell. Do not pull it out completely, just leave the very end attached.

2) Melt butter and mix all other ingredients together. Baste lobster tail meat on all sides and then carefully push the meat back into the shell.
3) Place the lobsters on the grill, meat side down, for a few minutes- just until you get some nice grill lines.
4) Flip the tails so that they are shell side down and baste again. Continue grilling until cooked (approx. 10 minutes total).
5) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: BBQ Ribs

 

Oh. My. Goodness!!!!! Who knew that cooking ribs cooked in the crock pot would turn out so delicious?! Definitely my favorite that we've ever cooked. And probably in my top 3 for favorite ribs I've ever tasted. Yes, that good! They were so tender, juicy, and f-u-l-l of flavor.

I was skeptical at first, it's true. I kept thinking, "How can this be good if it never touches a grill?" But the flavor is sort of "smokey" so you cannot tell they weren't slow smoked all day. Jason and I have tried to cook ribs a few times on the grill- but they always come out tough, no matter how long we cook them.  And they were a pain! This recipe is so simple and I will certainly be making this again soon. Try it, you won't regret it! Although I changed her recipe a little, here is the link for the original post.

Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika (I used regular paprika because I didn't have sweet)
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce, Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder, and Greek seasoning
- 2 pounds of pork baby back ribs
- 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I used a new kind "Dallas Cowboys Original" because I sampled it in HEB and it was good!)
- Vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth

Directions:
1) Sprinkle a little bit of Worcestershire sauce on the meaty side of the ribs. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, and cayenne. Rub all over the ribs.
2) Then sprinkle the ribs with Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder, and Greek seasoning.
3) Spray the crock pot with the cooking spray and then arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.
4) Mix together 1/2 the bottle of BBQ sauce and the chicken broth, and then pour over the ribs.
5) Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mine cooked for about 9 hours and they were fine!
6) After the ribs are cooked, remove from pot and arrange on a foil lined baking pan, meaty side up. Skim the sauce in the pot to remove any excess grease, and then pour in the other 1/2 of the BBQ sauce to the pot to thicken up the sauce.
7) Turn on your oven's broiler (I put mine on low). Brush the sauce over the ribs and put them under the broiler for 5 minutes. Remove, brush on more sauce, and then return to broiler for another 5 minutes.
8) Remove from oven and try not to burn your mouth while you are scarfing down the most delicious ribs!!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: Chicken Enchilada Soup

THIS IS DELISH!! Probably one of my favorite crock pot recipes so far! It had the perfect amount of seasoning and spice. I loved that there wasn't too much chicken or too many veggies- it was just right!  It was so easy, too. Essentially just throw everything in the pot and turn it on. I cannot wait to make this again. This recipe is definitely a keeper- try it soon!


Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chopped onion and celery
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers, along with 1 pepper
- 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
- 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 14.5 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes
- 1 can Mexican corn
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
- a sprinkle of black pepper and Greek seasoning
- 1 large chicken breast (or 2 smaller ones)

Directions:
1) Put everything in the crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours!  Seriously, it's that easy. Mine actually cooked longer because I got home from school a little later than usual and it was fine.
2) Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add chicken back to the pot.
3) Serve in bowls and top with sour cream, avocado slices, sour cream, tortilla strips, whatever really!

  Get Cookin'!

"Keep It Tight Tilapia"

Another Pinterest recipe! I'm pretty much hooked on that website.What else can I say? But back to the tilapia... You can click here for the original recipe.

I think it turned out great! And SO easy. Fish makes a perfect weeknight meal because it's so quick- it cooks in the oven in minutes! This wasn't one of those recipes that bursts with flavor- but sometimes "less is more" as Jason says :-). It was light and simple. The recipe used tilapia but the seasoning mixture would be delish on any type of fish. I think I want to try it with halibut next time!

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of EVOO
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon each: paprika, ginger, black pepper, dried mustard, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper
- 4 tilapia filets

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2) Combine all seasonings in a bowl and brush on each side of the tilapia.
3) Bake for 10 minutes.
4) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: French Dip Sandwiches

Yay! I'm finally out of the "gross crock pot recipe" slump! This recipe was so easy and really good! I found it on Pinterest (of course). Here is the link for the original post. I thought it was going to be too salty because of all the salty liquids- but actually I think it was seasoned well. I just added a little extra spice. We had a lot left over so tomorrow I'm planning on straining off the liquid and mixing in some BBQ sauce- instant chopped beef sandwiches! Super easy and delish way to reuse the leftovers!

Ingredients:
- 2-3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 can of beef broth
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon or Creole mustard
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- submarine rolls
-  salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Place the onions in the slow cooker.
2) in a small bowl, whisk together the beef broth, water, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic. Pour over the onions.
3) Season both sides of the beef with salt and pepper and place on top of the onions.
4) Cook on low for 7-9 hours or until beef is falling apart. Remove beef from liquid, shred with two forks, and then return to liquid.
5) Serve on submarine rolls with provolone cheese and jalapenos. Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Blackened Fish Tacos

Hi! Christmas has come and gone and now...Only 2 more days in 2011! I took a little break from blogging through the holidays but I'm glad to be back. When school is out I pretty much live in the kitchen- so have so many recipes to share!

I love tacos! Any kind, really. Fish and shrimp are probably my favorite. A few weeks ago Jason and I found some super fresh and super cheap fish filets at HEB.  We decided to blacken the filets and make tacos. We also made a cilantro lime slaw- yum! So easy and so full of flavor. If you like fish- you should try these!

Ingredients:
- fish filets (about 1 per person)
- tortillas
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime juice
- avocado slices
- coleslaw mix and dressing
- a little bit of olive oil
- seasoning: blackening seasoning ( I use Old Bay), garlic powder, Greek seasoning, pepper

Directions:
1) Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2) Squirt some lime juice on the fish and then season both sides of the filets. Place in skillet and do not turn or touch for 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick the filets are. This will help the filets get nice and black.
3) After about 5 minutes, lift up one of the edges and peek- flip once desired color is reached.
4) While fish is cooking, chop the cilantro and add to the coleslaw mix. For the dressing I like to use half ranch dressing and have coleslaw dressing. Add as much as you like and don't forget to squeeze a little lime juice and black pepper as well.
5) When filets are cooked, remove from pan and slice. Heat tortillas in skillet and then add fish and coleslaw mix. Top with avocado slices. Voila!

In the past we have also added beans to the tacos for extra flavor- we've used both refried beans and charro beans. You can add whatever you like!

  Get Cookin'!