Super Yummy Key Lime Pie

I absolutely love key lime pie!  I love limes no matter how you slice 'em!  Sweet, sour, you name it.  This pie is super duper easy to make and tastes ahhh--maaa--ziiing!

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust
(I used the Keebler reduced fat this time)

Mix the following...

1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup of Key Lime Juice*

Pour into ready-made pie shell, and bake @ 350 degrees for about 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve chilled with your favorite whipped topping.

Call me.  I will stop by to taste test it for you.

*You can buy key limes and attempt to squeeze them.  OR...you can buy Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice in a bottle.  I found my bottle @ World Market.

Tomatillo Sauce

I'm a big fan of green sauces.  If something says "verde" or "tomatillo", I will probably like it.  For some reason I have always been intimidated by the tomatillo.  So I decided to just take the plunge and buy some.  I roasted them in the oven on a baking sheet and using my blender, turned the funny little green things into an amazing sauce.  I will no longer be buying the green enchilada sauce on the grocery shelf!  Super easy to do...

Ingredients

1 dozen tomatillos
1 jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 small lemon or lime
Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Pepper
Cilantro
1 small-medium white onion
honey
olive oil (about 1/4 cup + some for roasting)
water

Step 1: Roast Tomatillos and Jalapeno Pepper
Peel off the husks and remove the stems.  Put them in a big bowl and toss them with Olive Oil and seasonings.  I use a little cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, Simmie J (a good spicy seasoning that I love), salt, and pepper.  Place them on a baking sheet and roast in the oven @ 375 for about 20 minutes.  They will get real soft and be starting to split open. 

Step 2: Blend it up
Put the roasted tomatillos in your blender (while they are hot is just fine) along with white onion, handful of cilantro, 1/2 of the Jalapeno (for mild) or the whole Jalapeno (for spicier), garlic cloves, the juice of one small lemon or lime, and salt and pepper to taste.  Blend it up.  It will be quite thick.  As you are blending, slowly pour the olive oil in.  Then add the honey.  The honey is important as it really balances out the flavors.  I use maybe 2 tablespoons, more or less depending on your tastes.  Then add water according to how thick you want it to be.

Use it as your enchilada sauce.  If you are in Cooking 101 and have never made enchiladas, just let me know and I will give you a recipe and easy instructions!

You can also use this as a dipping sauce with corn chips or as a salsa for chicken tacos, etc.

Quick & East Thai Stir Fry

This meal is super easy and super good!




Thai Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 box Fettuccini Pasta
Thai Curry Paste
2 pkgs of frozen stir fry vegetables
Fresh Cilantro
1 can of Light Coconut Milk
Salt/Pepper

Cook Pasta until al dente.
Whisk together Coconut Milk and 2 Tbsp Red Curry Paste
At the same time, heat some Olive Oil in a large Frying Pan (or Wok).  Saute the stir fry vegetables.  When vegetables become almost tender, stir in the Coconut Milk/Curry Paste.  Drain the pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Pour this water in with the vegetables.  Put drained pasta into the liquid mixture and toss, adding a handful of fresh cilantro.  Season with salt/pepper to desired taste. Serve and enjoy!  Yields 4 servings.

Note: This recipe can be altered many different ways i.e add chicken or tofu.  Serve with white rice, brown rice, or Asian noodles. 



The Ingredients







India Princess

India Princess - San Marcos CA

India Princess in San Marcos has some delicious Indian cuisine.  They have had several ownership changes over the years - with the current owners having tastier food than some of the previous ones.  You can ask for Mild, Medium, or Hot.  I went with Medium which was a little too much on the spicy side for me.
I loved the Chicken Korma which is tender pieces of chicken cooked in a spicy, creamy yogurt sauce.  I think the prices are a little on the high side.  An entree averages $16.00.  For those of you looking for a "deal", the Buy 1 Get 1 magazine that comes in the mail every month usually has coupons.  They have a BOGO on the entrees and it will save you $12.00.

India Princess - In Restaurant Row in San Marcos

Buttermilk Pancakes

I love pancakes and waffles!  I don't eat them very often but when I do, I enjoy them!  I used to either buy the box mix (Bisquick or Aunt Jemimah) or the frozen kind in the freezer section at the grocery store.  Eggo, Krustaez etc.  One day I looked at all of the awful ingredients in both the powder and the frozen.  Mono this and mono that. And xyz to preserve freshness.  You know.  I thought it was time to start making my own.  So I went in search of the perfect pancake recipe.  I'm sure I haven't hit perfection yet but this particular recipe is pretty darn good.  I adapted it from Williams Sonoma.  I usually make just plain pancakes but this particular time I made blueberry.

Recipe

2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2 Cups Buttermilk
4 Tbsp Butter

Mix dry ingredients together.  Then mix liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl and slowly pour into the dry mixture while stirring.  The pancake mix is done and ready to pour onto your grill pan that is lightly brushed with canola oil.  Delicious!

Here's a little "oops" secret from the cook...if you will look at my picture you will see two pathetic looking sausage links.  I claim to know a lot about cooking but for the life of me cannot microwave a frozen sausage!  I don't like sausage so it's generally not on my radar.  This particular plate was for Luigi and he loves his Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Links.  So I thought they would be a nice addition to the meal.  How was I to know you don't microwave a link for 3 minutes?!  Oh my, they came out like little pieces of cement.  But if you just take a glance at them, they look far worse than that! 
Let's just say I have been fired from being the Jimmy Dean Link Chef.

Later this week...HEALTHY blueberry muffins.  And a delicious Thai Stir Fry (vegetarian).

Lemony Chicken w/ Asparagus

Lemony Chicken with Asparagus

Chicken with lemon is an incredible mesh of flavor.  And when you add one of my favorite vegetables, Asparagus, you have a winning combination!  This meal is a favorite in our house.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients Needed

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Asparagus
Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Olive Oil
Chicken Broth
Lemon
Flour
Salt/Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place Asparagus on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Drizzle Olive Oil over them and if you like, a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.  Bake for about 13 minutes until it starts to sizzle and the cheese has melted.  Keep warm in the oven.
Cut Chicken into 1" pieces and saute in Olive Oil for about 6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your liking.  Set aside.  With the drippings from the Chicken and Olive Oil, sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour into the pan and mix until you have a nice roux.  Slowly add 1 cup of chicken broth (any broth will do) and whisk together with the roux until the sauce thickens up.  Add the juice of one medium Lemon.  Put the Chicken back into the pan and let it simmer in the thickened lemon sauce for about 7 minutes.  Place Chicken pieces on Asparagus and pour the Lemon sauce on top.  Delicious!

Recipe adapted from Amy @ Sing For Your Supper Blog


For Wine Drinkers:
Pair this with "Heliotrope" Pinot Grigio

Not From a Jar

I grew up eating Ragu and Prego spaghetti sauces from a jar.  I thought that was the only way you could make spaghetti!  I still go for the jar every now and again.  There is something comforting about that thick red sauce and it's oh so easy to make.  When I do though it's no longer Ragu or Prego but Paul Newman or Barilla.  Being in an Italian family though you quickly learn that sauce out of a jar is a huge no-no.  Sorry Italian family but I still love the jar stuff.  But I have also learned to make my own sauce and it's very tasty.
The non-jar sauce that I make is super easy and it always tastes delicious.  It just takes a little extra time on the stove so be sure to plan for that.
I usually go vegetarian with the sauce but once in a while I add in some ground sirloin.  The picture below is with the sirloin.

2 cans of diced tomatoes
Fresh Garlic
2 tbsp of olive oil (or more is you prefer)
Seasonings to taste (I use fresh basil if I have it; otherwise, Italian seasoning works great.  Also some salt and pepper).

Put the 2 cans of diced tomatoes into a saucepan.  Add the 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Saute the garlic in a small frying pan and then add it to your tomatoes.  Add any seasonings that you choose.  Use a mashing tool and turn some of the tomatoes into more of a liquid.  Simmer this "sauce" on the stove for at least 30 minutes but an hour would be even better.

Cook your choice of pasta (I love Barilla) until it is al dente and then drain it.  Do NOT rinse off the pasta!  The starch on the pasta is what helps your sauce to stick to it! 

You can either toss the pasta with the sauce or spoon the sauce on top of the pasta.  Depends on your preference.  I like both ways.  Sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!